High School (book)
High School is a 2019 autobiographical work by twin sisters Sara Quin and Tegan Quin, members of the Canadian indie pop duo Tegan and Sara. Released on September 24, 2019, through Simon & Schuster Canada, the memoir explores their upbringing in Alberta alongside the beginnings of their musical careers. Its publication was timed just before their ninth studio album, Hey, I'm Just Like You, which includes reimagined versions of previously unreleased tracks from their adolescent years.
Critically acclaimed, the book earned a 2020 Alex Award and was later adapted into a television series bearing the same title, which premiered on Amazon Freevee in 2022.
Summary
The narrative recounts the sisters’ early life, teenage experiences, initial romantic encounters, and the start of their music journey as queer youth in mid-1990s Calgary, Alberta. The memoir is organized with alternating chapters presenting Tegan’s and Sara’s individual viewpoints.
Background
Announced in December 2018, High School saw publication in Canada via Simon & Schuster Canada (ISBN 978-1-9821-1266-0), in the United States by MCD (an imprint under Farrar, Straus and Giroux), and in the United Kingdom through Virago Press (Hachette UK).
The memoir’s launch coincided closely with the release of Tegan and Sara’s ninth album, Hey, I'm Just Like You, which resurrected demo recordings from their high school days after uncovering original cassette tapes nearly twenty years later. This coordinated timing emphasized the complementary themes shared by both the book and album regarding their formative years.
Reception
Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone described the memoir as "a quietly heroic rock and roll origin story," praising its honest and richly detailed writing style. Spencer Kornhaber from The Atlantic highlighted a somber mood throughout the book, noting how themes of queerness deepen its narrative beyond typical coming-of-age tales.
While Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly provided favorable critiques, they indicated that the memoir primarily resonates with established fans. Jancee Dunn writing for The Washington Post lauded the sisters as "adept writers with a keen eye for detail," though she mentioned moments where the prose adopts a "stream-of-consciousness" approach.
Upon release, the memoir entered The New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller list at number fifteen for the week ending September 28, 2019, and secured a 2020 Alex Award. In 2023, it faced prohibition within Clay County District Schools, Florida.
Television adaptation
In 2020, Plan B Entertainment, Brad Pitt’s production company, announced its intention to develop a television adaptation of the memoir. Clea Duvall served as writer, director, and executive producer for the pilot episode. The series debuted on Amazon Freevee on October 14, 2022.