Educated : : a Memoir

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Choose the good -- The midwife -- Cream shoes -- Apache women -- Honest dirt -- Shield and buckler -- The Lord will provide -- Tiny harlots -- Perfect in his generations -- Shield of feathers -- Instinct -- Fish eyes -- Silence and the churches -- My feet no longer touch the earth -- No more a child -- Disloyal man, disobedient heaven -- To keep it holy -- Blood and feathers -- In the beginning -- Recitals of the fathers -- Skullcap -- What we whispered and what we screamed -- "I'm from Idaho" -- A knight, errant -- The work of sulphur -- Waiting for moving water -- If i were a woman -- Pygmalion -- Graduation -- The hand of the almighty -- Tragedy -- A brawling woman in a wide house -- Sorcery of physics -- The substance of things -- West of the sun -- Four long arms, whirling -- Gambling for redemption -- The family, morality, and social science -- The princess -- Educated.
"Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her "head-for-the-hills bag." In the summer she stewed herbs for her mother, a midwife and healer, and in the winter she salvaged in her father's junkyard. The 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. As a way out, Tara began to educate herself, learning enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University. Her quest for knowledge would transform her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she'd traveled too far, if there was still a way home. With the acute insight that distinguishes all great writers, Tara Westover has crafted a universal coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education offers: the perspective to see one's life through new eyes, and the will to change it."--Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

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Summary / Annotation
Table of Contents
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Excerpt
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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Wow submitted by Pooh3238 on June 17, 2018, 5:41pm This is an amazing story. Frustrating that it is a true story, but amazing "coming of age" and how she dealt with her situations.

A must-read memoir submitted by jamattock on June 19, 2018, 3:52pm This is a memoir not to be missed! Westover shares the stories of her difficult childhood growing up in the mountains of Idaho with a thoughtful insight and reflection. Her grit and strength to overcome many obstacles in her life (most of which were created by her family) is admirable. While this is a work of non-fiction, there were some aspects of the family dynamics and relationships that reminded me of "The Great Alone," by Kristin Hannah.

Educated(Nice....) submitted by MadMonkeyZ on June 23, 2018, 2:52pm Tara Westover didn't see the inside of a classroom until she was seventeen, but it was an experience that dramatically changed the trajectory of her life. This stirring memoir chronicles how she survived her survivalist upbringing, eventually earning a PhD from Cambridge University. It’s a rousing reminder that knowledge is, indeed, power.

Riveting submitted by alotofaxolotl on August 20, 2018, 8:07pm I had trouble putting down this book and my heart felt for Tara. Her journey from an isolated family, tightly controlled by a fanatical father and abuse from a brother is told with brutal honesty and eloquence. It is a book to be read more than once, a testimony to the resilience of the human spirit.

Highly recommended submitted by juleen on August 31, 2018, 4:52pm A powerful and dramatic memoir. Tara Westover's story is one of transformation and tenacity.

Unsettling and brave submitted by eamcdon on February 16, 2019, 2:19pm A story of survival and finding self. Incredible that we still have children raised this way in our time.

Entire book club loved it! submitted by lballard on June 18, 2019, 5:57pm This is an amazing memoir of someone who has had a very different and difficult life. Raised by “Mormon” fanatics, she manages to get out and have a more normal life. (I’m not sure that mainstream Mormons would consider this family’s views as Mormon)
It’s rare for a book to be universally loved in my book club, but this one was. Everyone was enthusiastic about it. I’d strongly recommend it for anyone, except people who had difficult family situations of their own, and who prefer not to be reminded of them

For the Child who Diverged submitted by KAPapaya on June 20, 2019, 10:02pm Thank you, Ms. Westover, for disclosing the intimate details of a family under a religious spell and in poverty. My own family history shares some of the fundamentalism described here, and its helpful to hear the discovery of the outside world described so articulately.

Compelling submitted by AGAPHD on July 4, 2019, 5:44pm I had a hard time putting this down. At times a difficult story to read, but also one I didn't want to turn away from.

Educated submitted by gindacu on July 10, 2019, 10:59pm Fascinating story. The author has overcome enormous challenges to achieve so much.

Vulnerable Story submitted by jackson.sarah.jean on July 13, 2019, 12:33am It's so rewarding to read a vulnerable, authentic book, that takes you on a journey through their life. This is what this book did! The writing is great, the story intriguing, I would highly recommend this book.

I loved this book and Westover's story submitted by tbbrown76 on July 15, 2019, 10:45pm It really rings true. Highly recommended for everybody. Even Mormons.
TB

Fascinating submitted by selujules on July 30, 2019, 9:11pm A fascinating look into a woman whose life is so different from mine. She is a beautiful writer, and I'm grateful she can be so open and honest about her story. It opened my eyes!

Liked this book submitted by karenkay on July 31, 2019, 3:28pm I found this book to be very interesting. Tara Westover was raised loosely as a Mormon but this is not the typical story of being raised in an abusive Mormon home. This story was more about being raised in a home where multiple family members have significant mental health problems that are untreated because of their distrust of the government and traditional medicine.

Thought-provoking submitted by rhino322 on August 11, 2019, 11:35am This book made me really reflect on taken-for-granted knowledge. We tend to go through our lives thinking there are certain things people know, yet as this book demonstrates, we can be mistaken in making these assumptions--and t b at when this occurs, the fault often lies with upbringing rather than some personal flaw.

Read submitted by Clown81 on August 25, 2019, 9:12pm Probably a great read.

