Earlier in the school year, about half of the tenth-grade class was required to read the memoir “Educated” written by Tara Westover. The memoir takes the reader through the life story of Tara and how she grew up. The extremity of Tara’s upbringing comes to the surface from her own perspective, making the book an eye-opening and captivating read. This memoir was ranked in the New York Times Book Review’s Top 10 Best Books of 2018, and rightfully so. 

The basics of the book are these: Now 30 years old, Tara Westover was the youngest child of seven growing up on a mountain in southeastern Idaho with her survivalist family. Her father, Gene, was an extreme survivalist who believed that the government was conspiring against them. He supported his big family by scrapping metal in his junkyard, and his wife, Faye, chipped in with her income as a midwife and from making herbal remedies. Tara and her siblings grow up listening to and sharing the beliefs of their father; not going to schools, doctors, and hardly ever leaving the home. As time goes on, conflict begins to rise between Tara and her father. This pushes Westover to integrate herself into her local community, as she begins to expand her views beyond what her father has taught her. Eventually, with guidance from an older brother, Tara decides to apply to college, and her world changes completely. She leaves home for an education, changes the beliefs she grew up with, and chooses not to come back. 

The exploration of Tara’s life and how she removed herself from her home is fascinating, and her narration of her past truly makes the story come to life. What was most interesting to me, was how studying philosophy and history allowed her to form her own perception of the world. Because she was so influenced by her father’s beliefs, it wasn’t until she attended BYU that she found that there were many other perspectives aside from her father’s. An example of this is that Tara had never even heard of the Holocaust until she went to college. In order to create her own opinions and perceptions of certain topics, she resorted to doing her own research on many things her father told her about. 

Her experience is not only valuable but relatable too. Her story is an extreme version of what most children experience growing up. At some point, kids realize that adults don’t know everything, and they are people just like everyone else. Conflicts between Tara and her family, more specifically her father, highlight this change.

Although “Educated” is not primarily a political book, Westover touches upon some major U.S. issues. There are many sources of division in the country that are mentioned in the memoir, including: red states versus blue states, rural versus urban, and college education versus no college education. Westover brings our attention to these issues and opens our eyes to a number of problems that we may not have considered before reading. 

Tara’s self-discovery is depicted in a very interesting light, and is captured beautifully in her memoir, “Educated.” From her entertaining stories to her discoveries, everyone can take something away from her memoir. This book has brought our attention to places we had never thought of before, while keeping us hooked for what will happen next. Tara Westover is a very talented writer, and “Educated” certainly shows it. The book is extremely well written, and I urge you to pick up a copy for a good read.

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 Educated: A Memoir book cover