Tara Westover was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her “head-for-the-hills bag”. In the summer she stewed herbs for her mother, a midwife and healer, and in the winter she salvaged in her father’s junkyard.

Her father forbade hospitals, so Tara never saw a doctor or nurse. Gashes and concussions, even burns from explosions, were all treated at home with herbalism. The 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.

Then, lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself. She taught herself enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University, where she studied history, learning for the first time about important world events like the Holocaust and the civil rights movement. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home.

Educated is an account of the struggle for self-invention. It is a tale of fierce family loyalty and of the grief that comes with severing the closest of ties. With the acute insight that distinguishes all great writers, Westover has crafted a universal coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education is and what it offers: the perspective to see one’s life through new eyes and the will to change it.

Note: I have put off writing this review for several weeks now. It’s been such a burden that I haven’t even reviewed the books I read after this. That’s how conflicted I am about my thoughts and views. However, I have always promised to be honest with my reviews… so here we go.

This book was a recommended read. I have been in a bit of a nonfiction mood lately, so I welcomed the suggestion and decided to dive in when I saw it was available through my library. I found it to be a very interesting read, but I found I had to take breaks for bits and pieces. The author has claimed that this is her story about her upbringing with little to no education and her heroic efforts to get multiple degrees including a PHD from Harvard. I have struggled with typing this review because I find the entire story to be beyond believable. There are so many elements that read as fantastical and at times, absolutely ridiculous. In fact, I’m having a hard time putting this as nonfiction, because it definitely feels like this book might be another “Million Little Pieces.” However, this is only my interpretation and opinion about the novel, and I leave it up to you to decide what you believe.

If Tara is completely honest in her writing, then I feel for everything she has endured. This is definitely the story about severe physical, emotional, and psychological abuse, and absolute neglect. It’s horrifying to read about a father who constantly allows his children to become significantly injured because of his reckless behavior. It’s terrifying to think that an entire family would stand by and allow a clearly mentally ill man (Tara’s brother) terrorize girlfriends and family members. The amount of physical violence that is being portrayed as having happened in front of the parents is ridiculous.

As someone who found the pursuit of education to be a safety net, I can understand how important and hard it can be to strive for a higher education. School was the one place I knew I was safe, and I can’t imagine how my life would have turned out had I not had that safety net.

I can fully admit that I don’t know the validity of the book. But I can admit that the author tells a compelling story that can draw you in. It is because of that reason that I would recommend others read the book for themselves. So, check it out and let me know what you think!