Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Educated by Tara Westover

373 reviews

hjb_128's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

madflatt's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark informative medium-paced

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

cgalloway's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

carijacqueline's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring tense medium-paced

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

itsgnat's review against another edition

Go to review page

slow-paced

2.0

UGH.  This book was way too long and boring.  I actually believe her story, but this book is very tedious and repetitive.  And before I decided to listen to this audiobook, I wish I would've noticed that the author doesn't narrate it.  I am used to listening to memoirs with the author's voice, which makes the story more emotional.  This audiobook felt so stiff and void of emotion.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sierra_n's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kkpines's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sec892's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark sad tense slow-paced

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bashsbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

I see why Educated is such a popular memoir - an avid reader of the genre myself, many people have told me that this is the only one that they've read in the past half-decade or so.

Westover has a vivid and transporting sense of description, and Whelan reads her words with a measured and flowing cadance (although I could do without her attempts at Idaho accents and masculine tones when reading dialogue). Westover is also extremely cognizant of the core of memoir - that it is one person's truth, and that one person's truth has power. Add that to how it demonstrates the highly political nature of education, and of course Westover has a captivating book.

That said, I feel part of the appeal for a lot of people is the shock of Westover's upbringing and a certain desire to gawk. This gawking desire draws lots of people to memoirs, but Educated is especially primed for it. I have to wonder how others are engaging with it - hopefully more than on a 'damn, that was crazy' level.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

pandemonicbaby's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

I think this book might have changed my life.
This book is such a marvelous, deeply interesting exploration of the power of education, of the meaning of family, of struggling with abuse and still being able to forge an identity for yourself afterward. Her path towards education is also a path towards being able to think for herself, instead of being told what to think by others. This might be the strongest, most powerful message woven in between the threads of this memoir, an ode to finding yourself through education.
So much nuance, so many tiny little intricacies present in the text show that Tara Westover truly is a historian -- that she's able to see the many different versions of a story and present them to the reader, making them reflect upon the significance and meaning of each unique account. "[...] nothing final can be known", as she quotes John Stuart Mill.
I feel like I'm going to reread this soon, just so I can underline the passages in this book that are so powerful they would make anyone stop reading just to reflect upon them. I shouldn't have been scared of underlining this book, gosh!! I gotta start being more willing to do that, whenever I think it might be important to me.
All in all, wonderful book. Marvelously crafted, beautiful writing, moving and powerful message. I cried reading this. I think it will stay with me forever.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings