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carmentxx's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Antisemitism
angelofmusic317's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Blood, Car accident, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
sheriffrockyraccoon's review against another edition
5.0
Educated is an instant classic. I truly believe it should be put on reading lists for English classes, not only because of its content but also the strength of Westover’s voice. This story is real- complicated and ongoing- and highlights an important part of American society. While most people probably have not witnessed the extremism Tara has to go through, many of her family’s philosophies are absolutely widespread in the U.S. This memoir reflects on the pain they have caused, and how difficult it is to come to terms with living a life driven by hope instead of fear.
I did find the end of the book to be a bit rushed, but it is difficult to fit decades of family history and trauma into 400 pages. This is especially true when Westover’s family starts to play supporting roles to her own life pursuing an education. Of course, this criticism pales in comparison to the strength of the rest of the book.
I think everyone should read this book. The writing is incredibly strong and every chapter is well thought out. Like I said, this book should absolutely become a staple of American Literature.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
laurajordensharris's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
oproy's review against another edition
5.0
It was honest in a way that made you love and at the same time hate each person she wrote about. Honestly one of the best books I’ve ever read, highly recommend.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Blood, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
sareidle's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
madflatt's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Dementia
crybabybea's review against another edition
4.5
Educated does center around abusive familial relationships and neglect, but I appreciated at the attention paid to the emotional experience as a child living in that environment rather than just retelling events. I felt like we really got inside Tara's head both as a child and as an adult, and I think it takes a great writer to pull that off in an interesting way.
Anyone who has survived abuse and/or neglect will relate heavily to Tara's story, even if you haven't experienced the specific flavor of religious fanaticism and doomsday preparation she experienced. I especially liked the inclusion of Tara's many, many experiences gaslighting herself and justifying the behavior of those around her. I found it to be an incredibly relatable and realistic portrayal of the complicated and confusing nature of abusive relationships, especially when those relationships are familial.
I do think this book is a bit mis-marketed sometimes, and a lot of reviewers put emphasis on the survival aspect of the book which I think is the tamest and least important part of all. It actually put me off on picking this book up for so long because I wasn't interested in reading a memoir that centered around doomsday prepping and wilderness survival. Instead, I think the thread that ties the memoir together is the importance of education, and how Tara's own education (in all its good, bad, and ugly forms) shaped her into the person she is today.
I was a bit disappointed that the audiobook wasn't read by the author, but I saw it won an Audie award so I stayed tuned; I didn't particularly like how it made the book come across as disconnected and way less emotional than it should have been. Though I think the narrator herself did a great job and I appreciated the way she used different voices to keep track of the many important people in Tara's story.
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Racism, and Pregnancy
On top of experiencing mental and emotional abuse from her parents, Tara experienced extreme physical and mental abuse from her older brother and retells events in great detail. She also experienced collective gaslighting and emotional abuse from her parents and siblings when she decided to speak up. Tara's father and brother exhibit mental health symptoms such as paranoia, delusions of grandeur, fits of rage, and gaslighting. Tara and her mother worked as midwives so there are multiple passages that include mildly graphic scenes of delivery and one moderately graphic anecdote about a stillborn delivery. There are multiple incidents that result in injury due to lack of safety measures. Including multiple car crashes and accidents while working on the scrapyard, as well as severe burns.itsgnat's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Pregnancy
bashsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Westover has a vivid and transporting sense of description, and Whelan reads her words with a measured and flowing cadance (although I could do without her attempts at Idaho accents and masculine tones when reading dialogue). Westover is also extremely cognizant of the core of memoir - that it is one person's truth, and that one person's truth has power. Add that to how it demonstrates the highly political nature of education, and of course Westover has a captivating book.
That said, I feel part of the appeal for a lot of people is the shock of Westover's upbringing and a certain desire to gawk. This gawking desire draws lots of people to memoirs, but Educated is especially primed for it. I have to wonder how others are engaging with it - hopefully more than on a 'damn, that was crazy' level.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Cancer