Educated - A Memoir by Tara Westover
Product details
Web ID: 1406101414 reviews
Thoughtful Read
As an educator and someone who firmly believes education saved me from the cycle of poverty, this book caught my eye. However, I got more than I bargained for. It was more than how education can being about prosperity, it was also about horrific physical abuse, mental manipulation through gaslighting and how easily families can become divided along the lines of education and religion. Having experienced my own versions of these types of events, some of it triggered my own memories of physical violence and bizarre devotion to a religion that reinforces abuse and perpetuates allegiance to religious dogma. It was a powerful and thoughtfully written memoir.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Summary
Hope you find my notes from Littler Books helpful! 1. Educated is a memoir by Tara Westover about her journey from growing up in a strict, isolated, and abusive household in rural Idaho to becoming a scholar at Cambridge University. 2. Tara grew up in rural Idaho mountains without formal education or medical care. 3. Despite being raised in an isolated household, Tara learned valuable skills such as bottling peaches, and enjoyed playing in nature. 4. Her father, Gene, was deeply religious and anti-government, while her mother, Faye, was a traditional Mormon woman who worked as an unlicensed midwife. 5. Tara's grandmother offered to take her to school, but Tara ultimately chose to stay with her family. 6. Tara and her siblings were not properly homeschooled and were left to educate themselves with limited access to learning resources. 7. Tara's brother Tyler's decision to attend college sparked her curiosity about higher education, and she began to study religion and other subjects in her spare time. 8. Despite her father's opposition to education, the idea of going to school lingered in Tara's mind. 9. At the age of eleven, most of Tara's siblings had left home and Gene shifted the family business from farming to the junkyard. 10. Tara started her own babysitting business to earn money and gain exposure to the outside world by taking dance and voice lessons. 11. However, Gene forbade her from dancing, claiming it was immodest, but allowed her to take voice lessons. 12. Tara's talent in singing led to her being given a part in a play staged at the local Worm Creek Opera House. 13. Gene believed that the world was on the verge of the Days of Abomination, so he stockpiled food and weapons in an emergency bunker he had dug out in the field. But despite all his fears, nothing happened when January 1, 2000 arrived. 14. After the failed Y2K prophecy, Tara's family went to visit their grandmother in Arizona, but on the way back, they got into a car accident. 15. Despite the injuries, the family refused medical care and relied on spiritual healing and medicinal herbs. 16. This wasn't the first time they didn't go to the hospital. The family had a history of refusing medical assistance and ignoring dangers. 17. Shawn, Tara's violent brother, attacked her for wearing makeup, but her parents didn't take it seriously. 18. Tara began to believe she was emotionally invulnerable and tried to convince herself that she only cried due to physical pain. 19. Tara was uncertain about going to college as her family's plan was for her to get married and learn herbal healing and midwifery. 20. However, her brother Tyler encouraged her to consider leaving home for college, and she began studying for the ACT test. 21. After two attempts, she eventually scored a 28 and got accepted into Brigham Young University. 22. While her mother was supportive, her father opposed her decision to go to college, claiming that the Lord told him that he's displeased with it. 23. Despite her father's objections, Faye drove Tara to BYU and saw her off. 24. Tara moved to Provo, Utah for college with only a few jars of canned peaches and some clothes. 25. Her roommates shocked her with their immodest clothing and disregard for religious principles. 26. Tara struggled with the noise and unfamiliarity of the city and found her college classes overwhelming, with textbooks full of impenetrable terms. 27. She especially struggled with a Western civilization class, but managed to almost get straight As in her other classes by the end of the semester. 28. She learned the benefits of modern medicine after her friend Charles convinced her to take ibuprofen for an earache. 29. Tara's roommate also helped her overcome her fear of doctors when she came down with a sore throat. 30. The local church helped Tara accept financial assistance when she couldn't afford her college expenses, including a necessary dental operation. 31. Tara learned to accept help when faced with health and financial challenges. 32. At 19, Tara qualified for a student-aid loan and was able to live without financial worries for the first time in her life. 33. As she continued her education, she learned about bipolar disorder and realized that her father's behavior and delusions fit the symptoms perfectly. 34. She was angry that her family had been brainwashed by his delusions for so long. 35. Tara rushed home when she learned that her father was likely to die after a gas tank explosion. Despite suffering serious injuries, Gene miraculously survived. 36. Tara originally intended to focus on music in college, but her true interests were in history and politics. 37. Her professor recommended her for a study-abroad program at the University of Cambridge, where she was assigned the respected professor Jonathan Steinberg for her research. Steinberg was impressed with her work and promised to help her get into graduate school. 38. Tara was eventually awarded the Gates Cambridge Scholarship and became a local celebrity in Idaho. 39. Tara returned to England for graduate studies at Trinity College and began to feel like she belonged. She made friends, started to relax some of her old rules, and opened up about her family's past. 40. However, Tara received a disturbing email from her sister about Shawn attacking her, and she promised to support her sister and confront Gene about Shawn. 41. Meanwhile, the family's new business is a success, but Gene expectedly turned down a $3 million buyout offer. 42. Tara continued to thrive in her studies at Trinity College, delved into books on feminism and investigating Mormonism academically. She won a place at Cambridge for her PhD studies. 43. Things in Idaho remained tense as Shawn threatened Tara and her sister, Audrey, and their parents did little to help. Tara confronted Shawn and her parents, but they dismissed her accusations and demanded proof. 44. Shawn continued to threaten to kill Tara, but her parents refused to intercede and instead chose to help their son rather than protect their daughters. 45. Her father demanded that she accept a priesthood blessing and forget Shawn's previous acts of violence and threats, which Tara refused to do. 46. Her parents' demands led to Tara having a mental breakdown and panic attacks that almost cost her PhD. However, she regained her focus, cut contact with her parents, and completed her thesis. 47. Tara visited Idaho years later to attend her maternal grandmother's funeral. She reconnected with Tyler, his wife, two maternal aunts, and her other siblings, most of whom still supported Gene and Shawn. 48. Tara remained in contact with only a few family members and came to terms with the fact that she needed to distance herself from the Idaho mountains. 49. Tara came to understand that education was not just about obtaining knowledge, but also about discovering who she was and what she wanted out of life. Despite the challenges, she persevered and achieved her goals, ultimately becoming a successful academic and writer.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A book for the brutally honest memoir lovers
Brutal - a word that describes both the intensely heartbreaking upbringing of Tara Westover... and the experience I had reading this memoir. There are absolutely readers out there that this book was written for, I just happen to not be one of them. While her story was well told, I struggled to get through the repetitiveness of the cycle that was her life. Abuse, justifying the abuse, more abuse. While I know and respect that this was her experience, I was hoping for a more poignant resolution to her story. It's hard to review a memoir; these authors write their lives as they experienced them. Who am I to take away from that?! BUT I want to be you guide into knowing if this book is right for you or not. If you are looking for an uplifting story in how important education is, or a "how to" guide for getting a college education without a formal education as a child... this book provides neither. I know this book is critically acclaimed and one of the higher rated books on most book reviewing sites - but that doesn't mean it's for everyone, and that's okay! xoxo, Kindle Girl Ideal For: Serious memoir readers who are looking for a devastating look into some of the realities of growing up off the grid Vibe: Layered, serious, heavy Spice: None, but check abuse trigger warnings. Lots of explicit recounts of physical and emotional abuse Tropes and Elements: Religious sects, coming of age, Mormon upbringing, survivalism, apocalyptic preparedness, severing family ties Series: None Formats: Hardback, paperback, and audible versions all also available.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
My summary
