Comments (295)

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Mar 16, 2024Jhill_2 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Loved it.
Feb 20, 2024HPL_Teen_Volunteer2 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Tara Westover's "Educated" (2018) is a powerful and unforgettable memoir that chronicles her extraordinary journey from a survivalist Mormon upbringing to earning a PhD from Cambridge University. It's a story of defying limitations,…
Feb 19, 2024Kimberleygray rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
between a 4 and 4.5 star rating. Tara grows up in Idaho with extremist parents. They are Mormon but definitely lean to paranoia types. Her father thinks public education will only lead to corruption by the government so Tara is never…
Jan 29, 2024lcvoth23 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
A powerful story that's both sad and inspiring. My heart ached for Tara but I was so happy to see her break away and finally make her own way in the world.
Jan 17, 2024loonylovesgood rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This was one of the most powerful memoirs I have read. Afterwards, I was led down quite the rabbit hole researching her family. It seems like there are a lot of varying accounts and memories from her family members in regards to this book.…
Dec 29, 2023niewegec rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Tara Westover’s memoir is riveting, heartbreaking and demonstrates the power of self determination. Born into a family of Mormon survivalists, Tara grows up exploring the rugged Idaho landscape, learning about herbalism and midwifery…
Nov 14, 2023
dzung recommendation
Aug 30, 2023HPL_Teen_Volunteer1 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Tara Westover's memoir, Educated, is like embarking on an expedition through the rugged landscapes of her life, from a remote Idaho upbringing to the summits of self-discovery. Published in 2018, this memoir swept me off my feet with its…
Aug 09, 2023silviniya rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The power of knowledge is depicted as the key to finding freedom and living an authentic life.
Jul 16, 2023amymrogers rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
This book reads much more like a FICTION than a memoir...
Jul 09, 2023Jan847 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I checked twice to be sure this was nonfiction; it is. The family abuse was shocking, but not unheard of. By midpoint I really could not put it down until I finished it and found out how she made out. It was a straight forward…
Jul 01, 2023ajm31 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
another story of “stupid” people making the same mistake over and over; except she’s not stupid (she gets a PhD on scholarship), she does it because she loves and wants to be accepted by her parents and siblings and many of them have…
Jun 27, 2023bibliosara rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This fascinating and heartbreaking memoir from Tara Westover is a well-written account by a woman trying to understand herself by reflecting on her past. Tara's childhood was certainly not what most people would consider normal. Raised in…
May 06, 2023GailHart rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
My all time favorite book
May 05, 2023
Multiple Recs! "There's a reason why this book was such a hit in 2018. Westover educates others on her cult-like, patriarchal upbringing and showcases her bravery on how she was accepted by 2 Ivy League schools by teaching herself…
Apr 20, 2023Super_Summer rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A really good book filled with personal anecdotes is Educated by Tara Westover. Tara Westover, who was born to survivalists in the Idaho mountains, was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so cut off from…
Feb 21, 2023kbrobison rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Interesting to read and learn about the experience of someone growing up in an abusive religious household. The memoir was written in a story-like fashion that made it all the more unsettling to remember that everything she experienced was…
Feb 21, 2023ryner rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The daughter of an anti-government conspiracy theorist and a herbalist/new age practitioner, Tara Westover spent most of her childhood completely sheltered from the real world. Her home birth went unrecorded, and she did not attend school…
Dec 21, 2022whalen1 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
WoW…Just read it. She has an amazing story. Read it twice.
Sep 27, 2022Hkelsey rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I was a fascinating story and I enjoyed the read. I wished the end has more healing or more closure for the author.
Sep 23, 2022TanaKirkham rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Excellent book! One incredible story by a young woman determined to transcend her incredibly abusive family system. I will re-read in the future…it’s that good.
Sep 21, 2022Gobe4me rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
i was amazed reading this book, this powerful woman who believed there is more to life, made each step of her independence happen; however my frustration in both the book and NPR interviews i heard, the step of HOW it happened. one day…
Sep 21, 2022lfaris66 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
One of the best books I have ever read, my heart ached for Tara and her siblings as I read about their off -the- grid upbringing and physical and emotional abuse --but what a finish to her story - Cambridge University and a international…
Aug 23, 2022maipenrai rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
As I read this book I found myself feeling angrier and angrier. I was puzzled at first because the book is an honest, well-written autobiography. Why was it filling me with rage. I finally realized the book was provoking memories of my…
Jun 06, 2022dumeca rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Moving and inspiring. Tara's growth and adversity made me want to learn more about myself and the world.