jojobee03's review against another edition
4.0
Shocking, heartbreaking, but I was invested from the first chapter. Highly recommend.
kristinaray717's review against another edition
4.0
This was a hard read for me as it hit close to home. I almost DNFed it because it was making me so uncomfortable at certain points.
My husband grew up in a similar way, except the reasoning was based on Christian fundamentalist rhetoric. In his family the roles were reversed as well. His mother is the revered prophet that has the perfect knowledge on truth. We went through very similar things with his family when we spoke up, and like Tara he struggles with the estrangement caused by it.
Overcoming indoctrination by your parents can be extremely hard to overcome. It’s such a hard thing to accept about one’s own parents which makes it that much harder to actually deal with the issues caused by the indoctrination(brainwashing).
I know there are a lot of people questioning Tara’s story, whether it’s been embellished or made up. It’s not like finding out she lied would some how mean this is an impossible story that didn’t happen and could not be true. In reality it doesn’t really matter if it was Tara’s true story or not because it is the true story of many kids. This book is important because it brings to light the issues they have to deal with both as kids and adults. Even if it’s an uncomfortable read I think this book will be very cathartic, insightful and hopefully inspiring to others who were or are in the same boat as the author.
My husband grew up in a similar way, except the reasoning was based on Christian fundamentalist rhetoric. In his family the roles were reversed as well. His mother is the revered prophet that has the perfect knowledge on truth. We went through very similar things with his family when we spoke up, and like Tara he struggles with the estrangement caused by it.
Overcoming indoctrination by your parents can be extremely hard to overcome. It’s such a hard thing to accept about one’s own parents which makes it that much harder to actually deal with the issues caused by the indoctrination(brainwashing).
I know there are a lot of people questioning Tara’s story, whether it’s been embellished or made up. It’s not like finding out she lied would some how mean this is an impossible story that didn’t happen and could not be true. In reality it doesn’t really matter if it was Tara’s true story or not because it is the true story of many kids. This book is important because it brings to light the issues they have to deal with both as kids and adults. Even if it’s an uncomfortable read I think this book will be very cathartic, insightful and hopefully inspiring to others who were or are in the same boat as the author.
noraqg's review against another edition
5.0
Phenomenal read. That Tara overcame all those odds to be who she is now is incredible.
elanarachel14's review against another edition
Audiobook
Really interesting perspective on religion, homeschooling, domestic violence, and mental health. I enjoyed the audiobook version a lot, at times the book definitely dragged on a bit, but likely due to the nature of being a memoir.
Really interesting perspective on religion, homeschooling, domestic violence, and mental health. I enjoyed the audiobook version a lot, at times the book definitely dragged on a bit, but likely due to the nature of being a memoir.
mrskngentry's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
theinquisitxor's review against another edition
4.0
“You can love someone and still choose to say goodbye to them,” she says now. “You can miss a person every day, and still be glad that they are no longer in your life.”
This reminded me a lot of The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. It's another memoir about growing up in a very unconventional childhood and how the author was able to leave the situation they were in and improve their lives. I can definitely tell that this book is designed to be a crowd pleasing read and while there are darker sections and graphic descriptions, I never felt wholly uncomfortable.
I read this for one of my English classes this semester, and we talked about the what the value of education is, how the public school system prepares you for college/your life and so on. I think the reason why this memoir (and many like it) become so popular is that more people than you may think are able to relate to the story, even just a tiny bit. I think its safe to say that most people in the US did not have a similar childhood to Tara, but maybe they had a parent with a mental illness, or a mean sibling, or they grew up in a toxic environment. Then there is the category of people (like me) that are just absolutely fascinated by the totally different lifestyle and are very curious about what it is like growing up so removed and fearful of society.
I especially liked the second half of the book better than the first. Once Tara gets to college, starts learning and changing her worldview was the best part in my opinion. I found her emotions and experiences both interesting and very emotional. Even though I knew the outcome, I was rooting for her and felt anxious and fearful for her future. Thank god for all the professors who helped her along and gave her good advice. Overall, I enjoyed reading this and I will probably pass it along to family to read as well.
This reminded me a lot of The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. It's another memoir about growing up in a very unconventional childhood and how the author was able to leave the situation they were in and improve their lives. I can definitely tell that this book is designed to be a crowd pleasing read and while there are darker sections and graphic descriptions, I never felt wholly uncomfortable.
I read this for one of my English classes this semester, and we talked about the what the value of education is, how the public school system prepares you for college/your life and so on. I think the reason why this memoir (and many like it) become so popular is that more people than you may think are able to relate to the story, even just a tiny bit. I think its safe to say that most people in the US did not have a similar childhood to Tara, but maybe they had a parent with a mental illness, or a mean sibling, or they grew up in a toxic environment. Then there is the category of people (like me) that are just absolutely fascinated by the totally different lifestyle and are very curious about what it is like growing up so removed and fearful of society.
I especially liked the second half of the book better than the first. Once Tara gets to college, starts learning and changing her worldview was the best part in my opinion. I found her emotions and experiences both interesting and very emotional. Even though I knew the outcome, I was rooting for her and felt anxious and fearful for her future. Thank god for all the professors who helped her along and gave her good advice. Overall, I enjoyed reading this and I will probably pass it along to family to read as well.
cricketlou's review against another edition
3.0
I found this book interesting in that it was a raw, detailed exposition of the author’s journey toward education - academic, personal, and familial. However, I found it, at times, almost unbelievable...maybe that was the point. I struggled to get through this book and, honestly, had it not been a book club read I think I probably would have put it down. That said, I am glad that in the end the author seemingly found herself.