Hope you find my Littler Books summary below helpful! 1. Educated is a memoir by Tara Westover about her journey from growing up in a strict, isolated, and abusive household in rural Idaho to becoming a scholar at Cambridge University. 2. Tara grew up in rural Idaho mountains without formal education or medical care. 3. Despite being raised in an isolated household, Tara learned valuable skills such as bottling peaches, and enjoyed playing in nature. 4. Her father, Gene, was deeply religious and anti-government, while her mother, Faye, was a traditional Mormon woman who worked as an unlicensed midwife. 5. Tara's grandmother offered to take her to school, but Tara ultimately chose to stay with her family. 6. Tara and her siblings were not properly homeschooled and were left to educate themselves with limited access to learning resources. 7. Tara's brother Tyler's decision to attend college sparked her curiosity about higher education, and she began to study religion and other subjects in her spare time. 8. Despite her father's opposition to education, the idea of going to school lingered in Tara's mind. 9. At the age of eleven, most of Tara's siblings had left home and Gene shifted the family business from farming to the junkyard. 10. Tara started her own babysitting business to earn money and gain exposure to the outside world by taking dance and voice lessons. 11. However, Gene forbade her from dancing, claiming it was immodest, but allowed her to take voice lessons. 12. Tara's talent in singing led to her being given a part in a play staged at the local Worm Creek Opera House. 13. Gene believed that the world was on the verge of the Days of Abomination, so he stockpiled food and weapons in an emergency bunker he had dug out in the field. But despite all his fears, nothing happened when January 1, 2000 arrived. 14. After the failed Y2K prophecy, Tara's family went to visit their grandmother in Arizona, but on the way back, they got into a car accident. 15. Despite the injuries, the family refused medical care and relied on spiritual healing and medicinal herbs. 16. This wasn't the first time they didn't go to the hospital. The family had a history of refusing medical assistance and ignoring dangers. 17. Shawn, Tara's violent brother, attacked her for wearing makeup, but her parents didn't take it seriously. 18. Tara began to believe she was emotionally invulnerable and tried to convince herself that she only cried due to physical pain. 19. Tara was uncertain about going to college as her family's plan was for her to get married and learn herbal healing and midwifery. 20. However, her brother Tyler encouraged her to consider leaving home for college, and she began studying for the ACT test. 21. After two attempts, she eventually scored a 28 and got accepted into Brigham Young University. 22. While her mother was supportive, her father opposed her decision to go to college, claiming that the Lord told him that he's displeased with it. 23. Despite her father's objections, Faye drove Tara to BYU and saw her off. 24. Tara moved to Provo, Utah for college with only a few jars of canned peaches and some clothes. 25. Her roommates shocked her with their immodest clothing and disregard for religious principles. 26. Tara struggled with the noise and unfamiliarity of the city and found her college classes overwhelming, with textbooks full of impenetrable terms. 27. She especially struggled with a Western civilization class, but managed to almost get straight As in her other classes by the end of the semester. 28. She learned the benefits of modern medicine after her friend Charles convinced her to take ibuprofen for an earache. 29. Tara's roommate also helped her overcome her fear of doctors when she came down with a sore throat. 30. The local church helped Tara accept financial assistance when she couldn't afford her college expenses, including a necessary dental operation. 31. Tara learned to accept help when faced with health and financial challenges. 32. At 19, Tara qualified for a student-aid loan and was able to live without financial worries for the first time in her life. 33. As she continued her education, she learned about bipolar disorder and realized that her father's behavior and delusions fit the symptoms perfectly. 34. She was angry that her family had been brainwashed by his delusions for so long. 35. Tara rushed home when she learned that her father was likely to die after a gas tank explosion. Despite suffering serious injuries, Gene miraculously survived. 36. Tara originally intended to focus on music in college, but her true interests were in history and politics. 37. Her professor recommended her for a study-abroad program at the University of Cambridge, where she was assigned the respected professor Jonathan Steinberg for her research. Steinberg was impressed with her work and promised to help her get into graduate school. 38. Tara was eventually awarded the Gates Cambridge Scholarship and became a local celebrity in Idaho. 