San Juan Family

Of course San Juan Islands breed creative writers and artists, I swear, the ground itself is made of brain food. Perhaps it’s an unknown side-effect of breathing lavender. Either way, another San Juan Islands resident, James Marcus Bach of Orcas Island, has been published.

His book, Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar: How Self-Education and the Pursuit of Passion Can Lead to a Lifetime of Success chronicles his “unconventional” way of learning. I put the word unconventional in quotes because I’m not sure he’s all that unique in a way, I think more people can learn better through real life than through institutionalized schools anyway.

James was a high school dropout who ended up creating his own career as a software tester and surrounding himself with people who had advanced computer degrees. And they were paying HIM for help.

His emotional state is important to note because even though he was successful, he felt like a failure because he had been taught that you had to finish high school and go to college in order to be successful.

This book is, in a way, a self-liberation piece. I attended the Rethinking Education Conference in Dallas, Texas this year and was pleased to see James speaking, his wife did an artsy workshop and they were a delightful family. I hope his message finds a home in the hearts of teenage boys who are smarter than school:)

And I didn’t even mention he’s the son of author Richard Bach, did I? Who wants to live in a shadow?