Educated is the memoir of Tara Westover who grew up in a sheltered Mormon home in Idaho. Westover was born into a family led by the orders of her father; a man who believes in constantly preparing for the end times and keeping his children a secret from the government. As a child, Westover and her siblings were not allowed to attend school and instead forced to work at the family junkyard. When Westover was seventeen years old she taught herself the material required to take the ACT and get into college. She eventually got into multiple prestigious universities and excelled in her separation from her family.
Westover’s memoir is an intriguing story detailing her life through forty chapters of personal anecdotes consisting of her struggles and greatest accomplishments. Her life story is extremely unique and somewhat unbelievable. I haven’t previously been exposed to this sort of over sheltered lifestyle, therefore, Westover’s past is eye-opening. The main complaint I have with her memoir is that the story jumps around a lot. Since the book isn’t chronologically written, it is often harder than some books to follow. I would recommend this memoir to older readers considering some of the subject matter is more fitted for those who can handle difficult topics.