Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Educated by Tara Westover

137 reviews

snipinfool's review against another edition

challenging reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

Tara Westover was the youngest of seven children born to Mormon parents who were survivalists living near a small town in rural Idaho. Her father, Gene, did not believe in public schools, hospitals, or anything the government might use to control them. Gene believed in conspiracy theories and would lecture the family on how they needed to be prepared in case the government came to call.

Tara and her family spent their days working with Gene, gathering scrap metal to sell or building barns. It was hard and, at times, dangerous. The children were often injured. The family also helped create tinctures and other concoctions with their mother, Faye, who was an herbalist. Later, Tara helped her mother when she became a midwife. As Tara grew older and the older siblings left the house, she was abused by one of her brothers. She learned how to tread lightly around him, but often, not even that kept him from attacking her. Either her parents did not believe her when she told them what her brother had done or they told her that he was sorry and they were through talking about it.

Her brother, Tyler, decided to leave and go to college. He had borrowed textbooks to teach himself and was able to pass the ACT to get into Brigham Young University. Tara eventually did the same and was able to get into BYU also. She was seventeen when she stepped into a classroom for the first time. This was a whole new world for Tara and one where she did not know the rules. She did not let that stop her and she flourished.

I had a hard time putting this book down. The world Tara came from was so different from the one I was raised in. The hardships she dealt with in her family relationships and those in the outside world would have stopped many from trying to accomplish what they needed to do to be happy. I had a difficult time with how her parents handled the abuse from her brother. I can’t understand why they allowed it to continue. I am glad she had the support of her brother, Tyler, when she was planning to go to college. If she hadn’t, she might have never left.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Mental illness

somberlittleman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

One of the most important and infuriating memoirs I’ve ever read. If you want to know some of the worst and most pitiful depths homeschooling in America can reach, Educated displays them unflinchingly. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Sexism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Cancer

paytonwaddell's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Animal death, Blood, Sexism, Mental illness, Car accident, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Medical content, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Child abuse

Moderate: Body shaming

_lilyonbooks's review

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Murder, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders

hcop's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Medical content, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Violence, and Gore

Moderate: Antisemitism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Police brutality

Minor: Cancer, Child death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, and Terminal illness

michellec9's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Car accident, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Violence, Sexism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, and Medical content

Moderate: Gore, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racial slurs, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Gun violence

Minor: Animal death and Excrement

vanessagrausam's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Pregnancy

nessynoname's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

Absolutely harrowing. I'm floored. The terrifying lows this woman has experienced and the peaks which she has climbed in spite of it. Stunning. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Gore, Medical trauma, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Violence, Sexism, Car accident, Child abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Pregnancy, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Antisemitism

purstiltski's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Car accident, Blood, Bullying, Animal cruelty, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Animal death, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Blood, Mental illness, and Racism

Minor: Cancer

laur_astor's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

I was blown away by this memoir and Tara’s incredible journey. At the beginning, I thought that this book would mostly be about her issues with her family, and while that is a major part of this book, it was also interesting that she spends so much of it talking about how deeply she loved her family. Families are challenging, no matter the circumstances.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Blood, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Medical trauma, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

Moderate: Bullying, Torture, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racial slurs

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Pregnancy