Educated by Tara Westover

• Title: Educated
• Author: Tara Westover
• Publisher: Random House (2018)
• Genre: Nonfiction/Memoir

Summary

Growing up in the shadow of Buck’s Peak in Idaho, Tara’s family is suspicious of the outside world: of the government, of medical care, of schooling. In spite of physical, emotional, educational, and mental neglect, she is able to gain acceptance into college and eventually earn a Ph.D. from Cambridge University.

What I Think

This book has been on my list for a long time and when I finally read it, I couldn’t look away. Her father, in his fear of the end times, mistrusted everything around him, including his own children at times. I was surprised by the abuse she suffered especially from her brother Shawn was hard to read. I liked how she wrote about her experiences without hatred and noted when she thought some of her memories might not be 100% correct. I would like to have seen an afterward about what she’s doing now, but realize she’s just writing about her life and her quest for education. Overall it’s an eye opening read.

Rating: 4 Stars