Schooled

by Tali Nay

"Do you have to have sex to have a baby?" It's a question that ten-year-old Tali Nay asked the office assistant at her elementary school after the woman had done her best to explain how it all happened to a roomful of confused girls. Or maybe Tali was the only one who was confused. It's entirely possible, for if there's anything she knew at this point in her schooling, it was that she—without fail—was the last to know about anything interesting. Take her first day of kindergarten, where it turned out that every other kid already knew which letters were the vowels. Her first lesson as a student was consequently one of humiliation, and her second—only slightly less important—was that puking in a classroom tends to start a chain reaction. A refreshingly honest deep-dive into what we actually take away from a public education, this hilarious and heartfelt memoir captures the things we learn in school that are never part of any lesson plan yet somehow have the biggest impact upon the shaping of our perceptions over the years we spend in a classroom. Things like competition, failure, scandal, popularity, disillusionment, triumph, guilt, and, of course, throwing up in public. From the glorious to the gloriously awkward, this everyman tale is a story of growing up, one semester at a time.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Autobiography

266 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 7, 2012

About the author

Tali Nay always wanted to be a fiction writer and was thus surprised when "real life" is what came out when she actually sat down to write something substantial. Tali studied writing in college, and then—entirely by accident—found herself working in business. She went on to earn an MBA, although recently left Corporate America in order to pursue her dream of becoming a gemologist. After a stint in New York CIty earning her diploma at the Gemological Institute of America, Tali now works in the gemology industry and lives in San Diego, California.

Reviews

[Jasmyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book--Tali Nay has a talent for writing and her stories are witty, vivid and hilarious!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book that made me smile and reminisce about all those years I spent in grade school, middle school, high school, and beyond. By the end of the book, I felt like I'd traversed these years with the author; a truly enjoyable read.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny enough to have brought me to laughing tears a couple times (swimsuit and the kiss in the play). I read this while visiting Nay's former roommate. I could have done without the profanity, mild though it was. I am also going to say the editor should have taken one more gander through the book. The intro and thank yous at the very end are worth reading too.

[Rebecca]

After laughing out loud just from reading the author’s note alone I had expected Schooled to be a hilarious read. While yes, there were a lot of parts where I laughed out loud there were also some insightful ideas on life within the schooling system from Tali’s own experiences.

I enjoy the occasional non-fiction memoir and I really enjoyed reading Schooled. As someone who is nearing the end of my degree I found it a nice experience reading through Tali’s school experience.

I found Schooled to be a really well-written book. Tali just has a way with words that once you start one of the stories you can’t stop reading it and then you just go straight in for another one. I did this one evening, I thought I’d just settle down and read a story or two before getting on with other things but in no time I had read about a quarter of the book.

There was nothing that I didn’t like about Schooled. There was a wide range of stories that kept me interested and it was extremely well-written and edited brilliantly. There really is nothing I have to complain about.

If you’re a fan of memoirs, especially those that touch on the side of humour then definitely check out Schooled.

[Kathy Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warning: Mild Spoilers
I really struggled coming up with a rating for this book. In some ways, I really loved this book and in some ways, I just couldn't stand it. I'll start with the good points. Tali Nay is a very talented writer and I really loved her writing style and it kept me wanting to read more. I would definitely buy any other book she wrote. Her writing is funny and fun and very enjoyable to read. Each little story was worth reading and helped to add bit by bit to the story and I really liked the structure of the novel.
However, I didn't much care for the story itself. While often describing her life in words like tragic, humiliating, and unpopular, it's kind of hard to hear these words describing a schooling which I can only think of as just about perfect. As the valedictorian, prize-winning writer, lead actress, lead singer, prom queen, and class officer who is almost angelically perfect and naive, I really fail to view her life as anything close to tragic. I just got frustrated listening to the complaints for a student who really couldn't have asked for much more.

[Nicole Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this on a recommendation of a friend of mine and loved it.

The writing style was easy to read and relate to. It made me laugh - often out loud. It made me think about my childhood and experiences in school and beyond. This book reminded me that we are all always learning and always teaching those around us. Life's little vignette's are not really about 2+2=4 or how to spell. The things we do and say impact how others think of us and impact how they feel about themselves. Powerful.

I also listened to a wonderful Ted Talk while I was reading this book that talked about the danger of a single story - how if we only look at things from one perspective or only believe in stereotypes we are getting a skewed vision of life and the people we interact with. The Ted Talk and this book in combination reminded me how much I love memoirs and learning more about peoples stories - the things they have experienced, the things that make them who they are.

This book is certainly worth a read!

[Dan-o · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about all of those adolescent things you went through and may or may not have ever talked to anyone about. It is a collection of 2-page short stories of all the horrible, traumatic, wonderful, and touching things that happen to kids as they go through public education, college, and then graduate school. Even though my experiences were somewhat different, it was easy to relate to the author's witty writing style and the way she framed up each event. Some things were more important to her than were to me, such as high school popularity, and thus took a larger role in the book than they did for me in real life. However, for the most part her stories were quite accurate of what we all went through and kept my wife and I laughing throughout. We read through the book quite quickly, which is also a sign that we enjoyed it.
Though this is probably not a book for your 15 year old, with the exception of some cussing the book is pretty clean.

[Syrena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relatable humor! I enjoyed this collection of stories as the author takes us on her journey from adolescents to grad school and shares many of life's lessons in between. I laughed out loud countless times, found myself cheering her on and reminiscing about randoms like the importance of BMG music club (love!) There's also sweet moments that brought me to tears. Can't wait to read the next two "chapters" (books) and see how the adventures continue...

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading "Schooled"! It's a very honest look at the ups and downs of the educational system. The stories are populated with authority figures both inspirational and otherwise, and filled with the lessons you learn in either case. Beneath the amusing sarcasm is a very sweet insight into learning and growing up.

It made me take a closer look at some of the most educational experiences of my life, and add to the list of things that I learned from them.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coworker suggested that I read this book and I'm glad I did. I had a hard time putting it down, which did not help my overall work load the last few days. I love her take on experiences that were probably common to much of us. I found myself giggling at various experiences, which wasn't super helpful as I was trying to read at my desk without anyone noticing. :)

[Rosanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little memoir is pleasantly written, amusing but not hilarious, and is ultimately the story of you or me. I give the tumor tremendous credit for doing this. Who among readers has never thought "I could write my life story!" Well, this author did. I enjoyed her writing style.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book. It brought back many memories of my own educational experiences. I laughed frequently, cried a little, and had a lovely reading experience. Well written T.

[Lisa Barnes Prince · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious book and very relatable. I looked up the author on Google. Disappointed that she no longer lives in Cleveland...

[Robin Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and light hearted

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good writing. She kind of humble brags a lot though. Like "I can't believe I was the prom queen!"