Educated
The international bestselling memoir
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4.6 • 1K Ratings
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
THE MULTI-MILLION COPY BESTSELLER
A BETWEEN THE COVERS PICK
Selected as a book of the year by AMAZON, THE TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES, GUARDIAN, NEW YORK TIMES, ECONOMIST, NEW STATESMAN, VOGUE, IRISH TIMES, IRISH EXAMINER and RED MAGAZINE
'One of the best books I have ever read . . . unbelievably moving' Elizabeth Day
'An extraordinary story, beautifully told' Louise O'Neill
'A memoir to stand alongside the classics . . . compelling and joyous' Sunday Times
Tara Westover grew up preparing for the end of the world. She was never put in school, never taken to the doctor. She did not even have a birth certificate until she was nine years old.
At sixteen, to escape her father's radicalism and a violent older brother, Tara left home. What followed was a struggle for self-invention, a journey 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.
'It will make your heart soar' Guardian
'Jaw-dropping and inspiring, everyone should read this book' Stylist
'Absolutely superb . . . so gripping I could hardly breathe' Sophie Hannah
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
If Tara Westover’s life story was fiction, you’d probably dismiss it as too far-fetched to be credible. She spent her childhood in deep peril and isolation in the Idaho mountains, a victim of terrible abuse and religious extremism. Yet, at 17, she managed escape into the wider—and, to her, utterly alien—world to reach the very highest standards of education. By turns gut-wrenching, heart-tugging and fiercely inspiring, this unforgettable memoir offers a deftly written lesson in the strength of human resolve and the power of learning.
Customer Reviews
Perfect
It’s amazing how she shows her love for her family but still is showcasing how separated she feels. It’s overall one of the best memoirs I have read.
Magical
My therapist gave me this book I don’t know why and I was chained to it just in the moment I started to read. I don’t understand why this book had such a
power on me: probably because my relationships with my dad. But it was real pleasure to read.
Mayhem
A knowledge compound book club read:
I am really not sure how I feel about this book. On the one hand the story is gripping, mainly tragic and an insight into a world I would never experience. On the other hand I didnt really like the writing (overly flowery in places, just plain odd in others - canals the colour of beef stew anyone? - lots of words but little clarity in some really important 'scenes') and most people in the book are abhorrent.
I had to keep reminding myself it was someone's actual life, not a badly written novel. When I did that I could forgive a multitude of things. I mean she is much better educated than me! She's survived such hideous neglect and abuse, breakdowns, being ostracised. My three star review is not a score of Tara Westover herself. I just didn't like the book that much.
I could have scored it lower but actually the subject matter is important. The lack of education, the brainwashing, the tinctures. I'm glad she's spoken up about it. Even though the physical and mental abuse she suffered was so bad one of the most emotional bits for me (as someone who has a high tolerance of pain, but also eardrums that seem to hate me as much as they dislike doing their actual job) was when she took a painkiller and it worked. Imagining her as a child in pain and not experiencing any relief, ever, was heartbreaking.
I am very worried about her brothers wife and kids (you'll know which one I'm talking about if you've read it). It's not an uncommon story though unfortunately. The relationship between her parents was hard to read, but deftly done, though still infuriating. It did provide a window into what abusive relationships look like and how it's possible that people stay in them. The levels of self delusion, the mental gymnastics, the splitting yourself into 2.
Book club liked it, I'm the only one who scored it less than an 8 (we mark out of ten). They read it as a zero to hero story, a tale of resilience.
I did not enjoy this book. I'm not really glad it exists, but I hope it helped her heal a bit more. And I hope the women left in that family are somehow safe.