a book

Educated: A Memoir

Name: Educated: A Memoir
Rating: 5 (21 reviews)
Author: Tara Westover
ISBN: 9780399590504

Tara Westover · 2018 · 352 pages

#1 NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, AND BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER • One of the most acclaimed books of our time: an unforgettable memoir about a young woman who, kept out of school, leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University

“Extraordinary . . . an act of courage and self-invention.”—The New York Times

NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW • ONE OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR • BILL GATES’S HOLIDAY READING LIST • A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE CENTURY • FINALIST: National Book Critics Circle’s Award In Autobiography and John Leonard Prize For Best First Book • PEN/Jean Stein Book Award • Los Angeles Times Book Prize

Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home.

“Beautiful and propulsive . . . Despite the singularity of [Westover’s] childhood, the questions her book poses are universal: How much of ourselves should we give to those we love? And how much must we betray them to grow up?”—Vogue

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, O: The Oprah Magazine, Time, NPR, Good Morning America, San Francisco Chronicle, The Guardian, The Economist, Financial Times, Newsday, New York Post, theSkimm, Refinery29, Bloomberg, Self, Real Simple, Town & Country, Bustle, Paste, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, LibraryReads, Book Riot, Pamela Paul, KQED, New York Public Library

recommended by 21 people

sourced from public statements

Ellen Degeneres
“"I couldn’t stop listening to @TaraWestover’s book, “Educated.” I’m so happy she was here today. Thanks, @MichelleObama! https://t.co/y8JWrUr29I"”↗
Olivia Wilde
“Sat down in my plane seat, didn't feel take-off, 6 hours of flying, or landing. Unreal. Thank you, Tara Westover. Consider me educated.”↗
Laurie Halse Anderson
“Westover’s parents raised their children in rural isolation, the shifting boundaries of their world determined by her survivalist father’s mental illness. The tension between family loyalty and her desire for an education broke my heart. Westover’s determination and sensitivity left me awestruck.”↗
Shauna Niequist
“Another day, another booklist. Today: memoir—I loooooooove memoirs. As ever, please reply with your favorites so we can all add them to our reading lists. :) Also: Happy Friday. Phew.”↗
Brandi Carlile
“I learned so much more than I thought I knew about unconditional familial love and the importance of educating yourself if you’re a woman in this world. I genuinely do believe that almost all the problems in this world can be solved, from poverty to aggression to climate change, by educating and empowering women, because they hold up half the sky. If the other half of the human race is empowered, then I think we could solve all our problems globally. So it at least starts there. Educated isn’t as high-minded as that, but it shows you how important it is and how you can overcome extreme adversity.”↗
Amy Cuddy
“The books of my life. I’ve been wanting to assemble them for a long time. The stack is not complete, but each one of these books is written into my mind and heart and soul. Each one is a little part of who I am. Thank you, authors.”↗
Nikki Haley
“Just finished reading “Educated”.This was an amazing book that shows the role culture plays in a person’s life & the importance of an education.@tarawestover personal account of no formal education to receiving a PhD from Cambridge is extraordinary.Inspiring & touching read!”↗
Soraya Darabi
“@dhaber @tarawestover @gauravkapadia The best book I read last year ( thanks Obama quite literally )”↗
Bill Gates
Michelle Obama
Barack Obama
Charlize Theron
Marty Cagan
Melinda Gates
Ali Abdaal
Kathryn Minshew
Elizabeth Day
Zoë Foster Blake
Ruby Granger
Alexander Stubb
Laurie Hertzel