‘Educated’ was a difficult-to-read, yet remarkably written memoir of the life of Tara Westover, a woman who was raised with no formal education as a child by survivalist parents in the mountains of rural Idaho, and against all odds, went on to earn her doctorate from Cambridge. This book was not at all what I had expected – it was not just about Tara’s drive and determination to obtain education, but also delved deeply into her upbringing and experiences as a child living in a radical Mormon family, including the physical and emotional trauma she had endured for years. As I read through the pages of her painful memories, the same question kept repeating over and over again in my mind: was this actually her real life? Although heartbreaking at times, I found it to be a very powerful and inspiring story of unrelentless strength and perseverance.
“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.”
– Tara Westover
Tara’s father had complete distrust in the government including the public schooling system, while her mother was a self-taught herbalist and midwife against any form of allopathic treatment. She grew up not only never stepping foot in a classroom, but also never visiting a doctor (despite facing life-threatening injuries) or learning the importance of washing her hands, vaccinations, wearing seatbelts, etc. Her family avoided many existing social structures and lived entirely “off the grid” in a seemingly mythological world of self-sufficiency and impending apocalypse. It was fascinating to learn about Tara’s childhood, a life that was so different than anything I had ever encountered. Even though I didn’t particularly grow up like Tara, the experiences she wrote about were oddly relatable. Throughout her story, Tara struggles immensely trying to find her own beliefs and develop her own understanding of the world, separate from the distorted reality she has grown up with. She is caught between not only the desire to learn things on her own, but also her loyalty to God and love for her family. I found her thirst for learning and knowledge highly admirable. There were also several aspects of her academic journey which closely resonated with me, including her constant battle with imposter syndrome. Most of all, I loved how this book helped broaden the definition of education. More than just attending school and obtaining degrees, education is truly a process of self-discovery and growth. It is about developing a sense of who you are and what you think. As Tara puts it: “An education is not so much about making a living as making a person.”
In addition to reflecting on Tara’s personal experiences and her educational successes, this book also challenged me to think critically about the importance of access to education and how disparities in education still exist even in developed countries. These educational disparities between rural and urban areas have in fact been greatly magnified in a time like right now as we are all in the middle of a global pandemic that has drastically changed the way students learn.
The only criticism I had for this book was that there were several parts of it where I wanted her to go into more detail or explain things further. I felt that I was left with many unanswered questions after I had finished it.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Self-invention is necessary for growth and individuality. A main focus of this book is about how Tara breaks free from her family’s beliefs and carves out an identity for herself. She writes, “Everything I had worked for, all my years of study, had been to purchase for myself this one privilege: to see and experience more truths than those given to me by my father, and to use those truths to construct my own mind.” This concept of self-invention really stood out to me. Although it’s natural for parents to want their children to carry on their values and beliefs, it’s important to recognize that children aren’t always going to be exact duplicates of their parents. No matter what faith or way of thinking we are born into, in order to to truly grow and develop as individuals, we must critically examine and re-construct (if necessary) what we have been taught. For Tara, this bridge to personal growth was her education.
- Seeking professional help can be crucial for healing. Mental illness plays a huge role in this book. As I stepped into Tara’s world, I learned not only about her father’s bipolar and schizophrenic outbursts, but also about the years of emotional and physical abuse she experienced from her own brother, which ultimately led to her struggles with depression and panic attacks while pursuing her PhD. However, instead of keeping in all of this weight, Tara chose to heal herself. She sought help by going to therapy every week. She writes, “I didn’t understand it then, and I don’t understand it now, but there was something nourishing in setting aside that time each week, in the act of admitting that I needed something I could not provide for myself.” For Tara, her decision to seek help professionally was a turning point in helping her heal from her traumatic upbringing. This particular part in the book was a key reminder for me personally that we all have the means for getting better. Help is within our reach; all we need to do is choose it.
- We need to push beyond our limits to see what we’re truly capable of. While studying for the ACT exam to get into college, Tara struggles with the material, but she recognizes this struggle as ultimately pushing her in the right direction. She writes, “The skill I was learning was a crucial one, the patience to read things I could not yet understand.” As someone who also likes to self-learn and teach myself new things, this quote particularly resonated with me. Patience is such an important part of self-learning that I feel is rarely discussed. It’s so easy to just give up and move on but Tara does not. Even when Tara goes onto college and later grad school, she continues to exemplify this important quality and pushes to keep learning despite the tremendous barriers that come along her way. Tara’s patience and sheer perseverance is what allows her to ultimately go beyond her comfort zone to two of the most prestigious schools in the world.
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