Educated in Retro Chapter Chicks

Mar 10, 2019 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it liked it

Shelves: audio, library-book

Going to finally see what all this damn hype is about! 😉

I’m just going to leave it at 3. That’s it!!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 ...more

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Sep 24, 2018 Book Concierge rated it it was amazing

Shelves: family, book-club, memoir, audio, concierge, strong-women, library, social-commentary, nonfiction, idaho

Book on CD performed by Julia Whelan
5*****

In this memoir, Westover recalls her childhood and personal journey to become an educated, independent woman. Raised on the family’s land in a small community in Idaho, she had little to no formal education. Her father held strong beliefs about religion, the government, the education system, and his family. Tara’s mother was an herbalist, and became a midwife at her husband’s insistence. The family preserved food, stockpiled water, fuel, guns and ammuni ...more

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Oct 24, 2018 Tasha rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fic, netgalley

I have mixed feelings about this book. It's always hard to judge someone's personal experience when rating a book so I can say that generally this was an interesting story. Her years growing up in her family certainly give good fodder for a story, albeit sometimes difficult to read. I think for me though, overall, I wasn't too enamoured by her focus on the more negative aspect of her mother's healing and the author's own seemingly limited stance on someone's ability to bloom at any age. I'll bri I have mixed feelings about this book. It's always hard to judge someone's personal experience when rating a book so I can say that generally this was an interesting story. Her years growing up in her family certainly give good fodder for a story, albeit sometimes difficult to read. I think for me though, overall, I wasn't too enamoured by her focus on the more negative aspect of her mother's healing and the author's own seemingly limited stance on someone's ability to bloom at any age. I'll briefly address both of my reactions to these comments.

Natural healing. Her mother's reliance on God as the all-powerful healer and herbs as compliments to that are hard for me to swallow but that is her (mom's) personal view and not mine to argue. What I have a problem with is the author more or less giving us the impression that natural healing is based on her mother's experience. The author makes it sound kooky and woo woo when in fact, natural healing has many benefits and when used properly can be most effective. She often states that they used homeopathics and as a person who does practice homeopathy, I saw no real evidence of that in her stories. Bach Flowers perhaps and I know they used Rescue Remedy but nothing quite like traditional homeopathic remedies that I could tell. What bothers me most about this is not her view on natural healing, that is her's to have, but my concern as to the generalizations being made about natural healing and it's effectiveness when used responsibly.

Education. True, she had very little (if any) 'formal' schooling but what got me most was the surprise at how well she could do once she was in a situation to experience learning. As a homeschool parent, it was no surprise whatsoever that she was "able" to learn so well and so rapidly. Learning occurs at any age! There are no set boundaries as to when, how and what a person can learn. I understand she may have been surprised but the message is what gets me. Learning occurs at any age, no matter what your early circumstances. I consider myself a life long learner and I have never had a problem learning anything that I set my mind to learning. Once motivation strikes anyone can learn which was clearly evidenced by her desire to learn and the success that followed. That being said, yes her early educational circumstances were limited based on society's norm but as is shown again and again, she was able to learn anything she set her mind to once she had the motivation (and in this case, the opportunity). That is the true definition of education, at least in my experience.

So, despite these couple of sticking points which irritated me sufficiently, I think the writing overall was quite good and the story mostly engaging. Her repeatedly putting herself in certain situations was a bit difficult to read...over and over again.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review. ...more

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Jul 07, 2018 debbicat *made of stardust* rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley, 2018-reads, non-fiction

5 BIG Stars! Some serious 😮 WOW. I saw this going around among my GoodReads friends, but hesitated to request it from NetGalley. While I like memoirs, I was a bit afraid this story was too upsetting. After quite a few outstanding reviews, I decided to see if I could pick it up. SOOOOOOOOOO very glad I did! I got it after the publish date and then put it off....still kinda afraid of my own emotions while reading it. It is not an easy story I must tell you. But, I am thrilled I read it.

What an am ...more

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Jul 01, 2019 Celia rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: vero-book-club, sharon, ten-year-challenge, 2019-read, book-club, obama, kindle-list, recommended-read, book-shelf

The story of Tara Westover broke my heart and depressed me too. It is hard to believe a family, led by an overzealous father and a compliant mother could be so dysfunctional.

But that is what makes the story. Tara never received any education, either formal or home-schooled, until she was 17. She was quite a success, but almost not. Her roommate at BYU had to tell her to READ the textbook, not just look at the pictures.

Her mother, named LaRee, but called Faye in the book, was and still is, an he ...more

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Apr 11, 2019 Theresa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: z-pop-sugar-2019-reading-challenge, z-aty-2019, highly-recommended-by-me, biography-memoir, friends-recommended, buddy-reads

This was simply remarkable. The publisher's descriptive blurb does not begin to do justice to what this book delivers, and in fact, is downright misleading. I was frankly not inspired to read it after reading the various short summaries of it, but after I heard from person after person about just how good and even unexpected it is, I put my name on the library hold list, figuring at the very least it would fill some reading challenge slot when my name came to the top to read it. I am so very gla This was simply remarkable. The publisher's descriptive blurb does not begin to do justice to what this book delivers, and in fact, is downright misleading. I was frankly not inspired to read it after reading the various short summaries of it, but after I heard from person after person about just how good and even unexpected it is, I put my name on the library hold list, figuring at the very least it would fill some reading challenge slot when my name came to the top to read it. I am so very glad I did!

