Pressure Makes Diamonds is a refreshingly honest memoir about one family's decision to opt-out of mainstream education and home school their children.

Carline and her husband, Michael, both had successful careers as doctors, so in the beginning, homeschooling was never on their agenda. Over time, their reality changed, particularly after an accident involving their three-year-old son under the care of a babysitter. Carline quit her obstetrics and gynecology practice to home school all their five African American children.

This book illustrates how the family navigates the educational system incorporating a variety of teaching approaches. It is a personal account of one family's experiences, covering the problems and moments of self-doubt as well as the successes and triumphs.

This eye-opening book touches on the coming-of-age story of five individuals and deals with Carline's cancer diagnosis's life-changing event at the age of 49. However, despite some adversity along their journey, all five children flourished in a non-traditional educational environment and graduated from elite universities.