Imagine this… you live in the hills of Idaho, you’ve never been to school, and the best education you’ve ever received is how to treat injuries your brothers received from their job in the family-owned junkyard. Your mom has a brain injury, so you spend much of your time taking care of her when she’s too sick to get out of bed, and you’ve never really learned to read. In Educated by Tara Westover, you don’t have to imagine it happening to you. The description above was her life. She lived it every day, for years.
I heard about Educated from an interview with Ms. Westover on the NYT Book Review podcast, and it sounded so interesting I requested the book immediately from my local library.
It took a while for the book to become available, but when it did I was SO excited! I think I read this book in just a few days. Lunchtime at work became a trip into the wilds of Idaho, and into the lives of Tara and her family. What’s funny, is that our program chief noticed that I was reading it, and told me she was reading it as well! I was thrilled to be able to talk about Educated with someone, even if she didn’t have much time to talk.
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Synopsis of Educated
Tara grew up in the mountains of Idaho. Her father ran a junkyard, and her mother was a healer. Her father mistrusted the government, so Tara was never sent to school. When she or her siblings were injured, Tara’s mother helped them at home.
She never saw her life as unusual, until her brother Tyler left home to go to college. After that, she began to see changes in her family, and when her brother returned home to tell her she could go to school too, she decided to go for it. Educated is the story of a young woman’s dream to reach past her family’s story, and create her own.
Favorite Quote
“We are all of us more complicated than the roles we are assigned in the stories other people tell.”
My Thoughts
This book is a non-fiction memoir, but it reads like a novel. At times I forget I’m reading about someone’s real life. It is told so well, and written in such a fun voice, that it’s very difficult to put down. I don’t find many memoirs this enjoyable. I’ve read several over the years, including:
- You’re Never Weird on the Internet (almost) by Felicia Day
- Mean Baby by Selma Blair (Review coming soon!)
- Eris Rising by Courtney Ramm
Ok, so I haven’t read as many as I thought. I might have to rectify that soon.
I found myself wondering what’s going to happen next, and I found myself almost obsessing about her life, even when other things required my time and my focus. To me, this is the mark of a great book. One that grabs you by the heart, rips at your soul, and ties you up in knots.
One such situation that ripped at my heart was when Tara finally made it to college. She was in an art class, and one of the images in her book was something she didn’t recognize. When she raised her hand and asked about it, many of the students in her class were horrified. They didn’t understand how sheltered she had been growing up.
That image was something from the Holocaust.
For someone to be so sheltered, that they have no idea about something so basic to our humanity and our world, was absolutely devestating to me. When you almost become emotionally invested in the characters, and you wonder what you would do in their situation, you know you’ve found an amazing book. I’ve always been a curious person, so what upset me wasn’t the fact that she asked the question. She was trying to learn about her new world. What upset me was the reaction from the other students. One girl, who sat next to her, refused to speak to her after this incident, and even started sitting across the room.
The theme I found in this book was that learning about myself and what I can do to make something of myself, is an education in itself. When we stop learning, we stop growing. I’m reminded of a quote, “it’s the journey that matters, not the destination.”
Recommendation
I got Educated from the library, but I will be purchasing it so that I can read it more than once. I was very impressed and loved it much more than I thought I would. I hope you take this to heart and check this book out for yourself. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
Educated by Tara Westover is on Amazon!
Conclusion
Thank you so much for participating in this book discussion of Educated by Tara Westover. If you like memoirs, please comment below with your favorite one. I love checking out new ones!
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Until Next Time, Friends!
Pamela has been a reader her whole life. She specializes in indie and self-published books, and dreams of a community where authors can feel supported and encouraged. Her favorite possession is her huge collection of signed books from authors, which she talks about all the time, and keeps promising pictures of.
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When Pamela is not working on The Picky Bookworm, you can find her hanging with her friends on Twitter, pinning amazing pins on Pinterest, reading, spending time with her husband, or snuggling with her cat, Simon. Sometimes all at the same time.
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