You know the basics of the story. Tara is raised by a survivalist fundamentalist Mormon family in rural Idaho, one that does not believe in public schooling or health care from the medical establishment, believes in self-sufficiency. At 17, she leaves to attend Brigham Young University, never once having been in a classroom or received any formal education at all. She goes on to study at Cambridge and Harvard, eventually in 2014 obtaining a PhD in intellectual history. Two of her six older siblings also left home and eventually obtained PhDs. This is a memoir that serves for Tara as the means by which she reconciles into selfhood her two selves: the one with her family, and the one out in the world (although in truth her world has been the world of academia, which itself is a bit of an isolating ivory tower experience). At the same time Tara is presenting us with the conclusions she has reached as an intellectual historian, defining just what is a 'history' - whether one's personal or family history, or a broader social, cultural history. "...what a person knows about the past is limited, and will always be limited, to what they are told by others." On this journey, Tara ended up rejected by a large part of her family - her parents and siblings who still live on the mountain and all work together, needing each other to survive and thrive (and thrive they did -- given her mother's gifts as an herbalist and the essential oil business she started).

There is absolutely no doubt that the entire family were highly intelligent, even gifted. At the same time, Tara and her siblings were raised by parents, most especially by a dominant father, who was anti-government (but seemingly paid their taxes), believed in self-sufficiency, preparedness, modesty, blind obedience and faith, self-healing, deep faith, and that whatever happened, it was a gift from God or a test from God, both to be honored, even treasured. There was violence and abuse from an older sibling, life-threatening accidents, all seen as God's will and God's tests and if you failed to accept and forgive, you were not faithful. There was mental illness, undiagnosed and untreated, but probably bi-polar disorder, run wild in her father. I found some of those sections describing the father's behavior particularly difficult reading as it brought back memories of a close family member coping with a bi-polar partner having manic episodes and initially refusing treatment. There was a sense of a fixed path laid down before her, perpetuating the life she had known on the mountain, and no other option open to her.

"My life was narrated for me by others. Their voices were forceful, emphatic, absolute. It had never occurred to me that my voice might be as strong as theirs."

I truly did not find the book a criticism of fundamentalism, survivalism, home schooling, or the Mormon religion. I did not even find it particularly supportive of the educational or medical establishments. Here for me is one of the most critical passages in the book: "I’d been aware that although my family attended the same church as everyone in our town, our religion was not the same. They believed in modesty; we practiced it. They believed in God’s power to heal; we left our injuries in God’s hands. They believed in preparing for the Second Coming; we were actually prepared. For as long as I could remember, I’d known that the members of my own family were the only true Mormons I had ever known." There is belief, and there is practice, and there is belief and practice combined. I kept thinking about the measles epidemic currently raging in various parts of the country, including NYC, and the anti-vaxers who are not just fundamentalists living in rural areas, but also are suburban parents with ivy league degrees. And no, I am not of the opinion that such extreme beliefs and practices are right or to be encouraged, at all. But perhaps this does provide a way in which to understand and begin to communicate.

The writing was beautifully clear, even lyrical and warm. There was also something very matter-of-fact to Tara's voice, especially in the first third of the book, that just said 'young girl' to me. It rang true, in much the same manner as Frank McCourt's voice sounded in Angela's Ashes. There was a slight change to Tara's voice once she leaves home and struggles to get an education in a world as foreign as it could be to her. Her voice becomes more strained, unforgiving of herself, reflecting the journey she is making. By the end, it's the voice of the historian as storyteller, telling the history of her family and her self. Ever hopeful that some day she will be welcomed by her family on the mountain again. I never doubted for a second as I read this book that there is a deep mutual love under it all, especially Tara for her parents, and her parents for Tara.

This fit ATY 2019 #41 - 2018 GR choice award. ...more

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Feb 26, 2021 Bianca rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed-from-library, audiobook, bookclub-picks

I normally don't read memoirs of people who are still alive. It always feels like I'm reading an unfinished series with a cliffhanger, no matter how they end the book it never feels complete and in a sense it's not because they are still here doing things. But this book was picked in one of my bookclubs and it was at the library and I figured why not and in a way, I'm kinda glad I did. Parts of it seemed a bit far-fetched, her family just surviving all these life-threatening injuries with just s ...more

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Mar 17, 2020 ˜”*°•.˜”*°• Sheri •°*”˜.•°*”˜ rated it really liked it

Shelves: memoir, non-fiction, in-person-book-club

******Contains facts about the book which may be considered SPOILERS*********

I’ve thought more about this review than any I’ve ever tried to write. I’m conflicted. During parts of reading Educated I thought for sure I’d give it 5 stars. I kept thinking these are her memories (whether believable to me or not), it’s her story, it’s sad and disturbing for the most part, some of it’s amazing and what I’d call miraculous, her words are upfront, bold, but never complaining or looking for pity. But I c ...more

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Jul 27, 2018 Lory Sakay rated it liked it

This book is very similar to Jeanette Walls' Glass Castle. Yes, there are differences, but the same overall theme is presented - a young girl, who is born into an isolating community and is shaped by unusual family rituals and environment, rises above and beyond anything she's ever known. As a result, I think many of the events, although interesting, carried less shock value (compared to my reaction to learning about Jeanette's experiences while reading the Glass Castle). Westovers' growth and s ...more

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