Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

Educated by Tara Westover

11 reviews

tigerkind's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

Both praising and criticizing this  feels wrong, as it contains  fairly detailed accounts of abuse. However, it was extremely well written and constructed, allowing for a reflection on the broader systematic workings of power relations in religion, family and education. Even though a memoir, it was at times written with so much detail and emotion that I had to remind myself I was listening to a non-fiction work and not a novel by Barbara Kingsolver. Unfortunately, it feels like the legal challenges the author apparently faced, which forced her to include disclaimers, paraphrase and use pseudonyms, somewhat hampered the overall impact of the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Death, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Car accident, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexism, Gaslighting, Body horror, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Child abuse, and Medical content

Moderate: Classism, Slavery, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Cancer, and Terminal illness

Minor: Genocide, Islamophobia, Murder, and Police brutality

alreads420's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Torture, Medical content, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Animal death, and Antisemitism

aliwhaley's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This book is fantastic and tragic and inspiring all at once. It’s hard to believe people like this really exist, and the fact that they do is so harrowing. With or without the Mormonism and end-of-days bent, these stories of manipulation and abuse play out time and again, and it is so difficult to read it from inside the mind of the victim. I am so impressed by Dr. Tara Westover.

As a writer, her ability to convey at once how she felt at the time events unfolded, whilst also conveying the incongruity of those feelings now that she has reflected and grown, but also having compassion for her former self is astonishing. She writes terrifying people, and yet their moments of loveableness are believable. You feel every blow with her.

And, as a human, her strength is just incredible. I wish everybody in a similar situation could read this book and know they’re not in the wrong

All the content warnings - this is not a light read 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Blood, Domestic abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, and Violence

Moderate: Gun violence and Genocide

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

rumay's review

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Antisemitism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Religious bigotry, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Gun violence and Vomit

Minor: Genocide

sasshq's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Child abuse, Animal death, Bullying, Medical content, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Blood, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Sexism, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Torture

Minor: Antisemitism, Body shaming, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Cancer, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Death, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Grief, Genocide, Misogyny, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Stalking, Dementia, and Medical content

hayat_'s review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Racism, Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, and Child abuse

zombiezami's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

Truly heartbreaking and beautifully written

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Animal death, Body shaming, Grief, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Classism, Confinement, Gore, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Sexism, Misogyny, and Bullying

Moderate: Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Racial slurs, and Racism

Minor: Genocide, Fatphobia, Slavery, Excrement, and Dementia

Abuse apologism

ameliazochos's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Body shaming, and Car accident

Moderate: Abandonment, Sexual violence, Sexism, Gaslighting, Cursing, Confinement, Blood, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, and Medical trauma

Minor: Police brutality, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Xenophobia, War, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Medical content, Gun violence, and Genocide

mme_carton's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Medical content, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Sexual assault, and Violence

Minor: Genocide and Dementia

toothpastefairy's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

It's a deeply reflective memoir, in which Tara details her life thus far in a way that simultaneously terrifies me and provides some hope. Family relationships and the complexity of one's loyalties to blood versus oneself is difficult to write about, but Tara examines them with nuance and clarity. The cognitive dissonance and difficulties with growing apart from a family structure built on paranoia and isolation is also expertly described - there is a gentle empathy in her reflections.

Overall fantastic book, it certainly holds sentimental and personal value to me. An excellent and needed recommendation from my sister. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Sexism

Moderate: Genocide, Gun violence, Grief, Murder, and Racial slurs

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Terminal illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Hate crime, Genocide, Death, Colonisation, Cancer, and Animal death