Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital ARC of "Educated" by Tara Westover. "Educated" is a poignant autobiography of the author's life in a survivalist home, describing her emotional journey, family dynamics, and pursuit of an education. Ms. Westover's autobiography was heartbreaking, sad, and uplifting. It's a testament to the human spirit's resilience and the power of education. Family is important, but sometimes one has to walk away to seek their dream.  I have a copy of this book on my shelf, and it would be an excellent addition to your bookshelf.

This is a well written memoir. Several parts of the story inspired me and were so emotional. Education is so important for us to move forward in the world. So many untold stories are kept locked in small houses that need to be told. Be sure to have a tissue box around when you start this book. I do not rate memoirs less than five stars unless they are written terribly but these five stars are for plot, pace and writing style.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy of Educated!

I was blown away to read about Westover’s life. Her memoir kept me captivated and engrossed in all the discoveries of her life. This book wrecked me. I cried and cheered for Westover. What a redemption story!

An exceptional coming of age story set in remarkable circumstances. If you love seeing how a person can rise from the ashes, you want to read this ASAP.

I don't typically go for memoirs but I heard good things about this one so I was excited to give it a try.

Westover's journey from a survivalist family in the mountains to earning a PhD is both jaw-dropping and inspiring, especially coming from someone who doesn't have a college degree!

The book's raw honesty about family dynamics and education will make you feel emotional all around.

Tara’s story is fascinating. She is a strong woman who has overcome a lot.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #raandomhouse for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Pleasant enough read, much like any memoir about an abused-by-misogyny-addled-man. Clearly her experiences were awful. I feel voyeuristic reading these kinds of books, since I have nothing to offer the author for their baring of painful past wounds except money in royalties. If you liked <I>Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family</i>, this will please you.

I have heard from so many people how great this book was. It was incredibly sad that this was a memoir and that the author lived through all of these things. I really liked learning about the educational process and what that was like for her starting pretty much from scratch with her education. I really enjoyed it until the last part of the book and could not understand why she would want to have anything to do with her parents after everything that she had been through at their hands. I really felt that the book should have stopped after the educational component as the last segment took away from the strength of the book by offering something that actually detracted from it in my opinion. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

I apologize for not writing this review sooner. I had received a hard copy of this title, which I did use to hand sell in my store. I was equally excited to see it hit Obama's reading list. This is a great book for lover's of the Glass Castle. In addition to hands selling this book, it is one of my go to books for giving as gifts, especially for my teacher friends and family members.

This is an incredible memoir of overcoming family trauma, extreme fundamentalism. You see Tara fight for an education that she otherwise never would have obtained.

Did not finish. I wanted to like this book but the writing style just was not compatible with my taste.

A memoir about one woman's journey overcoming physical and emotional abuse from a family that lived off grid, a fear of most institutions, no outside education, no medical assistance from western medicine, and a devotion to the power of their beliefs.

Through determination to escape Tara Westover teaches herself the skills necessary to take the ACT so she can attend college and get out of her environment. The cost of education comes with a price - her faith is compromised, her trust is shattered, and her willingness to forgive at times will impact her future.

Knowledge is powerful and the discoveries Tara makes while seeking answers is difficult to read and unimaginable that anyone would life the life she has. A courageous, insightful, and honest story of a woman's rise above unthinkable circumstances as she questions her life and seeks answers from unlikely places.

A religious community where family loyalty is paramount and to question or speak out is to permanently cut ties. Would you be strong enough to walk away from your life?

Note trigger warnings - psychological and physical abuse.

I received an advance reader copy from the publisher for an honest and fair review.

I liked this book and was intrigued because it is a memoir. It didn't hold my interest as much as I was hoping that it would. Being a teacher, a assumed this would be more focused on education, but in reality that wasn't the focus. Education took a back seat to the family drama. But the family drama was interesting and mind blowing.

Very good non-fiction story of Tara Westover’s life. Eye-opening to the lives of others and different upbringings and systems in America.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I found it to be a very interesting read and some parts were challenging to get through. Tara Westovers childhood was challenging and at times I was unable to wrap my head around the situations. She has an incredible story and worked hard to change her life.

I heard so many great things about this book and now I finally read it. It is written so well and I learned a lot from this author. Thank god there are such brilliant minds out there who write down their memoir so that other people can benefit from their knowledge as well.

A fascinating and terrifying true story of a childhood growing up in extreme isolation and under the control of a bipolar father and a violent and abusive brother. All the things her family went through because they didn’t believe in modern medicine (or seatbelts, or not driving during a snowstorm) are tragically sad, and the fact that her parents eventually converted those tragedies into “blessings” to show how anointed they were by God is just insane. Her brother is a terrible sociopath, but her parents enabled him and turned a blind eye to his fits, prioritizing his feelings and their “family unity” over their daughters’ physical and mental well-being. For years, they gaslit her and others into thinking their abuse was their own fault, because it’s easier for the family if secrets are kept.

It was definitely hard reading this at times, especially when Tara was questioning her own memories and sanity, and prioritizing her family over even her own life. As she kept chanting to herself when her parents came to Harvard to attempt to “save” her one last time, “When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?”

But her triumph, her true saving grace, is that her innate desire to learn finally led her to a place where it was more important to stay herself than it was to stay in her parents’ good graces. I also loved her discussion on history itself, and the place of historians within it. Maybe I’m a nerd, but her masters thesis and dissertation both sound interesting.

You always hear about poverty in other countries, but do some not realize that our country has spots that don't have easy access to things? Tara Westover was 17 before she got to see a classroom. Tara saw brother go to college and decided to change her life as well. This is such a beautiful story!

This memoir was far from an easy read. I was amazed that the author was able to survive her childhood due to the abuses she suffered at the hands of her brother as well as the dangers of working for her father. Even more amazing were her educational achievements given the fact that she had never received any formal schooling and had led such an isolated existence. Even as she distanced herself from her family, she still felt conflicted loyalties and questioned what was actually true. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a copy to read and review.

Great read.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Back in 2018, I was given the opportunity to receive an ARC from NetGalley of this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me this opportunity back then. Unfortunately, due to various circumstances, I was unable to read this novel at that time. There it had remained for the past four years, in my ARC digital library with a promise to be read one day.

That day has finally come. WOW - do I regret not picking up this book sooner. This book and the story it tells is raw and real in a way that few books are. Tara is a brilliant author. This memoir of her life, her family, is so personal and so touching that I felt like I lived her life. I felt her suffering, her fear, her successes.

Tara’s journey is so unbelievable and yet so very real that it was hard to put the book down for a break. I’m incredibly impressed with Tara’s successes. I am infinitely more impressed with her ability to see beyond what she was raised to believe and look at the world through different eyes. For Tara to see the truth of a situation and find the strength to separate herself from the people she loved because of abuse is a true miracle.

Tara’s story is worth reading for everyone. There is a lot to be learned here from a young woman who remade herself - despite many obstacles - into a new and much stronger woman.

Highly recommended to all.
Enjoy and happy reading.