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sary's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Racism, Violence, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Car accident, Animal cruelty, Blood, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, and Cancer
Moderate: Terminal illness
geegee98's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Car accident, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Blood, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Violence, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Sexism
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Antisemitism, and Cancer
Minor: Terminal illness and Dementia
carmentxx's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Sexism, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Blood, Religious bigotry, Gore, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Misogyny, and Violence
Moderate: Antisemitism, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
angelofmusic317's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Gore, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
sheriffrockyraccoon's review against another edition
5.0
Educated is an instant classic. I truly believe it should be put on reading lists for English classes, not only because of its content but also the strength of Westover’s voice. This story is real- complicated and ongoing- and highlights an important part of American society. While most people probably have not witnessed the extremism Tara has to go through, many of her family’s philosophies are absolutely widespread in the U.S. This memoir reflects on the pain they have caused, and how difficult it is to come to terms with living a life driven by hope instead of fear.
I did find the end of the book to be a bit rushed, but it is difficult to fit decades of family history and trauma into 400 pages. This is especially true when Westover’s family starts to play supporting roles to her own life pursuing an education. Of course, this criticism pales in comparison to the strength of the rest of the book.
I think everyone should read this book. The writing is incredibly strong and every chapter is well thought out. Like I said, this book should absolutely become a staple of American Literature.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Car accident, Gaslighting, Blood, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Medical trauma
laurajordensharris's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Death, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, Animal death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Antisemitism, Body shaming, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Grief, Racial slurs, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Cursing, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, and Abandonment
oproy's review against another edition
5.0
It was honest in a way that made you love and at the same time hate each person she wrote about. Honestly one of the best books I’ve ever read, highly recommend.
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Sexism, Blood, Cancer, Misogyny, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
sareidle's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Car accident, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Violence, Sexism, and Mental illness
Moderate: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, and Blood
madflatt's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Antisemitism, Blood, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Child abuse, Racism, Cursing, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Dementia
crybabybea's review against another edition
4.5
Educated does center around abusive familial relationships and neglect, but I appreciated at the attention paid to the emotional experience as a child living in that environment rather than just retelling events. I felt like we really got inside Tara's head both as a child and as an adult, and I think it takes a great writer to pull that off in an interesting way.
Anyone who has survived abuse and/or neglect will relate heavily to Tara's story, even if you haven't experienced the specific flavor of religious fanaticism and doomsday preparation she experienced. I especially liked the inclusion of Tara's many, many experiences gaslighting herself and justifying the behavior of those around her. I found it to be an incredibly relatable and realistic portrayal of the complicated and confusing nature of abusive relationships, especially when those relationships are familial.
I do think this book is a bit mis-marketed sometimes, and a lot of reviewers put emphasis on the survival aspect of the book which I think is the tamest and least important part of all. It actually put me off on picking this book up for so long because I wasn't interested in reading a memoir that centered around doomsday prepping and wilderness survival. Instead, I think the thread that ties the memoir together is the importance of education, and how Tara's own education (in all its good, bad, and ugly forms) shaped her into the person she is today.
I was a bit disappointed that the audiobook wasn't read by the author, but I saw it won an Audie award so I stayed tuned; I didn't particularly like how it made the book come across as disconnected and way less emotional than it should have been. Though I think the narrator herself did a great job and I appreciated the way she used different voices to keep track of the many important people in Tara's story.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Violence, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, Blood, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Pregnancy, Racism, Cancer, and Child death
On top of experiencing mental and emotional abuse from her parents, Tara experienced extreme physical and mental abuse from her older brother and retells events in great detail. She also experienced collective gaslighting and emotional abuse from her parents and siblings when she decided to speak up. Tara's father and brother exhibit mental health symptoms such as paranoia, delusions of grandeur, fits of rage, and gaslighting. Tara and her mother worked as midwives so there are multiple passages that include mildly graphic scenes of delivery and one moderately graphic anecdote about a stillborn delivery. There are multiple incidents that result in injury due to lack of safety measures. Including multiple car crashes and accidents while working on the scrapyard, as well as severe burns.