My Rating: ★★★★★
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: February 20, 2018
Genre: Biography & Memoirs
Tara Westover was 17 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.
Her father forbade hospitals, so Tara never saw a doctor or nurse. Gashes and concussions, even burns from explosions, were all treated at home with herbalism. 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.
Then, lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself. She taught herself enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University, where she studied history, learning for the first time about important world events like the Holocaust and the civil rights movement. Her quest for knowledge transformed 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.
Educated is an account of the struggle for self-invention. It is a tale of fierce family loyalty and of the grief that comes with severing the closest of ties. With the acute insight that distinguishes all great writers, Westover has crafted a universal coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education is and what it offers: the perspective to see one's life through new eyes and the will to change it.
My Review
I was abused for almost 15 years at the hands of men that told me they loved me, but who also preyed on my weaknesses, and took out their frustrations and hatred on me. There were times the abuse was very physical but I could handle that aspect. In the moment the pain is overwhelming but once it was over those bruises eventually heal and you would rationalize that you had somehow deserved it. What sticks with you is the words spoken. The lies that were said about me, the name calling, the hatred spewed all over me. I would replay the scenes over and over, a continual battle in my mind. It has taken me years to recover from many of the psychological wounds that were inflicted on me and on days of weakness the words can still haunt me. The battle is never truly over.
When I picked up Educated by Tara Westover I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into. The premise was intriguing; a girl who had never been formally educated eventually earning her PhD from Cambridge University. Wow! I was expecting Tara's story to be one of inspiration but after devouring the book in less than two days I realized the road to her doctorate was paved with pain and abuse, and all at the hands of her family.
Growing up, Tara was always told she was special but she didn't feel special. She always knew that her family was different, but it wasn't until she made the bold move to pursue a college education at the age of seventeen, without any prior formal education, that she realized just how different, and dysfunctional, her family really was.
Tara's dad is a Mormon preacher, with bipolar tendencies, is highly paranoid of the government and owns a junkyard. Her mother follows everything her father says, and is a midwife and herbalist. They are a survivalist family that lives on an Idaho mountain, incredibly isolated, with no socialization except for a few family members. They did not believe in modern healthcare so there were no immunizations and they used homeopathy to deal with symptoms of very serious injuries and illnesses that should've been dealt with in a hospital. They were all born at home and Tara didn't technically "exist" until she was nine years old when she received a Delayed Certificate of Birth. Her mother didn't even remember her actual date of birth, so the date of birth on her birth certificate is an educated guess.
Their Mormon faith was supposedly the most important aspect in the family but the more you read about Tara's journey the more you get the feeling that their "faith" is used as a manipulative tool and that the "truth" they lived by did not come from the Bible, but from Tara's dad, who would lecture incessantly on certain subjects. I do not know much about the Mormon religion but I cannot see any faith being ok with what was allowed in this family: the manipulation, the lies, the abuse. Tara's mom actually witnessed Tara being physically abused at the hands of her older brother Shawn, but tried to rationalize it instead of helping her daughter. The abuse from her brother never happened in front of their father and when Tara came to her dad and accused Shawn of this abuse her father wanted actual "proof" of what she was accusing him of. Her parents eventually turned the tables and actually convinced Tara that she herself was insane, saying that her memories were false, and she began to doubt everything that she thought was real in her life, which led to a mental breakdown, and eventual estrangement from half of her family.
Educated was incredibly hard for me to read and yet at the same time I couldn't put it down. To read of the physical abuse that she endured at the hands of her brother, and the psychological abuse from her parents and siblings made me sick to my stomach, and brought back memories from my own abuse. I felt angry that Tara had to go through what she went through, but I am so glad that she fought for herself and her education, and got herself out of a horrible situation. Her memoir gives hope to those who feel like they are in hopeless situations and proves that you can overcome any obstacle, no matter how big.
There has been quite a bit of press about Tara's story since Educated was released a few days ago. Tara herself was even interviewed on CBS This Morning yesterday. I was curious to see what she looks like and was relieved to see how normal she looks. Going through all she went through, and her injuries, I wasn't sure what to expect. After reading her story I feel like I know Tara and my heart goes out to her as she continues her journey.
Though tough to read, I do believe that everyone should read Educated. It is hands down one of the most powerful and well-written memoirs I've ever read.
***Added December 4, 2018***
Educated has won the 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Memoir! You can read Tara Westover's reaction to the success of Educated on Goodreads.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.
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