I read this from the perspective of a potential home-schooler, and it did give me some encouragement. The main message of the book is 'trust your children' - they are natural learners, and you are not going to have to force education down their throats. In fact, the less you do the better.
The book is arranged by how children learn different subjects, with chapter headings such as ‘Talk’, ‘Reading’, ‘Art, Math and Other Things’. In the edition I read (1991), Holt adds his comments on the first edition (written in the ‘60s) in indented paragraphs alongside the original writing. These comments state what has changed in the last 3 decades (not much for the better!), more stories and updates on the children from the first edition, and also, which I found most interesting, where Holt feels he was wrong about some of his ideas in the first book.
A few things have stuck in my memory. Holt talks about our being (with all good intentions, probably) 'false' in the way we treat our children. For instance, most people would probably feel that a running commentary is beneficial to our babies and toddlers, such as: 'Right, now we're going to put on our shoes. This is your left shoe. It goes on your foot' etc etc. Holt, however, would say that if this style of talking is not natural to you, the parent, then it is forced and false and will not help, and even potentially hinder, a baby or toddler picking up speech.
I liked Holt's description of teachers who feel that they are essential to a child's learning, and thus take on too much, in the way of preparation and instruction. This is both an encouragement (not to overburden myself with work) and a warning - to see myself as a facilitator rather than the all-encompassing instigator of anything that my children might pick up.
In a similar vein, Holt also suggests that children be left alone to examine things, and given as much time as possible to get to grips with a task or challenge before receiving any instruction on it. He writes this with regard to maths and science experiments, but I think the principle could be widely applied.
I will take on board many of Holt's points from this book, especially with regards to toddlers and pre-schoolers. The reason I haven't given this book 5 stars, although I enjoyed it and it found it easy to read, is because my gut instinct veers towards a more structured form of learning in general and for older children. It is good to read about the educational extreme of 'unschooling', but I do not think, as valid as that path is, that it is one that we will take. ( )

Currently reading. Similar format to How Children Fail, Mr. Holt through memos to Mr. Hull describes how children learn. His strongest advice is to TRUST CHILDREN. ( )

I remember my mother reading this when I was a child. She referenced it often... and now I do the same. Thirty years after it was first published, this seminal work is still worth reading and then reading again. John Holt is the grand-daddy of pop-psych educational writing. Don't let the pop-psych term put you off, however. This thought provoking work will give you more understanding into your child(ren) than ten years worth of subscriptions to the modern parenting magazines. ( )

John Holt was a genius at times. I really like this book and it is one that is worthy of re-reading. ( )