#1 NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, AND BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER • One of the most acclaimed books of our time: an unforgettable memoir about a young woman who, kept out of school, leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University “Extraordinary . . . an act of courage and self-invention.”—The New York Times NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW … Times
NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW • ONE OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR • BILL GATES’S HOLIDAY READING LIST • FINALIST: National Book Critics Circle’s Award In Autobiography and John Leonard Prize For Best First Book • PEN/Jean Stein Book Award • Los Angeles Times Book Prize
Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home.
“Beautiful and propulsive . . . Despite the singularity of [Westover’s] childhood, the questions her book poses are universal: How much of ourselves should we give to those we love? And how much must we betray them to grow up?”—Vogue
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • O: The Oprah Magazine • Time • NPR • Good Morning America • San Francisco Chronicle • The Guardian • The Economist • Financial Times • Newsday • New York Post • theSkimm • Refinery29 • Bloomberg • Self • Real Simple • Town & Country • Bustle • Paste • Publishers Weekly • Library Journal • LibraryReads • Book Riot • Pamela Paul, KQED • New York Public Library
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A gripping look at different side of life. Impossible to put down.
You know when all your friends tell you that you need to write a book about your life, because you just can’t make this S#&@# up????? This is one of those books!!!
There are memoirs… and than there is Educated. Educated is a memoir that goes beyond the scope of human emotions and delves into the fragility of the human psyche. Tara Westover bravely shows the reader a life many of us could not imagine, much less live through and come out on top…not only academically, but also in life.
The author’s many accomplishments are a testament to her resilience, dedication, and intelligence to live a life she most deserves and to settle for nothing less.
Loved the resilience of the main character! Her toughness & grit made her successful inspite of her crazy, dysfunctional family.
thought provoking
Havent read this but I want to
Eloquent story of the desire for knowledge and an education.
A memoir similar in nature to Hillbilly Elegy. A wonderful story.
I am a big fan of the book, The Glass Castleand Educated is similar in that it clearly depicts the challenges some children must overcome in certain family settings. This is a raw look at how poverty and religious beliefs affect childrearing. It also depicts the tenacity and inner strength required to elevate one’s self above his/her current situation. Education is the vehicle by which we gain information/exposure to the world, experience and digest different perspectives and establish a foundation for ourselves that may vary from what we learned at home. This book offers a first hand account of the struggle some experience in attaining their identity and world perspective. I highly recommend it!
Amazing and beautifully expressed first person account of personal growth, physical, mental, and emotional.
This is a memoir, not a novel. I had a hard time understanding why the author held on to her crazy family for as long as she did. I found her story painful and tragic.
Reminded me of Glass Castle
This is a memoir about a family of nine who lived off the grid in Idaho. They weren’t enrolled in school because of the radically suspicious and religious father who thought school was of Satan. They also believed that the medical field was evil. The author tells of her journey and struggles to break away from her parents’ beliefs and eventually get a PHD without ever attending elementary or high school. It’s a real page turner.
Excellent memoir.
Excellent, heart-breaking, ultimately life-affirming. Great read
This book is the most amazing memoir I’ve ever read! How the writer ever survived her childhood is unbelievable. One of our book club members chose this book, and I can’t wait for the discussion. There are so many things to talk about and to psychoanalyze. I would heartily recommend this book to everyone!
Interesting she had a hard childhood and overcame it and rose above it I liked the look into survivalist and fanatical mormonism
A gripping story of an unusual upbringing, with unexpectedly honest and brutal details. Looking forward to more from this gifted author.
It’s hard to put down.
I couldn’t put it down!