Book 1 Post 2

 Book 1 Post 2

For my first blogging book assignment, I selected the autobiography Educated by Tara Westover. Educated is a personal account of Westover's upbringing in a Mormon fundamentalist family. Her family is situated in the mountains of Idaho, completely isolated from civilization. Throughout the novel, Westover recounts her unsettling experiences of being isolated from mainstream society and the cruel consequences of not receiving a formal education. Tara finds herself thirsting for knowledge, and exploring the possibilities of self-teaching. She eventually disciplines herself sufficiently in grammar and mathematics to the extent that she is admitted to Brigham Young University. Tara flourished in her education, continuing her studies with a Master's and Doctorate from Cambridge University and holding a fellowship at Harvard University. Tara remained fortunate in her life outside of Idaho but evidently struggled to keep her place in both worlds, having to choose between both worlds.

Tara faces increasingly estranged family relations as she explores her new life in Utah. Tara finds comfort in her new independence and the opportunity to build a life for herself. Educated is a story about self-invention and the repercussions that come with having to leave your past behind to forge your future, doing what is ultimately best for oneself. This memoir illustrates the power of knowledge and forces its readers to appreciate and reflect on the privilege of education. This translates into one of the core principles I grasped from this story. Her suppressive father and his radical lectures about preparing for "the End of Days" robbed Tara of her own voice and independent judgment. Her entire life she accepted her father's beliefs until attending a university for the first time. After leaning into topics like politics, philosophy, history, and psychology, Tara began to stray away from her warped versions of reality after doing some soul-searching. This is what stood out to me most-- education giving her the power over her own mind. It allowed her to think independently for the first time, taking charge of her own destiny and giving her the confidence to separate herself from the controlling men in her life. 

One of the most remarkable parts of the book is the style in which Tara Westover recounts her story. It is one of the stories where you are immediately encaptured from the very first page. Educated is an intensely emotional and heartbreaking report of raw memories from Westover's neglected life. Unlike other autobiographies that can feel excessively detailed, each account in Educated feels purposeful and helps drive the narrative forward. The narrative structure of moving from childhood to a maturing adult helps the reader build on each lesson learned and move through the novel with ease. Her perfectly depicted narrative of the psychological toll of the abuse she withstood resonates with each reader, feeling the pain, fear, and hope that Tara experienced as if it happened to them. Reading this novel has inspired me with a new sense of hope and lust for adventure. It has persuaded me to not be complacent in an environment that feels restrictive and to push myself out of my comfort zone to better myself. In simplest terms, Educated has demonstrated that even if the darkest of times, one can find hope.  

Comments

  1. Thomas BFebruary 20, 2023 at 6:23 PM

    Hey Ava,
    I thoroughly enjoyed your post. One of the key lessons you extracted from Educated was that "education gave power over the mind", or rather, the established notions of the mind. I find this to be a resonant message, and it speaks volumes about how privileged we are to be able to access education, and a world class one at that. Thanks for this reminder!

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  2. Alexis 340February 21, 2023 at 5:06 PM

    Hi Ava,
    I found it interesting that you mentioned that her father robbed Tara of her own voice. Although I believe most kids share the ideology of their parents throughout childhood, exposure to other environments helps everyone find their own voice. Without getting the opportunity to attend school, get educated, and meet other people I can't imagine finding my own voice. That honestly seems like a nightmare.

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  3. Allison KimFebruary 21, 2023 at 7:04 PM

    Hi Ava,
    I really like your summary of the book. It was very informative and I like that you highlighted the key points/takeaways. The points helped me understand the nature of the book easily! This book seems inspiring and like a motivational story to pursue a higher education because it leads to freedom. Great post!

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