High School
Written by Sara Quin and Tegan Quin
Narrated by Sara Quin and Tegan Quin
4.5/5
()
Unavailable in your country
Unavailable in your country
About this audiobook
High School is the revelatory and unique coming-of-age story of Sara and Tegan Quin, identical twins from Calgary, Alberta, growing up in the height of grunge and rave culture in the 90s, well before they became the celebrated musicians and global LGBTQ icons we know today. While grappling with their identity and sexuality, often alone, they also faced academic meltdown, their parents’ divorce, and the looming pressure of what might come after high school. Written in alternating chapters from both Tegan’s point of view and Sara’s, the book is a raw account of the drugs, alcohol, love, music, and friendships they explored in their formative years. A transcendent story of first loves and first songs, it captures the tangle of discordant and parallel memories of two sisters who grew up in distinct ways even as they lived just down the hall from one another. This is the origin story of Tegan and Sara.
Sara Quin
During the course of their seasoned career, Tegan Quin and Sara Quin have sold well over one million records and released numerous studio albums. They have received three Juno Awards, a Grammy nomination, a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, and the New York Civil Liberties Union Award. Tegan and Sara have performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, from Coachella to the Academy Awards, and are executive producers of the TV series High School based on their New York Times–bestselling adult memoir of the same name. They are also the authors of the Tegan and Sara graphic novel series for young readers, which is illustrated by Eisner Award–winner Tillie Walden. In 2016, they created the Tegan and Sara Foundation, which fights for health, economic justice, and representation for LGBTQ+ people. The sisters currently reside in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Related authors
Related to High School
Related audiobooks
High School Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Resistance: A Songwriter's Story of Hope, Change, and Courage Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Marriage Material Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 2000s Made Me Gay: Essays on Pop Culture Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lullabies for Little Criminals: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Is It Hot in Here: Or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth? Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Love That Story: Observations from a Gorgeously Queer Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Out of Orange: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Diary of a Drag Queen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hollywood Park: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5No One Asked For This: Essays Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Inverse Cowgirl: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Fixed Stars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Abbi Jacobson Carry This Book Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Family Outing: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hello, Molly!: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alone in the Classroom Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Song of the Sparrow: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This Time for Me: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rainbow Warrior: My Life in Color Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Margaret Cho: PsyCHO Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dear Mr. You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Wild and Precious Life: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nothing Will Be Different: A Memoir Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSpoiler Alert: The Hero Dies: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Other Four-Letter Words Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dying of Politeness: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Stay and Fight: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Body I Wore: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Love Me Back Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Personal Memoirs For You
I'm Glad My Mom Died Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sociopath: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Counting the Cost Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Woman in Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Night: New translation by Marion Wiesel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Finding Me: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roxane Gay & Everand Originals: My Year of Psychedelics: Lessons on Better Living Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Roxane Gay & Everand Originals: Built for This: The Quiet Strength of Powerlifting Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5See You on the Way Down: Catch You on the Way Back Up! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Making It So: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Year of Magical Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Girls Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Glass Castle: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dad on Pills: Fatherhood and Mental Illness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Shelter: A Love Letter to Trees Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5While Time Remains: A North Korean Girl's Search for Freedom in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wishful Drinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pageboy: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yes Please Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for High School
