Nonfiction

Educated: A Memoir

Educated: A Memoir

  • Downloads：1793
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-22 07:54:21
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Tara Westover
  • ISBN：1984854852
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

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。

Download

Reviews

Melissa Kirkland ，

A MUST READ！！！！！

Kimberly Robinson ，

While I think this is meant to be a great story of overcoming family obstacles and lack of education， I found it even more so a story of overcoming mental and physical abuse and a negative identity that attempted to hold her back。 As she started to grow and become a success in the world outside her hometown （against all odds）， there was an identity crisis of who she thought she was and how her family labeled her， and who she could be。 One of those stories of overcoming that you can't quite belie While I think this is meant to be a great story of overcoming family obstacles and lack of education， I found it even more so a story of overcoming mental and physical abuse and a negative identity that attempted to hold her back。 As she started to grow and become a success in the world outside her hometown （against all odds）， there was an identity crisis of who she thought she was and how her family labeled her， and who she could be。 One of those stories of overcoming that you can't quite believe but know is true。 。。。more

Julie ，

Highly recommend， great insight into a dis functional family due to mental illness and how I affects the family as a whole。

Jana ，

I couldn't put this down。。。 It was very well written， but I was frustrated with all the crap Tara put up with for so long， and I really hope she has some closure now。 I couldn't put this down。。。 It was very well written， but I was frustrated with all the crap Tara put up with for so long， and I really hope she has some closure now。 。。。more

Emina Balerina ，

The goodreads overview doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the wrongness of this memoir。 The fact that Tara didn't have a birth certificate， that her family prepared for the end of days， and that her father was "radical" and brother "violent，" are laughable when you consider the extent of the mental （and physical） abuses， the manipulation， neglect and ignorance。 For these people， stupidity and ignorance literally hurt， causing injury after serious injury， bordering on death。 You'd think The goodreads overview doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the wrongness of this memoir。 The fact that Tara didn't have a birth certificate， that her family prepared for the end of days， and that her father was "radical" and brother "violent，" are laughable when you consider the extent of the mental （and physical） abuses， the manipulation， neglect and ignorance。 For these people， stupidity and ignorance literally hurt， causing injury after serious injury， bordering on death。 You'd think that to be so careless as to allow callous accidents to batter， burn and main your children and then not take them to the hospital was bad enough， but it gets worse。 To protect a child who for years blatantly beat， denigrated and humiliated in front of you all your other children and yet close your eyes to it， and then justify it as the "past buried，" but then blame the victims who now doubted their own sanity and very reality because of others recanting their accusations in fear - there isn't even a definition for this kind of parenting。My mind was just racing in a clusterf*cky kind of blur。 It's unreal。 And yet Tara Westover wrote this memoir with a lot of pain， grief and， worst of all， compassion for her manipulative or weak parents and abusive brother。 This is the most remarkable feat。 That after decades of gaslighting， brainwashing， shaming and manipulation， it hurt her deeply to pay the price of knowledge and see her past for what it was。 Tara was not strong and rebellious in the way Shawn had been sometimes， standing up to their father。 At times when she could have been a champion for justice， she was silent。 Self-doubt gnawed at her for years， as she alternated between different realities and selves， repeatedly being sucked back into the same old familiar prisons of her childhood。 Reading how various reviews called the memoir "ultimately joyous" I can't say I fully agree。 For me， it was "belatedly and lukewarmly triumphant。" Whatever terms the author could finally come to， they were years late in coming and the epiphanies were no wow-moments at all， but rather concessions to an impossibly distorted reality。 Christ！ What a haunting read！ 。。。more