39. Tara returned to England for graduate studies at Trinity College and began to feel like she belonged. She made friends, started to relax some of her old rules, and opened up about her family's past. 40. However, Tara received a disturbing email from her sister about Shawn attacking her, and she promised to support her sister and confront Gene about Shawn. 41. Meanwhile, the family's new business is a success, but Gene expectedly turned down a $3 million buyout offer. 42. Tara continued to thrive in her studies at Trinity College, delved into books on feminism and investigating Mormonism academically. She won a place at Cambridge for her PhD studies. 43. Things in Idaho remained tense as Shawn threatened Tara and her sister, Audrey, and their parents did little to help. Tara confronted Shawn and her parents, but they dismissed her accusations and demanded proof. 44. Shawn continued to threaten to kill Tara, but her parents refused to intercede and instead chose to help their son rather than protect their daughters. 45. Her father demanded that she accept a priesthood blessing and forget Shawn's previous acts of violence and threats, which Tara refused to do. 46. Her parents' demands led to Tara having a mental breakdown and panic attacks that almost cost her PhD. However, she regained her focus, cut contact with her parents, and completed her thesis. 47. Tara visited Idaho years later to attend her maternal grandmother's funeral. She reconnected with Tyler, his wife, two maternal aunts, and her other siblings, most of whom still supported Gene and Shawn. 48. Tara remained in contact with only a few family members and came to terms with the fact that she needed to distance herself from the Idaho mountains. 49. Tara came to understand that education was not just about obtaining knowledge, but also about discovering who she was and what she wanted out of life. Despite the challenges, she persevered and achieved her goals, ultimately becoming a successful academic and writer.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Read
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.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A tragedy that leaves much to ponder
This book stems from a profoundly foundational family squabble. Westover’s parents practice a strictly conservative form of Mormonism in Idaho. They follow the virtue of self-reliance to the point that they did not put their children into school or get them birth certificates. However, some of their children, like the author, ended up making their ways into college and eventually graduate school. This memoir tells one daughter’s life from rural Idaho into BYU and eventually into Cambridge University. Like many who journey from religious fundamentalism towards higher education, her and her siblings’ experiences have sadly severed their family. The author’s decade-long journey towards self-mastery is nothing but impressive. Her father likely had bipolar disorder, and this probably untreated mental illness fed into a deep paranoia about the world. This was further fueled by a cultural isolation in rural Idaho. Their family latched onto a fundamentalism form of Mormonism with apocalyptic and authoritarian tendencies. In addition, alleged physical abuse, not to mention neglect, intruded into their family dynamics. The author’s spiritual and intellectual journey consists of coming to terms with her upbringing. She lands on a reality-based understanding amidst rigorous academic studies about Mormonism’s place in wider modern history. This story will attempt to trigger many family insecurities in readers, and understandably so. There are a lot of dynamics going on in this family. Be forewarned: There is no “happy ending” where everything comes together. It’s a story about a young woman coming to terms with her world and making informed choices amidst erudition and higher education. She asks herself important questions like, Is this worth it? She almost fails but eventually succeeds in graduating with a PhD in history. This books speaks of the sacrifices that academic careers can require. It also speaks of deeply oppressive circumstances. It can encourage readers who wonder whether a professional career via education is worth it. To Westover, the answer seems to be yes, but the price of freedom is high and lonely. Interestingly, her mother, a naturopathic entrepreneur, wrote her own memoir of these experiences. I have not read it, but the contrast between these two camps seems stark. This author’s story is eloquent and expressive and leaves much to ponder in thought.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Wonderful
One of the best books I’ve ever read. Going against all odds she didn’t give up. Truly inspiring. This one will stay with the reader forever.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
My favorite memoir
This book was so freaking great. Her story is really captivating. Couldn’t put the book down. Forced my friends to read it.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com