Belief submitted by ccrose on August 30, 2019, 4:46pm This is a book that should beused in high-school classes. That’s an age when young people are hungry to know more about the world outside their family’s. And some may have been held back from chances for them to realize theirs is a hard life, an unfair life. A life where their parents have demanded no wandering away in physical distance or harsh beliefs.
I wonder if she wrote this after her parents died. Or if there were serious threats she faced. It doesn’t matter in the long run because she wrote it and turned it loose.
Brave, generous gift.

So nice submitted by smr on July 1, 2020, 9:13am So nice

Genuine submitted by mountainous on July 13, 2020, 10:52am A well written memoir that really makes you think about the varied experiences of people. Well written, honest, brave, and inspiring.

A very moving, well written autobiographical account submitted by thcohen on July 18, 2020, 2:28pm I was completely pulled in by Tara Westover’s brave accounting of her childhood and how she broke free of her terribly abusive (and politically extreme) family to live up to her full potential. As others have said, many parts of the book were shocking and hard to read, but it made her ultimate freedom and success that much sweeter. Highly recommend.

Could not stop reading submitted by alisonhatch94 on July 22, 2020, 10:51am I could not stop reading this book, I think I finished it in 2 days. Her experiences were crazy and sometimes difficult to read, especially since I have family that has a lot of similarities to hers. But it was also inspiring to see how she was able to distance herself from the traumas of her childhood and become a successful, educated woman that has accepted her past. Such a good read, highly recommend.

Great Read submitted by brianna2014 on July 23, 2020, 3:22pm This memoir offers a peak inside of Tara's life. The experiences she shares, and the obstacles that she overcomes make for an incredible read.

Memoir submitted by whitta151 on August 5, 2020, 9:05pm Such a great memoir. It's hard to believe that this happened within the last 20 years!

10/10 submitted by ohheyitselle on June 11, 2021, 9:53am LOVED THIS BOOK. I couldn't put it down!

I don't always enjoy memoirs but... submitted by Susan4Pax -prev. sueij- on June 12, 2021, 9:33pm I don’t always enjoy memoirs, because they often seem to me either too self-aggrandizing (Sidney Poitier’s _The Measure of a Man_) or too rubbernecking of someone’s train wreck of a childhood (Jeanette Walls’ _The Glass Castle_ comes to mind). _Educated_ could potentially hit either of these, as Westover had a bizarre childhood (she didn’t identify it as abusive, but any social worker would come in blazing at the neglect and danger caused by parent actions and active abuse caused by one brother). She slowly found her way to her own mind and actions, and does a brilliant job of charting the course for readers to follow how she inched her way to independence… without ever making it sound like she is to be put on a pedestal for doing it. This book strikes the perfect balance for me of seeing that the world is bigger and wilder than I know, and being so well written that I could hardly put it down for the pleasure of reading it.

Amazing submitted by supercinnamonroll on June 22, 2021, 2:04pm This book was really fascinating and it really shows that you can do anything even when it may have seemed in the past like that was impossible. Tara’s journey through her education is really remarkable and inspiring. I recommend this book to anyone.

Favorite Memoir submitted by kassafrass on July 21, 2021, 3:45pm Personally, I found this memoir compelling with a strong narrative. I still often think of passages from it even though I read it over a year ago. Powerfully explores the ways in which we become independent from our family of origin and just how difficult and important it is to create oneself through many stories and ideas.

How do I get so submitted by Ange on July 27, 2021, 11:50am Let us

bad submitted by dhrustar on June 21, 2022, 4:45pm innaporoor

Education submitted by bcartm01 on June 21, 2022, 9:00pm This book really made me realize how much I have taken my education for granted. This was a great read for me.

Maybe a bit overrated but still good submitted by audreyhalversen on July 13, 2022, 12:39pm I only say this might be a bit overrated because it was SO hyped that I think I went into it with unrealistic expectations. That said, Westover tells an important story and she tells it well.

Abc submitted by HockeyDude on July 25, 2022, 10:08pm Defghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

Interesting Book submitted by ADMartin on July 29, 2022, 4:37pm This story was so riveting and honest. I could not put it down. I really enjoyed it.

amazing submitted by graytabby on August 7, 2022, 8:10pm a lot of people in the reviews are saying it's overhyped, but I don't think that's true at all. couldn't put this down.

Great submitted by maggotnico on August 9, 2022, 9:27am loved the book

Excellent submitted by leah karr on August 11, 2022, 10:35pm Worth the hype, worth the waitlist time, it really is an good as your friends are saying it is. Read this.

Fantastic submitted by zwachtel50 on June 11, 2023, 12:47pm It’s hard to rate memoirs because how can you rate a persons life? However, Educated was fantastic. Tara Westover is an excellent writer, and her story is fascinating. I like to learn about fundamentalist religions, and Westover gives a great insight into how religion can both help and really really hurt people. Overall a great book, but be warned that there’s a fair amount of graphicness and some violence.

Good read but there are some triqggers for those who have suffered abuse submitted by mickplu on June 19, 2023, 8:20am Tara Westover's memoir is indeed riveting. There is quite a bit of violence and other triggers as she details her life growing up in a highly dysfunctional, often times, delusional family.

Hard story submitted by JennJenn on June 23, 2023, 9:28am This story tells a tragic and traumatic tale of a family and this woman's success in overcoming the odds she faced by such an upbringing.

bc submitted by Yelenabm_15 on July 7, 2023, 5:16pm bc

At the intersection of serious mental illness and fundamentalist religion submitted by Diananana on August 4, 2023, 11:32pm Written by the youngest of seven children, this memoir covers how the combination of serious mental illness and fundamentalism impacted her family. The author struggles with the conflict between her need to break away and her love for her family. Though she never uses the word gaslighting, this is a clearly what was happening. Not being able to trust her memories created havoc in her life. It was a compelling read.