#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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Excellent book! I had to just process in silence after finishing. Thought provoking on faith and God. Powerful as an educator to understand some of the trauma our students deal with.
Not what I expected at all!! But very well written and I wish her the best from now on!!
Let me start off by saying, Tara Westover’s memoir Educated was written masterfully, captivated my attention, and left me speechless at times. However, this was a difficult book to read and at points seemed over-exaggerated.
From hoarding guns, food and bullets to keeping his family off the radar, Tara Westover details the religious and extremist beliefs of her fanatic father. He goes so far as to make sure none of his children have birth certificates, refusing medical attention when they need it and even keeping his children out of school.
Vividly she portrays the horrific accidents that almost all her family faced as she grew up. Her mother’s healing herbs are used to treat the slightest scrapes, to the most server head injuries, even when her father is burned throughout his entire body, they refuse medical treatment and resort to her mother’s healing herbs and ‘powers.’ Westover’s mother believes if something bad happens it is because it is the will of the Lord. She is more sympathetic towards her children, but also complicit by her deference to her husband.
Just when you think Westover’s details about her life couldn’t get any worse, she then sketches the gut wrenching attacks and abuse she faced by her brother through the years. The images and descriptions of the abuse she endures and is privy to at his hand is brutal, and innate. There were instances where I had to close the book because it was so vivid and cruel.
Somehow Westover is able rise above all the extremism her family forced upon her and goes to college. This is her first experience in a classroom setting, living without the chaos of her family. Learning about slavery, the depression, WWII, the civil rights movement and even what the word ‘holocaust’ is, Westover came face-to-face with history that was withheld by her extremist upbringing. She goes so far to not only get a college degree, but also her PhD from Cambridge and a Harvard fellowship. After years of struggling to explore who she is, she discovers herself to be a scholar, writer and an independent woman.
“The decisions I made after that moment were not the ones she would have made. They were the choices of a changed person, a new self. You could call this selfhood many things. Transformation. Metamorphosis. Falsity. Betrayal. I call it an education”
While this book was haunting, awe-inspiring and stunning; many parts seemed rather farfetched. I don’t mean to be blunt but how the hell does an uneducated girl from the mountains go from counting the pages of a math book and calling that ‘doing math,’ to attending one of the world’s most prestigious schools? I’d argue intelligence is not the only thing required to attend either Cambridge or Harvard, but you certainly need to know how to pass exams, proper studying techniques, and even have the financial backings. I have no idea how someone without formal education is able to do that.
As I was reading Westover’s book this past weekend for my Atlanta Social Book Club, I went from angry, to irritated, to confused. But my anger was so strong and it came down to one point; how could the entire town and family sit by knowing and watching the abuse that was inflicted on Tara by her brother Shawn? Why did no one stop, or even call child protective services for her? It really goes to show that people need to open their eyes, and when you see something, say something!
Tara Westover’s memoir Educated is a stunningly well written book that leaves you haunted by the reality that she faced. But to that point, I will say I found some parts exaggerated, farfetched and even unbelievable. But if you were to take anything away from this book, I truly hope people wake up and speak out when they see something like abuse and injustice happening in front of them. This book is definitely worth picking up and reading, even if it has been hyped up too much!
Read my full review here: https://bit.ly/2XqH0O8
Westover gives a shocking account of her childhood growing up in a strict Mormon family and enclave in the Utah mountains. A family where the father’s word is law and healthcare is left in the hands of God and the mother. Education was not a priority, neither was safety at her father’s worksite or at home.
Her detailed account of growing up in such an environment had me shaking my head in so many places; I could not understand how loving parents could treat their children that way. The author’s strength to leave came from her older siblings who had already decided there had to be more to life than what they knew, which gave her the courage to break away and slowly gain an education and a mind of her own.
This is a fascinating and often horrifying account of Westover’s determination to survive and thrive despite her start in life.
I really feel that reading this book was a waste of my time. I didn’t believe Tara as a character even though it was her life. She had many opportunities to leave a very bad situation and I couldn’t understand how others stood by and did nothing about the brother who became violent.
This was a startling memoir that reads like fiction. The journey of Tara and how she navigates through emotional and physical trauma and breaks the pattern of abuse inflicted by those who should love and protect her is moving. I was immediately invested in Tara and her story!
this book reminds you that you are built by the family that you are born into. It also struck me again that religion has been used to abuse and control people. Tragic and pull for the author and its hard to see how her story will end.
Ones person desire and confidence leads to an accomplishment. Educated began inwardly and moved to the degree level. Good read and motivational. We can appomplish what we set our minds to do.
An amazing memoir about an incredibly dysfunctional family and a daughter’s fortitude to stand alone! The author is my hero.
Mental disorder (bipolar?) + Religious fanaticism + isolation + lack of education = a life well beyond dysfunctional.
Tara Westover’s life story in her book “Educated” proves to be a harrowing read. How the emotional and physical abuse affects Tara, her siblings and her mother is often beyond belief, yet as we read we come to realize that the most insidious abuse of all is the hold her father has over everyone. Tara, despite her brilliance and academic achievements, is continually drawn back seeking support and acknowledgement of the abuse from her parents, and most importantly love and acceptance from her father.
“Educated” is a difficult read, yet a book you just can’t put down.
Note: The blurb does not do the book justice. There is so much more to this story than “going to school.”
Blurb
Tara Westover was seventeen when she first set foot in a classroom. Instead of traditional lessons, she grew up learning how to stew herbs into medicine, scavenging in the family scrap yard and helping her family prepare for the apocalypse. She had no birth certificate and no medical records and had never been enrolled in school.
Westover’s mother proved a marvel at concocting folk remedies for many ailments. As Tara developed her own coping mechanisms, little by little, she started to realize that what her family was offering didn’t have to be her only education. Her first day of university was her first day in school—ever—and she would eventually win an esteemed fellowship from Cambridge and graduate with a PhD in intellectual history and political thought.
http://www.darlenejonesauthor.com
Well written story. Good effort for first book.
A fascinating story about a woman that is able to overcome her challenging upbringing. Although it was hard to read through her reality, it was so encouraging to see her journey and education about life.
Loved this book.
I was reminded of the resiliency of some children. Tara was blessed to have an internal drive to overcome family disfunction. She is also blessed with a writing gift.
This true story made me think about how parents can have such a profound effect on their children. Tara and several of her siblings were strong enough to break free from a dysfunctional family that didn’t allow them go to public schools and ignored abuse to go on inside the household. The fact that the author managed to eventually get a terrific education just shows how strong and intelligent she is. I found it inspiring. It certainly made me appreciate my own middle class upbringing.
Amazing story of human triumph over adversity.
This is a non-fiction book, but while reading it, one hopes that some of the details are indeed fiction. It’s amazing what this young woman went through and where she ended up. Inspirational, page-turner. Part heart breaking, other parts leave you cheering for the main character.
This is a great look into the mind of a child who has suffered abuse that moves them into adulthood. It is painfully beautiful and Tara did an amazing job of taking you through her life’s journey.
Tara Westover’s childhood in a family of Idaho Mormon survivalists is shocking. What is more shocking is that she managed to survive, escape, and go on, despite the ties to her family, the obstacles put in her way, and the lack of any kind of formal education. I found her memoir quite compelling, and she is an excellent writer.
I have worked in the mental health field for over 30 years. I understand why a girl/woman feels the way Tara feels. This is an excellent memoir. If you have ever been lied to by your own family or thought you were abused you should read this. You will automatically feel a kindred spirit to her. This memoir is a true survival story of one young woman who chooses to leave her family and do what she needs to do to survive physically, mentally and spiritually.