#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
Excellent read. Incredible life story.
How could this happen to a child? Great book…read it and understand the strength people possess.
While I enjoyed this book, I am not sure I believed everything she wrote. Seemed impossible to put up with her childhood and continue to have a relationship with the very people who made her miserable…
Unbelievable what this young woman went through to get an education.
I did not find it very believable.
I know I’m hardly in the minority here, but I read EDUCATED over a year ago and I still find myself thinking about it often. Brutally honest and beautifully written, this memoir takes you deep into one woman’s exceptional life. I was terrified for Tara and cheering her on. What a gripping book.
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Page turner. Couldn’t wait to see what was next.
It’s been on best selling list for years for a reason.. it’s unbelievable and inspirational. Shocking and heroic.
My Book Club read this last year. We had very lively discussions! This book is an eye-opener, inspirational and one everyone should read.
Unbelievable story! Funny and tragic at the same time! It’s an eye opener and… really challenges your definition of normal!
An amazing rise from poverty and persecution. You will want to know more about the author when you finish the novel.
A little hard to believe, but a compelling read.
That a family could put a young member through the pain, physical and mental, was horrifying to me. I only hope she continues to separate herself from them. I believe that will be hard because an abusive family is often very hard to escape from permanently. One thing I make sure of when I buy essential oils is that I am not buying them from her mother’s company.
There’s controversy over whether this is a true account of the author’s childhood. Let’s just say half of it is true…TERRIFYING!
I read this book as one of my book club’s selections, expecting to be disappointed. It was eye-popping!! It was hard to believe, except that it is a true story. For those of us raised in the typical American community we knew reasonable parents who opt into society and its norms and think rationally and take pride in the differences in their children and are proud when these children succeed and make their own place in the world. Tthis book provides an alternative universe. I believe it is important to learn about those who do not live with any of those norms. Tara is an amazing woman who had the fortitude, insight, intelligence to understand that to be safe and to excel she had to break away. That struggle and that success is an amazing story.
Loved this book!!! I learned a great deal!
What a life this author experienced! If it wasn’t an autobiography, and a selection for a book club, I wouldn’t have stuck with it to the end. Very difficult read because of the family she was part of and the abuse she suffered at almost every hand. Yikes, it was a really tough read!!
Thought provoking and interesting. A true story that exemplifies human resilience