Cover Image: Educated

Educated

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Member Reviews

Outstanding. I have actually put off reading this novel for a while now and totally regret doing so. It is an incredible memoir that engulfs readers into a extreme Mormon lifestyle and it’s effects on the people within the Westover family. I really enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it.

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This is such an interesting and important book. I am a huge fan of memoirs, particularly of folks I would consider my contemporaries. I also have a niche interest in Mormon culture - maybe because I grew up in a religious, although much more mainstream, household (for example, my parents embraced the public school system).

This book was fascinating and devastating. I thought it was incredibly well-written and well-paced. That language is beautiful and reads almost like literature. I tend to prefer memoirs that are more sarcastic and self-deprecating, but you can really get lost in the language of this book. I will say that it was a bit more depressing (that's not the right word) than I hoped - I was really looking for more a redemption story, or a redemption attitude - which is strange to say because the author, of course, does ultimately go to school but I think that ultimately goes to the authenticity of the author's experience and the book itself.

I highly, highly recommend this book, particularly if you enjoy memoirs and have an interest in fanatical/niche religions.

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I tried picking this up a while ago and didn't get past 10% or so. I didn't feel like I was connecting with it and really had no idea what was going on. Finally came back to it (and started over) and I guess something clicked this time because I really enjoyed it.

I definitely was left shocked and saying WTF to myself several times throughout the book. Overall, I found the writing style to be very well done and the story engaging. And I'm blown away by Tara's determination.

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I finished this book a while ago, but have struggled to write my review. It was well written, gave a really good timeline of the authors life, and certainly gave enough examples to understand how life was for her growing up.
My big struggle comes from her having NO education to being able to pass the American equivalent of a GED, and then going on to not only one, but TWO prestigious universities after her undergrad. My brain has a hard time understanding how his happened.
I’m very happy for the author that she was able to get herself out of her horrendous childhood home and it was clear the last effect her upbringing had on her.
I feel many things about this book, but still struggle to articulate all of them. Give it a try for yourself and see what your thoughts are!

Thank you to Random House, Tara Westover, and Netgalley for a gifted digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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guess saying I "enjoyed" this book is the wrong word to use, given the subject matter, but it is certainly what I would call almost compulsively readable, in that "train wreck" kind of way -- you feel rather voyeuristic, but at the same time you can't seem to look away.

I don't know that I have a lot of thoughts to add that haven't already been said. I did find some elements here to stretch credulity, particularly the accounts of some of the injuries that went without any more medical attention than salves and oils, but I never get the impression that the author is trying to be sensational -- perhaps maybe just chalk it up to the imperfection of memory?

I'm so glad that Tara was able to escape the undertow of her toxic family. I'm blessed to have an absolutely amazing immediate family, but I know people that aren't, and I know how devastating it can be to know that cutting ties might ultimately be the best thing for one's mental health.

I do find it curious that the author seems to blame mental illness and not religious fundamentalism for her father's abuse. While the former may have certainly exacerbated the latter, obviously both working in tandem created a kind of perfect storm.

It's not hard to imagine where Gene Westover's loyalties and leanings would lie in the year 2021. I wonder what he's doing now, and how many people are still under his spell...

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What an interesting and informative read. I loved the journey of Tara and I continue to recommend this book to anyone!

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One of my favorite books! I recommend this to anyone who asks, and anyone who will listen! A fantastic and enlightening read.

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I read a lot of memoirs. After hearing the hype about educated I was expecting to be blown away, I was not. While not bad, it, in my opinion, did not live up to the hype. It’s a good read that is easy to get through. It wasn’t what I was expecting and I’m still scratching my head over why it’s gained such notoriety.

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I am not typically one for memoirs or non fictions but right away I felt intrigued by this book. It held my attention the whole time and set me on paths to further research and to learn about new things. Equally uplifting and heartbreaking

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I was intrigued by the pre-publication synopsis and comments for Tara Westover’s memoir, Educated. I am drawn to books that help us understand the stirrings of discomfort and dissonance that make a narrator/protagonist consider change and then take the reader through how challenges are met and overcome. I appreciate descriptions of how one's perception of a situation changes and how temporary setbacks are navigated.