Cerenela （Cherry Books） ，

Leído para el club Lectores Insurgentes

María Paz ，

No sabía mucho de la historia y aún así tenía las expectativas muy altas， había escuchado y visto que era un libro muy alabado， y sin dudas no decepcionó。Es una autobiografía en la que Tara nos relata su particular vida， siendo criada por una particular familia。En una historia bastante dura de leer， ya que las creencias del papá de Tara， junto al apoyo de gran parte de la familia hacen que la infancia de Tara sea muy dura， tenga que vivir y sobrevivir a situaciones muy dolorosas y poco comunes。 No sabía mucho de la historia y aún así tenía las expectativas muy altas， había escuchado y visto que era un libro muy alabado， y sin dudas no decepcionó。Es una autobiografía en la que Tara nos relata su particular vida， siendo criada por una particular familia。En una historia bastante dura de leer， ya que las creencias del papá de Tara， junto al apoyo de gran parte de la familia hacen que la infancia de Tara sea muy dura， tenga que vivir y sobrevivir a situaciones muy dolorosas y poco comunes。 Al ser una autobiografía hace que cada hecho duela más， ya que pensar que alguien vivió todas esas cosas y que esta familia existe en la actualidad， da pena， rabia， impotencia。Por lo mismo fue un libro que me demoré en leer， a pesar de la narración ligera， ya que al final de cada capítulo quedaba con una sensación de cansancio emocional， por lo que tenía que parar y retomar la lectura en otro momento para poder respirar。Creo que es un libro que nos puede enseñar muchas cosas， en lo particular， lo que más rescato es la resiliencia de Tara para llegar a la universidad a pesar de no haber tenido ni educación básica， como logró enfrentarse a sus padres y conseguir lo que se propuso por su propio bien。 "Visto en perspectiva， me doy cuenta de que esa fue mi educación， la importante （。。。） Estaba adquiriendo una aptitud fundamental: la paciencia para leer lo que aún no entendía。" 。。。more

Rondikhekim ，

I think i will not give this book its real right if i didn’t give it five start， Just wow。 ❤️

William Dillon ，

Huge insight into the backwards life

Wahiba ，

Educated is the story of a girl who had a very atypical upbringing in Idaho， America。 to name but a few of the conditions she was raised in: she had never had a birth certificate， never went to school， and never seen a doctor， all that because of her parents deep rooted belief that the government is evil and doing all of the above would be immoral， and soul selling。 The story is absolutely mind blowing， it is not just the journey of a girl from this atypical up bringing to the top universities o Educated is the story of a girl who had a very atypical upbringing in Idaho， America。 to name but a few of the conditions she was raised in: she had never had a birth certificate， never went to school， and never seen a doctor， all that because of her parents deep rooted belief that the government is evil and doing all of the above would be immoral， and soul selling。 The story is absolutely mind blowing， it is not just the journey of a girl from this atypical up bringing to the top universities of the world， but it is also about domestic abuse， her love to her parents despite all what she went through and beyond all it is about how perseverance， hard work， and facing our own prejudices can change our own lives。 。。。more

Pranajal123 joshi ，

Dude it was so intense that I almost dint wanted to finish it man it is very good and inspiring

Kylie ward ，

This book was ok for me。 It was really interesting in parts， really messed up in parts。 It read sort of like a novel。 I found it hard to connect with the writing。 And I couldn’t understand why Tara didn’t just completely stop seeing her family。 I found that frustrating to read about。 It wasn’t too bad a read