58 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Interesting read. It's easy to tell that they are both being completely honest in all the topics they discuss. Maybe Tegan & Sara are bigger than I think are but when I saw that they had a book, I was immediately interested. Just because they happen to both be gay, the subject of sexuality is talked about with the same frequency as if they were discussing a heterosexual relationship. But, if you happen to be struggling with your sexuality or afraid to come out to the people around you, I strongly recommend taking the time to read this book. It was also cool because it made some rock stars like the 2 of them to write a book and seem so relatable to a lot of the feelings and thoughts they both share. I would like to know what a hardcore T&S fan thinks about this book, 5 stars because I couldn't find any reason to rank them any lower for any reason.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The sister duo known as Tegan and Sara take alternating chapters to tell their memoirs based on their high school years, which cover both their personal lives and the start of their band.I've been a fan of their music for a good while now, so it was interesting to get a glimpse of their discovery of music, their relationship with one another, and their experiences and struggles in surviving high school and in discovering and settling into their sexuality. Although they were quite a bit wilder than I ever was at that age (not that that's saying much, to be honest), I think I would have very much identified with their stories as a teen; I certainly enjoyed and appreciated it as a non-teen, too.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I loved this!! Highly recommended if you're a Tegan and Sara fan especially of course. I in particular recommend the audiobook, which is read by Tegan and Sara and includes snippets of their recordings from high school.The book is engaging, vividly written, and provides a welcome depiction of Real Queer People coming to understand themselves, as well as teen/sibling experiences in general.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I got this book based on a review I read somewhere, at one point which obviously hadn't stuck with me at the point I actually read the book. What I remembered about the book before reading it: high school, coming of age, 90s! What I didn't remember until I was actually reading it: twins, semi-famous musicians.If you're coming into this as a fan of Tegan & Sara and/or an LGBTQian coming of age story, you'll probably have more appreciation of this book If you're looking for 90s high school nostalgia, skip it.Other caveats for those considering:1) Rampant casual drug use depicted. Seriously, pretty much every memory/chapter involves getting high.2) Lots of casual f-bombing. Maybe you talk(ed) that way to and around your parents. I didn't/don't. There's so much that after awhile, it deadens you.3) There's a shallow rave-y, club kid vibe and undertone throughout. That's fine at first, but then it goes stale because there's nothing deeper. No substance to speak of.4) If you're looking for a professional musician success story to inspire you, you might be disappointed. Almost by accident they figure out they have songwriting/guitar talent, the book ends on the cusp of early success. This book doesn't really have much to say or a particular point of view...about anything, really.I don't resent or regret the time spent reading this, but now back to the TBR pile with a thank u, next.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5High School by Tegan and SaraI guess this needs said, Tegan and Sara are lesbian twin sister rockstars from Canada. I told a few people I was reading the book and they didn't know who I was talking about...which surprised me cause such a large portion of my friends do...or so I thought. Anyway, this review is about their book.I'm not sure when I first heard Tegan and Sarah. I know the album was their 2002 release, If It Was You, and it was some time before 2006 because I had picked up a copy of the Meg & Dia album, Something Real, hoping to find something comparable to Tegan and Sara. It wasn't. Not that Something Real wasn't good or enjoyable, but there's only one Tegan and Sara. It was very exciting to hear they had penned a book. Musician books can be hit or miss between too real, too unreal or just too "cool, you're famous...guess people will pay to read what you say." High School got me from the start. I mean the title doesn't leave much to the imagination, but...they flesh it out quite nicely in the 350ish pages that fill the covers.The format is interesting in that it changes between sisters from chapter-to-chapter. As they discuss their experience in high school in the mid-90's, including their favorite bands like Nirvana and Green Day, their clothing choices (ohhh how miss those high water pants, flannels and chain wallets) and their general lifestyle of parties, friends, broken homes...it was like reading my adolescence.However, it wasn't exactly the same. As the intro blurb stated, they are lesbians and rockstars...and it's during the roughly four year period in this book they discovered, or admitted, these parts of themselves. It was harrowing to read their struggle and confrontations as not just siblings, but twins, which always seems to produce a stronger push/pull than most other bonds. Then to have described the usual hormonal experimentation of youth that led to them truly exploring their feelings, their desire for love in the face of, what though not that long ago, was a very different time when it comes to homosexual relationships. And lastly, finding their passion for guitars and song writing and putting themselves fully on display with the strong lyrics and emotions that carry through their music to this day.Not really sure what I was expecting from this book, bit definitely delivered...and then some.