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A review by madisonrose1519
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
medium-paced
4.5
I didn’t know what I was really getting into when I picked up this book. I thought it took place in the Middle East for some reason. I just grabbed it from my mom’s shelf. I don’t know if I would have started it had I known about the deeply conservative U.S. family from which Westover broke free, but I’m SO glad I did.
Westover’s accounts of what she endured in her childhood were shocking. I’ve been trying to read books I find more challenging, and having been on a memoir kick lately, and this was perfect for that. This is the second memoir I’ve read that exposed some of the darkest sides of Mormonism, and I’m blown away by how little I knew about it before.
Westover’s writing is formal yet still easy to read and enjoy. It’s somber yet thrilling. I love how she ended so many of her chapters with such poignant, concise remarks, particularly after the most emotionally difficult to read portions. It made it easy to feel like I could set the book aside and say to myself, “And that’s enough of that for now,” so, without a cliffhanger, I could reflect and collect my thoughts on what she had written without getting too overwhelmed by all the trauma she experienced as a child.
Westover’s accounts of what she endured in her childhood were shocking. I’ve been trying to read books I find more challenging, and having been on a memoir kick lately, and this was perfect for that. This is the second memoir I’ve read that exposed some of the darkest sides of Mormonism, and I’m blown away by how little I knew about it before.
Westover’s writing is formal yet still easy to read and enjoy. It’s somber yet thrilling. I love how she ended so many of her chapters with such poignant, concise remarks, particularly after the most emotionally difficult to read portions. It made it easy to feel like I could set the book aside and say to myself, “And that’s enough of that for now,” so, without a cliffhanger, I could reflect and collect my thoughts on what she had written without getting too overwhelmed by all the trauma she experienced as a child.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Gaslighting
Minor: Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis