Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

Educated by Tara Westover

103 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. 

---

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

glitterdeww's review against another edition

challenging dark informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Omg. This story... This person. It's been a long time since I've repeatedly yelled at the sky while experiencing an audiobook. 

In Educated, Westover has given an incredible, inspiring, and heartbreakingly traumatic story of her life. I know it will stay with me for the rest of mine.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Violence, Medical content, Antisemitism, Chronic illness, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Panic attacks/disorders

oliviacarew's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Body shaming, Mental illness, Racism, Bullying, Violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Car accident and Pregnancy

Minor: Cancer, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Grief

maddiet425's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Car accident, Physical abuse, Animal death, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Gore, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Racial slurs and Antisemitism

alreads420's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense

---

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

phantomgecko's review

challenging medium-paced

3.0

I avoided reading this book for a long time because I was pretty sure it'd make me angry. I literally know people mentioned in this book because I married into the extended family. At first, I just heard from that extended family how much of it was untrue and mean. Then I became more familiar with the family and realized I'd probably be more on Tara's side than not.

People from back home have been asking me about this book, and I was embarrassed. "My husband isn't like that. I'm not like that," I wanted to scream. But I didn't know exactly what the book said, so it was hard to defend.

Though doubtlessly exaggerated or bent in certain places, the gist of this memoir rings true. (I've met her father, and tbh, you can only tell he has burn scars if you look super carefully and closely, for example.) Especially with the extended witness testimony, particularly of her brothers, I believe for sure there was an abusive situation, and Tara is as yet still being gaslighted about the whole thing.

I read an article about the family and their reaction that was published just this year (2023), just to really hear both sides. (I know these people but I'm not tight, ya feel? Second cousins and such.) And legit the things some family members said in the article felt exactly the same as how Tara had written them. 

So, still I am embarrassed. Embarrassed that so many people that live in proximity to where I am now legitimately think and act the way of the Westovers in the book. I mean mostly in reference to all the fake medicine and energy healing bs, but also definitely with anti-government sentiment.

I'm glad Tara extricated herself from a garbage situation, and she shouldn't mend ties until they apologize, imho. The writing in engaging, the structure effective, and the musings though provoking.

Though this book isn't about me, I feel it reflects on where I live, so please don't judge Idaho too harshly. And I have to accept some people are stupid and will remain stupid, and there's nothing I can do about it.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Antisemitism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs

thekiwibibliophile's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring tense medium-paced

4.5

A well written memoirs, I actually thought it was fiction for the first chapter!
I was hooked from the start & really loved the message. Everyone needs to read this!!!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Gun violence

Moderate: War and Terminal illness

Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Antisemitism

tobiolovebot's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This book was transformative.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Car accident, Violence, Mental illness, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Body shaming, Racism, Pregnancy, Animal death, Cancer, Gun violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Antisemitism, Blood, and Murder

kemrick19's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Racism, Terminal illness, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Blood, Antisemitism, Death, Medical content, and Racial slurs

m4rtt4's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

rating a memoir is always hard, but it is especially difficult in this case — what can I say except that I was hooked on the story, which is absolutely horrible considering this is her actual life and not just some thriller typa special effects. I'm glad she finally found the courage to stand for herself, yet I can also absolutely understand why she didn't want to or couldn't do it (not that I can relate, I'm so grateful to be privileged in the fact that most of all this sounds like a fever-dreamish nightmare to me).

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Violence, Medical content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Blood, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia