Educated, by Tara Westover
Summary:
Educated, by Tara Westover, is a memoir from a courageous woman, brought up in rural Idaho. Her 6 siblings were pulled from school early on and Tara never attended elementary or high school. In fact, she was 17 when she first stepped into any school.
Only the eldest 3 siblings had birth certificates. The children’s parents read to them from the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the speeches of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. Their homeschooling consisted of survival skills.
Her parents were survivalists to the extreme. Tara’s father ran a junkyard while her mother was a self-taught herbalist and unlicensed midwife. There was an abusive brother.
Her mother and father did not believe in going to doctors or medical facilities. As a result, they took care of accidents themselves, using herbs their mother suggested. The family kept to themselves and shied away from society and the government.
Then an older brother got himself admitted into college and came home with stories of a world beyond their family compound. This was all news to Tara, who had never heard of the Holocaust, the Civil Rights Movement or other important historical events.
Tara needed to get out so she taught herself math, grammar, and science. She learned enough in fact, to gain admittance into Bringham Young University. Tara was 17 years old when she walked through the doors of the University as a first-time student.
She also attended Harvard University and Cambridge, eventually earning a PhD.
My review:
This is an excellent book. It is one that everyone should read. I hope that it becomes required reading in all high schools.
It is a memoir. Tara never once makes us feel sorry for her. She tells her story with honesty. We see Tara struggle with family loyalty and her need to define and plan for her own life, even as the family bond is shattered. Knowing that her parents loved her made Tara’s decisions even harder.
I admire this woman greatly. Tara is strong and determined. I hope she continues along her life journey as a happy and fulfilled woman.
There are not too many books that I would want to reread but this is one of them. If you have not read this then I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Educated, by Tara Westover.
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
Interviews with the author:
Reviews of Educated:
Something about the author:
- Author’s web site.
- https://ans-wer.com/tara-westover-family-tree-and-photos-is-tara-westover-married/
If you want other book suggestions, I recommend:
- Playing with the Enemy, by Gary Moore
- Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic, by Sam Quinones
- Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens
- Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen, by Sarah Bird