Victor ，

As someone that studies theories of rationality and ideal reasoning， I found this memoir to a be a gripping case study。 It was well-written and unexpectedly gruesome。 The damage inflicted both physically and psychologically on the author took a toll on the author's sense of their grip on reality and on their very sense of who they are。 It is also a reminder that our sense of what to believe is intimately tied to who we believe， and how we extend our trust and love。 Our sense of what the world is As someone that studies theories of rationality and ideal reasoning， I found this memoir to a be a gripping case study。 It was well-written and unexpectedly gruesome。 The damage inflicted both physically and psychologically on the author took a toll on the author's sense of their grip on reality and on their very sense of who they are。 It is also a reminder that our sense of what to believe is intimately tied to who we believe， and how we extend our trust and love。 Our sense of what the world is like depends on judgments of value and not merely of evidence or impassioned reason。 The book serves as a warning that earning someone's trust is better than any argument that you can give them， and we need not lament this connection between practical interest， between emotion and care， and our missions as individual fact-finders/knowers/inquirers。 For I think it gives us a reason to embrace the tools of psychological counsel and therapy to understand how trauma affects our world view; and if trauma can heal， so can warped and harmful world-views。 And perhaps when trauma does not heal， we can at least sympathize when someone loses faith in certain institutions or cut off one part of the world。 There are studies on this， but none so convincing as living， breathing person and family that exemplifies the possible reformation。 That being said， a lot of people were very kind to Westover on her way to liberation， both mental and financial。 Lots of free money and people that believed stubbornly in her potential。 Not everyone will be so lucky and I'm glad that she did not hide that。 She did not really discuss the role of luck---which does not discount the hard work and grit that her success also took--but I'm glad that we can see it as the reader。 Overall， I enjoyed this book。 I think it gave me insight to a segment of the population that I don't really think about except when I hear bad things on the news。 I thought it was an interesting study on trauma and trust， unreliability of memory and gaslighting， the power of testimony and social networks of information， skepticism about institutions and conspiracies。 It even made me want to work on my dissertation。 。。。more

Luke Thiessen ，

Wow。 This book is absolutely stunning。 Not only does Westover have a true story to tell that's more unique and fascinating than most fiction， but she also manages to bring you into her mind and heart， with brutal honestly and in exactly the right moments， to make even the most extreme experiences feel intimately relatable。 You cannot come away from this book without some deeply challenging ideas about family dynamics， personal narratives， survivor testimonies， and - for the religious - the objec Wow。 This book is absolutely stunning。 Not only does Westover have a true story to tell that's more unique and fascinating than most fiction， but she also manages to bring you into her mind and heart， with brutal honestly and in exactly the right moments， to make even the most extreme experiences feel intimately relatable。 You cannot come away from this book without some deeply challenging ideas about family dynamics， personal narratives， survivor testimonies， and - for the religious - the objectivity of our faith perspectives。 。。。more

Fikri Angga Reksa ，

You can miss a person every day， and still be glad that they are no longer in your life。

Emma ，

This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time。 Tara’s story is incredible， and she writes beautifully。

Emily ，

This was a truly amazing book that left me with goosebumps。 Not my normal read but I couldn't put it down！ Had been reading it from a library and immediately bought it when I finished。 Highly recommend！ This was a truly amazing book that left me with goosebumps。 Not my normal read but I couldn't put it down！ Had been reading it from a library and immediately bought it when I finished。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more

Annie ，

Una educación – Tara WestoverUn libro autobiográfico a través del cual Tara nos contará su historia y cómo logró superar los obstáculos para tener una educación。 Tara nace en una familia con arraigadas creencias e idiosincrasia propia， con una forma muy particular de ver la vida， el gobierno， la educación y la fe。 La historia inicia con Tara tratando de evocar su más antiguo recuerdo y， a través de las páginas， conoceremos a su familia， a su padre y a su madre， a cada uno de sus hermanos， a sus Una educación – Tara WestoverUn libro autobiográfico a través del cual Tara nos contará su historia y cómo logró superar los obstáculos para tener una educación。 Tara nace en una familia con arraigadas creencias e idiosincrasia propia， con una forma muy particular de ver la vida， el gobierno， la educación y la fe。 La historia inicia con Tara tratando de evocar su más antiguo recuerdo y， a través de las páginas， conoceremos a su familia， a su padre y a su madre， a cada uno de sus hermanos， a sus abuelos y a aquellas personas que influenciaron y apoyaron a Tara en el largo camino que le tocaba vivir。Veremos la figura de un padre que cría a sus hijos según sus propias concepciones del deber ser。 Veremos cómo esa forma de vivir repercute en cada uno de sus hijos， unos siguiendo su camino， otros trazando el propio。 En medio de todo ella está Tara quien no cuenta siquiera con una partida de nacimiento （no se sabe con exactitud su edad）， no va a la escuela， no asiste al hospital aun cuando pudiera ser una cuestión de vida o muerte y， en casa， debe ayudar con las labores impuestas por el padre quien muchas veces pondrá en riesgo la integridad de sus propios hijos。 Asimismo， veremos a Tara en lugares que ella misma no imaginaba que pudiera llegar pero que， pese a todo y a todos， ahí estuvo。Esta historia es una historia de crecimiento donde la educación ha sido el medio por el cual Tara logró descubrir quien es en realidad。 Es un libro que habla también de la familia y la relación que existe entre cada uno de sus miembros， del sentimiento de culpa， del perdón， del amor paternal， del amor fraternal， de la superación， de la amistad。4 estrellas 。。。more

bubby ，

incredible

Megan Van Den Berg ，

Such a good read and food for thought。 I couldn't put it down！！ Such a good read and food for thought。 I couldn't put it down！！ 。。。more

Desiree ，

Tara's story is wild and not one I can relate to by events， but through her writing and reflection I see myself in her earnestness and aim。 Educated is poetry in how it grows in and out from the first page to the last; knowing there will always be more to the story。 Tara's story is wild and not one I can relate to by events， but through her writing and reflection I see myself in her earnestness and aim。 Educated is poetry in how it grows in and out from the first page to the last; knowing there will always be more to the story。 。。。more

Magnus Nygaard ，

Brutal og ærlig skildring av en oppvekst i en konservativ mormonerfamilie， som i aller høyeste grad har en livsførsel på kant med resten av samfunnet。

Aidan Sullivan ，

Powerful！

Hany ，

At first place i hated those parents， especially the Father but after my admiration to what Tara has accomplished made me forget all this。Because despite all the complications， all what that bipolar Father has sowed in her mind， all the nonsense standards she received during her childhood on that mountain she made it， no one could imagine that such gap between her life and the normal people's life could be eliminated and turn into an advantage。I think that writing is what heals a person from the At first place i hated those parents， especially the Father but after my admiration to what Tara has accomplished made me forget all this。Because despite all the complications， all what that bipolar Father has sowed in her mind， all the nonsense standards she received during her childhood on that mountain she made it， no one could imagine that such gap between her life and the normal people's life could be eliminated and turn into an advantage。I think that writing is what heals a person from the shadows of the past and this is the best therapy。 。。。more

Joy ，

Beautifully written。 So glad it didnt turn to sexual abuse or the whole sister wives thing！ A thank you to the author for giving us a glimpse， a different view of a different religion and way of life！ I， too， have been "disowned "， my brother is similar to the authors brother AND I have wondered about bipolar Beautifully written。 So glad it didnt turn to sexual abuse or the whole sister wives thing！ A thank you to the author for giving us a glimpse， a different view of a different religion and way of life！ I， too， have been "disowned "， my brother is similar to the authors brother AND I have wondered about bipolar 。。。more

Laura ，

Todos deberíamos leer este libro！

Nina ，

Such a fascinating read。 I loved seeing the journey that Tara went through and was hooked until the end。 Would absolutely recommend if you're looking for a good memoir。 Such a fascinating read。 I loved seeing the journey that Tara went through and was hooked until the end。 Would absolutely recommend if you're looking for a good memoir。 。。。more

Breanna ，

Excellent。 4。5 stars ✨

Dave Polus ，

This is a glimpse into a life I can't even imagine。 I was barely able to put it down， which is rare for me。That said， I am torn after completing it。 I have no doubt that the author successfully remade herself after being denied a true education。 The book is raw， and will stick with me for a few weeks。。。 This is a glimpse into a life I can't even imagine。 I was barely able to put it down， which is rare for me。That said， I am torn after completing it。 I have no doubt that the author successfully remade herself after being denied a true education。 The book is raw， and will stick with me for a few weeks。。。 。。。more

Jim Hammer ，

First。。。WTF？ Second。。。。I think I know people like the Westovers。 Great， yet somewhat disturbing book。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Educated: A Memoir

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Educated: A Memoir&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Educated: A Memoir&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0