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A review by manureads
Educated by Tara Westover
5.0
I read the whole book in one sitting, whilst I was travelling with a 5 hour layover and I did not see the time go by. It was absolutely engrossing. Tara does a great job in describing her life and her relationship with her family in a nuanced and multifaceted way. She talks about the abuse, but also about the good and tender moments that make life complicated and not just divided between good and evil.
This is not always an easy read. Some moment are hard to read, others are hard to even comprehend. As an outsider looking in, it’s easy to just want her to pack her bags and leave the toxic people in her life behind. But healing is never this straightforward, there is no magical solution and this book is a great illustration of that. Overall, this memoir strikes the perfect balance between giving us an accurate portrayal and explaining the events with the benefits of hindsight.
I never know where to start when reviewing a memoir because how do you comment on someone else’s life? But in the end, Tara’s story made me seriously examine whether my beliefs were my own or merely the result of my environment and it reminded me that it is possible to take control of your own future by using all the tools at your disposal.
This is not always an easy read. Some moment are hard to read, others are hard to even comprehend. As an outsider looking in, it’s easy to just want her to pack her bags and leave the toxic people in her life behind. But healing is never this straightforward, there is no magical solution and this book is a great illustration of that. Overall, this memoir strikes the perfect balance between giving us an accurate portrayal and explaining the events with the benefits of hindsight.
I never know where to start when reviewing a memoir because how do you comment on someone else’s life? But in the end, Tara’s story made me seriously examine whether my beliefs were my own or merely the result of my environment and it reminded me that it is possible to take control of your own future by using all the tools at your disposal.