Despite all indications that this would be ‘my kind of book,’ I had difficulty continuing to read it. I fully acknowledged to those who asked that the elements of isolation were too close for comfort. I too had lived where differing points of view were hard to come by. More than three years have passed since its initial publication and, in that time, many have recommended that I read it.

This week, someone who was unaware of my reticence to read this book sent it to me. I took this as a sign and decided to try again. Fully aware of my sensitivity I proceeded cautiously. Yes, I read it to the end and here's why.

1. The author author’s use of language is breathtaking. Her description and sentence structure both make the book a joy to read. Many vignettes close with an acknowledgement that her interpretation of the event didn't come until much later. She also footnotes alternate versions of events as portrayed by other family members.

2. Ms. Westover's personal struggle with getting perspective on her family and their way of doing things is honestly portrayed. When one is in the middle, there is no other point of view. Hence, the adage that we all grow up thinking our family is “normal,” until we get out into the world and compare it with others’ experiences. How does a child figure out if a difference is pathological or worthy as a point of pride? We witnessed the author’s dawning recognition that something is off, hint by hint, clue by clue.

3. The book is even-handed, without a finger-pointing, blaming undercurrent. The author tells the story as nonjudgmentally as possible. Another author might have been harsher towards the parents and some siblings. The facts speak loudly enough to those of us who look in from the outside.

I recommend this book to those who enjoy memoir. I only wish the author had spent more time with the later years, the coming out years. But perhaps there's another book in the making, after enough time passes to allow her to put those experiences in the context of her whole life.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the book for my enjoyment.
AND thanks to the friend who bought it for me, not knowing how I felt.

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This book blew my mind, even though the events described seemed so unreal as to be exaggerated. But pushing this inside, it was entertaining to be a fly on the wall with these family dramas, despite it being so heartbreaking.

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Tara Westover is an amazing woman. I cannot imagine accomplishing what she did. The book held my interest from cover to cover and beyond. I highly recommend reading this.

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The most horrifying story I have ever read. I'm shocked and terrified that this was a true story. I don't think I've ever cried so much reading non-fiction before. Recommended reading for everyone!

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The core theme of the book is about the merits of education, but it's also about memory and about the complicated ties to family and oneself. It is also about love and how love can manifest in harmful, abusive ways.

Tara was raised the youngest of seven children in rural Idaho by extremist parents who prepared for the world's end and didn't believe in public education. Rather than go to hospitals, they would use oils and herbs to heal the various injuries sustained while living on the mountain and working in a junkyard. And there are many, many serious injuries. Brain trauma, burns, car accidents, physical abuse, gashes, impaling, etc. At times it feels more like a thriller than a real story, which is a tribute to how well-written the book is.

While Tara was "home-schooled" she didn't receive an education from her parents. She worked on the junkyard with her father and helped her mother with her herbalist remedies and midwifery. The only books around to read was the Book of Mormon and various other Mormon texts and a children's book. Her father lectured about his paranoid ideologies and it wasn't until she was able to go to school and learn for herself that she realized how flawed and ignorant her knowledge was. While at BYU, she raised her hand in class and asked her instructor what the Holocaust was because she didn't know. So this is a story of resilience and using education as an opportunity to transform oneself. To get away from the roots that hold you back.

As Tara tells her story, she understands how poor our memories can be at accurately recalling events, so she is open about what is memory, what is speculation, journal entry, research or the accounts of others. This, of course, means that her perspective of things doesn't match with other family members. Remember, she has six siblings and she is the youngest. I looked into the accounts of other family members and honestly, I don't think any of it should or can be used against Tara. All it does is prove how memory works and how our recollection of events is shaped by our thoughts and feelings at the time. She fact checked as much as she could while keeping her own perspective intact.

Ultimately, this is both an account of Tara's childhood and of navigating her adulthood afterwards. To use the quote that Tara has pinned to her Twitter, "Stories are about one person saying to another: This is the way it feels to me. Can you understand what I'm saying? Does it feel the same to you?"

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What to say that hasn't already been said? It's a beautifully written story of the pain and loss that comes with freeing oneself from an abusive situation. I put off reading this for a while because I knew certain parts would hit uncomfortably close to home, but I'm glad I did face down my fears and read it. Even if you haven't lived in a dysfunctional home, the book is inspiring both in how to dream bigger and care better for yourself, and to be kinder to people who are struggling--that kindness might just save someone's life.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

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This was a fascinating book, coming from a homeschool background myself. On some level, I'm frustrated that this has become known so much as a "homeschool" book, because it really isn't about homeschooling at all - it's about *not* schooling, and the devastation that can cause. But even as I found myself unable to relate to Tara's educational experiences, I saw reflected in her underlying journey of self discovery and healing a wide array of issues that I've dealt with myself (to a lesser degree) as I've reached adulthood and started to recognize the many ways my parents shaped - and sometimes hurt - me without any of us ever realizing it.
If I had any criticism it would be to say that I'm slightly uncertain that this was the right time for her to write this book. Some of the later chapters take place not that long ago, and in those she's still undergoing continual growth and having new realizations about her childhood. At various points in her journey, she mentioned how she thought that she had figured things out, only to realize later on that she was still missing major pieces of the puzzle. I'm somewhat worried, for her own sake, that at some point she'll realize that she wrote this while still in the middle of her journey after all, and that the way she tells her story now isn't really how she'll want it viewed later on. I still think this is a valuable book to read in what it *does* show about the healing process as she's experienced it up to this point, but I do think that it's important to keep in mind where she is as she's writing it as well.
Overall, though, I loved this book, and I plan to reread it at some point as I progress further in processing my own upbringing, and see what new insights I get coming at it from a different vantage point. I highly recommend it to anyone with a childhood.

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This book was intriguing. I particularly enjoyed the portions that talked about her mother's attempts at medicine and midwifery.

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I am a voracious reader, but I have never been so impacted by a novel as when I read EDUCATED. It was painful to know that a real person in the same society as I has experienced these events. On the other hand, it was refreshing to hear Westover's insight on living in a dissimilar culture to mine.

From reading this memoir, you will learn masses about the author, about yourself, the impact parents have on children, and the privilege and necessity of standardized education. It will open your eyes and hopefully remind you to keep an open mind about people's upbringing, background, and past doings. There is simply nothing else to say: EDUCATED was a resonating, empowering, and heart-wrenching memoir that can serve society for the better. I advise you to pick this up and give the first ten pages a try; no more is needed because after that, you will be hooked.

In my opinion, one star deserves to be knocked off from Westover's overall spectacular rating because of the story arc. I'm not sure whether Westover left out chunks of her history, such as how she met the application requirements for such a prestigious university (BYU), or if I didn't connect with her writing style, but some things seemed a little too good to be true. I am not doubting the author's abilities as a student, I am just wondering why this section of her journey was not discussed. Having worked all my life for top grades, reading all the textbooks, buying all the study guides, attending all the extra classes provided by the exam board, I am surprised that things seemed to work out as easy as they did in the long-run. If Westover didn't leave anything out and she did happen to be lucky, good for her! EDUCATED teaches about another aspect of life: being in the right place at the right time. Westover could not have written a more important book if she tried.

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Trying to clear my Netgalley shelves of books I read a long time ago, but haven't rated/reviewed yet. Sorry for the delay!! This was incredible.

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As usual, I'm late to the game on reading this one, but it was so good! The story of Tara's experiences with her family was astounding at times, completely outside the realm of a reality that I can recognize. I can't believe she overcame her lack of any education to earn a doctorate degree and write this book. It was so, so good!

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