Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Educated by Tara Westover

345 reviews

bookish_in_bklyn's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced

5.0

This was an incredible story, unbelievable, at times. I am in awe that Dr. Westover was able to survive and tell the tale. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs

carijacqueline's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Violence, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Panic attacks/disorders

sec892's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Racism, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Death, Car accident, Animal death, and Toxic relationship

theshanana's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Car accident, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Cancer, Dementia, Death, and Death of parent

pandemonicbaby's review against another edition

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Sexism, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Blood, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Murder, Body shaming, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Grief

Minor: Vomit, Racism, Miscarriage, Mass/school shootings, and Genocide

sierrabowers's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

I loved this memoir. It reminded me of A Little Life, but the story was from a real person. It made me sad but also greatly aware of how religious trauma can affect a person or brainwash the masses. Education is not only a right but it is essential to those who only have access to information that is censored and warped. I would highly recommend to everyone!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abandonment, Addiction, Gaslighting, Gore, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child abuse, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Vomit, and Racism

insideunder's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Violence, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Car accident, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism

Moderate: Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cancer, Medical content, Body shaming, Classism, and Death of parent

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

hannah_wilson315's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

What a story. It’s incredible to hear about Tara’s life and all she was able to overcome. Her story so sad in many ways but also very eye opening and inspiring. For me it put into perspective how someone could believe such unbelievable things if it was all they were surrounded with. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Gaslighting

lilianmathilda's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Violence, Sexism, Racial slurs, Misogyny, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Gaslighting

Minor: Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, and Body shaming