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Ginger's Reviews > Educated
Educated
by
by
5 STARS!
Educated is the memoir of Tara Westover growing up in a small town in Idaho and then pursuing a college education at BYU, Harvard and also Cambridge. Good on you girl!!
So, I’m making this review short. You've either read Educated, heard about the book or seen it everywhere on Goodreads updates.
Get to it! I did audio on this and finished it in days. Those dog walks kept getting longer and longer while listening to this crazy ass family.
Her parents are fanatical Mormons and survivalists that are preparing for the end of time and also for the government to kill them.
Have you ever heard of a sovereign citizen? Yep, that's Tara's parents.
They also did not believe in hospitals, public school systems or any type of help from the government. And good grief, her Dad needed the most help with mental care!
This book was just fascinating, gripping and horrifying at times. The amount of crazy that the parents and a brother (Shawn) tried to instill into reality and facts was jaw dropping.
Check out what gaslighting means. This was a common theme in Educated.
Gaslighting - a form of emotional abuse or psychological manipulation involving distorting the truth in order to confuse or instill doubt in another person to the point they question their sanity or reality.
Tara’s parents did this along with her brother Shawn. And if you could not see this in the book, we obviously read different books.
Kudos to Tara Westover for getting out of a no-win situation with her parents and brother Shawn. In her parents’ radical thoughts and beliefs, women were more inferior to men, much less believable if they came forward with abuse charges.
Damn, there were parts of this book that made me so mad. I felt for Tara on having to grow up in this type of destructive, violent and neglectful way as a child and teenager.
The best way that I could describe her parents and family situation is Idaho Taliban!!
Recommended to anyone that loves memoirs, books on cults or radical religion, and self powering stories!
Educated is the memoir of Tara Westover growing up in a small town in Idaho and then pursuing a college education at BYU, Harvard and also Cambridge. Good on you girl!!
So, I’m making this review short. You've either read Educated, heard about the book or seen it everywhere on Goodreads updates.
Get to it! I did audio on this and finished it in days. Those dog walks kept getting longer and longer while listening to this crazy ass family.
Her parents are fanatical Mormons and survivalists that are preparing for the end of time and also for the government to kill them.
Have you ever heard of a sovereign citizen? Yep, that's Tara's parents.
They also did not believe in hospitals, public school systems or any type of help from the government. And good grief, her Dad needed the most help with mental care!
This book was just fascinating, gripping and horrifying at times. The amount of crazy that the parents and a brother (Shawn) tried to instill into reality and facts was jaw dropping.
Check out what gaslighting means. This was a common theme in Educated.
Gaslighting - a form of emotional abuse or psychological manipulation involving distorting the truth in order to confuse or instill doubt in another person to the point they question their sanity or reality.
Tara’s parents did this along with her brother Shawn. And if you could not see this in the book, we obviously read different books.
Kudos to Tara Westover for getting out of a no-win situation with her parents and brother Shawn. In her parents’ radical thoughts and beliefs, women were more inferior to men, much less believable if they came forward with abuse charges.
Damn, there were parts of this book that made me so mad. I felt for Tara on having to grow up in this type of destructive, violent and neglectful way as a child and teenager.
The best way that I could describe her parents and family situation is Idaho Taliban!!
Recommended to anyone that loves memoirs, books on cults or radical religion, and self powering stories!
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Reading Progress
June 27, 2018
– Shelved
June 27, 2018
– Shelved as:
to-read
April 2, 2019
–
Started Reading
April 2, 2019
– Shelved as:
2019
April 2, 2019
– Shelved as:
audio
April 4, 2019
–
50.0%
"I actually feel for Tara trying to find her way at BYU. Her Dad's thoughts, ridiculous comments and beliefs are always in the back of her head. It's really doing her a disservice!"
April 7, 2019
–
84.0%
April 8, 2019
–
Finished Reading
May 24, 2019
– Shelved as:
book-club
December 30, 2021
– Shelved as:
non-fiction
Comments Showing 1-12 of 12 (12 new)
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message 1:
by
Matt
(new)
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rated it 4 stars
Apr 03, 2019 05:11AM
I hope you enjoy, Ginger!
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Matt wrote: "I hope you enjoy, Ginger!"Thanks Matt!! I'm really enjoying it so far!
I'm dying dying dying to read this book! This sounds like a heartbreaking insightful read and I need it. Wonderful review 😍
It’s on my list too! I’ve only heard good things!
Mary wrote: "I'm dying dying dying to read this book! This sounds like a heartbreaking insightful read and I need it. Wonderful review 😍"I hope you get to it soon Mary! I loved it and thank you! 😘
Bryan wrote: "It’s on my list too! I’ve only heard good things!"It was the same for me Bryan. I saw it everywhere and I do love fanatical religious and cult books! I had to move it up my to-read list. Hahaha
I hope you enjoy this when you can get to it!
Awesome review! wow... Idaho Taliban? That's completely f.u.b.a.r!
ChopinFC wrote: "Awesome review! wow... Idaho Taliban? That's completely f.u.b.a.r!"Thanks Rod! That's what it made me think in regards to her family. Taliban isn't that much different with fanatical beliefs, believing the government(s) are going to kill them and believing women are less then men. This was Tara's family in a nutshell.
hahaha!
Great review, Ginger. Loved the "Idaho Taliban" comment.
Jean wrote: "Great review, Ginger. Loved the "Idaho Taliban" comment."Thank you so much Jean!! :D
I gave it five stars too. There was so much crazy in that woman's life but Tara herself was so likable and not in an 'I've white-washed myself in this book' fashion. She had a really nice way of reflected on it all, gradually untangling herself from her past, and propelling herself forward.
the long hot spell wrote: "I gave it five stars too. There was so much crazy in that woman's life but Tara herself was so likable and not in an 'I've white-washed myself in this book' fashion. She had a really nice way of re..."I thought the same about Tara! I really enjoyed this one as well!
