Book 1 Post 1

 

    The autobiography I selected for the Book 1 blog post is Educated by Tara Westover. Educated is an account of Tara Westover’s growing up as part of a Mormon fundamentalist family in the mountains of Idaho. Westover recounts her brutal experiences of being isolated from mainstream society and receiving no formal education. Tara’s pursuit of knowledge led her to explore her own education, eventually teaching herself sufficient mathematics and grammar to be admitted to a university. Despite her estranged family relations, Tara finds comfort in her new independence and the chance to build a life for herself. Educated is a story about self-invention and the difficulties and consequences that come with having to leave your past behind to forge your future. The novel highlights the importance of knowledge and forces its readers to reflect and appreciate the gift and privilege of education. 


    I chose to read Education for this assignment because of its message and the substantially positive feedback from peers. In high school, this autobiography was part of 3 options to read my junior year for a literature assignment. After electing for another option, my classmates expressed how amazing the book was and I thought this assignment was the perfect opportunity for me to crack open this novel. After completing a little more than half of this memoir, it is apparent how brutally tragic this read is. The tone of the vivid accounts demonstrates how scarring these experiences are for Westover. The author has perfectly crafted a coming-of-age story of what it means to step back from your perspective, look at life through another’s eyes, and find the will to change your own for the better. As of now, one of the most important lessons I have learned from this novel is how to overcome past setbacks in order to gain opportunities. When Tara finally attends university and experiences culture shock, she was astounded by how the city was not as terrible of an environment as she had been taught. Her experiences made her realize how big the gap between her former reality and the rest of the world truly was. I am excited to finish this autobiography to gain more life lessons and reflect on my own. 





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