Educated: A Memoir

The existing reviews are so well done, I wish to add only a footnote on the concept of patriarchy.The short version is "patriarchy" in our culture is the exact opposite of the supposed "patriarchy" of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often mislabeled "mormon"). The concept of men having more worth than women is not taught by the church.When I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I was already aware the media and others (including some church members) often had distorted ideas about the teachings and practices of the church. I came to understand this happens due to people basing their understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ on people—member's words and behavior—instead of the actual teachings of Christ. It also happens because members may have thinking and behavior based on their family culture or local culture that is not yet altered by Christ's teachings.The reality is not complicated: In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Christ is the one in charge. Everyone who is a member commits to following Christ's teachings and commandments. Men, on the surface, may appear to be in charge. They are not. Their role is the same as all members: to be a servant. All positions in the lay ministery are seen as equal and are subject to Christ's directives for that position.Members are also taught that no church position gives someone the right to dominate or control others. This is radically different from the culture outside the church, where position and gender grant power and authority. In the church, only Christ has power and authority; the rest of us are His servants. Do members live this perfectly? Of course not. Members are as human and imperfect as in any other group of people. What amazes me is how many do live this way in our faith and in other faiths.Footnotes to this footnote:(1) The first women to vote in the USA were the women of Utah--which was then only a territory—so this fact gets overlooked. It happened on 14 February 1870, fifty years before the 19th Amendment was passed.(2) The importance of education for all—men, women, and children—was taught by the church from the beginning. In fact, the Relief Society ( the women's organization of the church ) was established in 1842 to educate women.This book is well worth reading. I much appreciate Tara Westover's courage and honesty. Her book is a gift to us all.~LJ Sagian, ADN, BA, MSC

Good quality. Was recommended by Michael Cohen who said he read it and loved it while being incarcerated-Said it was a great book to help give insight to rural, evangelical upbringing where girls are expected to stay at home barefoot and pregnant.Im half way in and am riveted. Sort of reminds me of book called Glass house; which is one of my favorite memoirs.I ordered the paperwork and am pleased with medium sized font and pages that you can actually FEEL and SMELL !Enjoying very much- glad I ordered it.

In Educated, Tara recounts her childhood from being raised in an isolated Mormon family to being a PhD holder at Cambridge. My key takeaway from this book is that no matter how educated or successful a person is on paper, this does not correlate directly with how they are faring in their life, most especially in their personal relationships. The memoir illustrates this quite well, i.e., no matter how successful Tara was in her studies (and also in her career, I suppose), she struggled in her relationships. While I agree that there were so many factors that led to this and while Tara became stronger towards the end of her memoir, her struggles remained. One overarching theme is her constant struggle to reconcile her identity.To me this is an important lesson as it challenges the assumption that education solves many problems. I think towards the end, Tara kind of admitted this, that while she is now "educated" she still sees herself as the Tara from Idaho.This is a four for me. I would not say I enjoyed reading it, but it was interesting enough to keep my eyes glued. I do not think I will reread as well. Four of five is a good solid score for me.

I've read close to 100 books in the last 6 months and this one by far is my absolute favorite. This is such a great read. Thought you'll forget it's a true story because its a wild ride!

I agree with Bill Gates, Educated by Tara Westover, is even better than you've heard.

All the stars for Tara Westover! “Educated” is the best book I’ve read since “Where the Crawdad’s Sing.”

The prose is eloquent — Westover is an exceptional writer — but stories of life with her father (a willfully ignorant extremist) and violent brother are painful. Ultimately, it's a testimony to determination, reinvention, and education.