When I first picked up Educated, I was a bit skeptical. A story about a girl escaping her Mormon household in order to go to school for the first time at a university seemed religion-heavy, which is not up my alley personally. However, upon the recommendation of a teacher, I decided to give the book a try. I should’ve remembered the saying “never judge a book by its cover” as I was blown away by how much I liked it!  

Educated follows the true story of Tara Westover’s journey starting with her childhood, where she views the world through the lens of survivalist, Mormon fundamentalist father, staying at home on a farm set against the backdrop of Idaho mountains, and due to his mistrust of the government and education, she is prevented from attending a traditional school, going to hospitals for medical care or even having a birth certificate. From here, you meet her parents, notably her handyman, scrapper, and stockpiler for the end of the world father and her do-it-yourself, essential oils creator, midwife, and mother, as well as her brothers and a sister, all with distinct personalities. You are introduced to the way of life of a girl raised solely by the land and her immediate family.  

During her adolescence, she struggles with her desire for independence. This is especially marked when her brother, Tyler, leaves for college after taking the ACT and getting accepted to Brigham Young University (BYU), which begins her questioning of whether she should also pursue an education, despite her father’s mistrust. This move also forces her to become more involved with her father, leading to a push-and-pull dynamic between the two which often comes in adolescence. However, because of her strict religious upbringing, she also begins to struggle with her view of herself through the eyes of religious sin, distorting the way she sees herself and bringing about many insecurities.   

Eventually, Tyler visits and manages to convince her to study for the ACT in hopes that she could escape her family as he believes she has too much potential to let it go to waste, as well as the unhealthy atmosphere she lives in. After much studying and passing herself off as homeschooled, she gets a great score on the ACT and gets accepted into BYU. 

Due to her rural town and religious background, she experiences a cultural shock when she arrives at BYU. Despite the fact that BYU is a Mormon university, she‘s surprised to see how laidback things were, with people working Sundays, wearing revealing clothing, etc. Her lack of worldly knowledge is also revealed when learning about significant historical events and information she never was even exposed to, such as issues of racism, antisemitism, etc. She realizes how sheltered and isolated she was from the world, which fundamentally changes the dynamics and way she perceives her family and life back home, eventually leading to estrangement and questioning what is truly and morally right while she attempts to further pursue higher education and integrate herself into society. 

This book is not meant to be an attack on religion, nor is it a generalization of Mormon fundamentalism and/or survivalist experiences. The book is told from Tara’s point of view, with acknowledgements that some details may be incorrect or distorted as time passes. Rather, it is a personal account of how she grew up and how pursuing an education ultimately led her to a happier life. She reflects on how each person and experience had shaped her life and had shaped each other and how, despite family loyalty, some things are hard to ignore, including how her lack of education and awareness of the world led to shameful ignorance and how her family was unhealthy for her.  

This book was wonderfully written with an elegant writing style that manages to paint whole personalities through events rather than simply describing to you each character in the story, which makes you feel more connected to it, almost as if you’re experiencing the events right next to her. She also touches upon many subjects, such as abuse, neglect, an unconventional upbringing, being a woman in a patriarchal world, and family dynamics in such a candid way that nevertheless evoke strong emotion while reading. Each snapshot memory builds onto the previous, adding layers and depth to each character. I cried several times reading this story as I related to shaky family dynamics and a desire to see the world for myself, yet through my tears I eagerly continued to read until my eyes felt like they were about to fall out of their sockets. Westover’s quips and corrections throughout the memoir help remind the reader that this is just one person’s perspective of events that affected many and that it is not simply a stone-cold narrative, but rather an emotionally charged account of one’s upbringing as they understood it. 

Due to heavy topics discussed in the book, I would not recommend this as a lighthearted, easy read. However, if you’re looking for something to absorb you for hours at a time, to broaden your horizon and step into the shoes of a very unfamiliar life, then this is definitely the book for you. It never hurts to view someone else’s experience of life, and as Tara says, “Dad could be wrong, and the great historians Carlyle and Macaulay and Trevelyan could be wrong, but from the ashes of their dispute I could construct a world to live in. In knowing the ground was not ground at all, I hoped I could stand on it.” 

Checkout Educated from the Newport Beach Public Library.