Book review of Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
#1 NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL & BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER
Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her 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.
From the Publisher’s Description
When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home.
How does a book become a bestseller? This question has intrigued me for as long as I can remember, coming in second to the question that tops my list, How is it that some people and communities simply can’t see that their understanding of the world is just seriously flawed?
Without a doubt, reading Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover significantly advanced the answers to both questions. Gently placed within every chapter of this memoir are deep life learnings, ones that emerge from Idaho, but relate to my upbringing in Youngstown, Ohio and current residence in Occupied Palestine.
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