Educated by Tara Westover

Amy                       Lynnie

  

nonfiction

This is the author's memoir about her family and the unusual way in which they were raised "off the grid" without education or interaction with the broader world.


Amy's Review

Hmm. This nonfiction book gave great insight into a truly alternate world where the children were raised by a father who was a bipolar dictator of his family and ruled in the name of his extreme religious beliefs. The children were unknowing hostages, did not go to school (nor were they properly home-schooled), and were completely ignorant to ideas outside of what their father taught them.  They were not permitted basic medical health care by professionals.  Instead, the father forced their mother to learn midwifery and act as a healer. I despise egotistical morons who make life worse for everyone else and it pained me to read about the father and this family. Amazingly three of the children were strong enough to break away and get college educations, including Tara Westover, the author. Yet, she suffered greatly during her efforts to enlighten herself and break from her parents’ way of ignoring reality and discounting her feelings. It’s a tragic tale. 

However, I found Educated to be pretty slow reading.  I had expected so much more from this book based on the accolades and praise.  To me, it was similar to The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, only not as engaging or compelling.  It was similarly infuriating but in a less visceral way.  The story was just a gradual train wreck where I found myself shaking my head with increasing frequency the more I read.  So, while I agree that there is much to discuss (and I did read this for book club), it’s not my kind of book. 

Lynnie's Review

This book was on my radar for a while with lots of recommendations from friends.  I found Tara Westover's story fascinating; to say that her upbringing was unconventional is an understatement and I finished ultimately inspired by her growth and ability to overcome the obstacles life placed in front of her.

If I didn't know otherwise I would have thought this was a work of fiction.  Westover's life story is often unbelievable and I regularly found myself unable to even imagine how she and her siblings must have felt through their childhood.  I was particularly disturbed by some of the serious medical emergencies this family experienced, even though for the most part they emerged with little permanent physical damage.  This is not the type of book I would normally read, but in this case I'm glad that I did.  It may not have been Westover's intended message, but her story gives me hope that whatever my choices in life may be, my children will find a way to be their best selves.