The author is an apparently wealthy mother of 10 homeschooled children. [I say apparently wealthy because her husband is a well known lawyer and she employs a weekly housecleaner, yard person, and mother's helpers - not something most of our budgets will cover].
The book also has really very little to do with homeschooling - extremely little practical advice and only a couple of the chapters are even about homeschooling. There IS a chapter on the religious beliefs that led this family to homeschool, and a very general, superficial [and not so useful] chapter on "homeschooling a housefull".
Instead, this book is a very personal story of the author's life, her faith journey, and her religious beliefs. She is strongly in favor of homeschooling, which one would expect, but she is also very strongly in favor of some other ideas - such as foregoing all family planning [including natural family planning] and "letting the Lord determine her family size" as well as the idea of the wife submitting to the husband.
The book includes a very detailed and personal story of her reproductive history, as well as how she and her husband came to their beliefs. She includes very appropriate scriptural references for everything she suggests and puts forth very intelligent arguments.
While this book was not at all what I expected, I did find it interesting, easy to read, and compelling. I may not agree with all of the author's viewpoints, but I can certainly see how she arrived at them and I can follow her spiritual logic. I enjoyed the book thoroughly.
There was a slight shadow of arrogance running throughout the book that was a little annoying. It was sort of a sense of "this is how *I* do things and my way is the right way". Sometimes it felt a little like the author was saying "see how wonderful I am!" I didn't agree with all of her suggestions or the way her family handled everything, but I still found the book very interesting and thought provoking.
My favorite part of the book is the chapter on birth control, and how she and her husband came to trust the Lord in that area. That is something that my husband and I have dealt with and came to the same conclusions as the author, so for that chapter, it was worth buying the entire book (so long as it was at a discounted price!)
No one knows this better than home schooling mother of 10, Vickie Farris. Through her warm, practical style, Farris, will fill you with encouragement and practical suggestions for those days when the challenge seems overwhelming. And for those thinking of embarking on the home school adventure, she offers her insights gleaned from years of experience, giving confidence and resolve. After all, she's a mom just like you. Hey Mom...you can do it!