whisperingchapters's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
5.0
aapollo917's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. This book is crazy in what happens, how her family lives, and what they believe. Tara is the youngest of seven children, who did not even have a birth certificate until she was 9, because her parents lived off the grid and did not trust hospitals, modern medicine, or the government. Tara was "home schooled" by her parents, because they believe the public schools is for socialists and is run by the government to brain wash society. The only books she reads are the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and other texts by Mormon prophets. But the most surprising aspect, is that this family lived this way now, in the 90's until today.
05hamiltonk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
3.75
Fascinating memoir. I couldn't wait to pick it back up as the story was enthralling. It was very gory, which I wasn't expecting. The family dynamics and toxic behaviour from family members and how that impacted the author/ how they handled it was really interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, Gore, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Injury/injury detail
twinklep1997's review against another edition
Dnf. I have grown to realize I do not need for force myself through books. This I am sure is a fantastic story but I am not in the mood for non fiction. Also I read that this lady’s family sued for inaccuracies soooooo I kinda don’t wanna read. Also the idea of kids not going to school is normal for me coming from India. It’s unfortunate but it’s not like I omg can’t believe this is a thing for me.
linkwithlinda's review against another edition
5.0
So heartbreaking and well written. What a driven and self-reliant person.
nicholespez's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Just wow. The story of Tara Westover and her life is truly astonishing. The way she describes the events throughout her life are vivid and make you feel as if you are standing right there watching everything unfold. Given the depth of trauma within her story, there were times where I felt a little queazy, uneasy, sad.
I found myself thinking about her story and the lives of her family during moments of quiet. Reflecting on mental illness and the strength children must have in a dysfunctional home.
Although there are hesitations from others in terms of knowing if her truth is the truth, I found it admirable how Tara makes it a point throughout her book to note when she is not sure if her memory is correct about a certain event. She is adamant about telling the version her siblings remember of the same event, but slightly different.
The human mind, especially when put through trauma, is an interesting and complicated thing. Regardless of if some memories have been reshaped due to the horrors she experienced, it is still her story and how she lives through the events.
10/10 an amazing memoir and an inspiring story.
I found myself thinking about her story and the lives of her family during moments of quiet. Reflecting on mental illness and the strength children must have in a dysfunctional home.
Although there are hesitations from others in terms of knowing if her truth is the truth, I found it admirable how Tara makes it a point throughout her book to note when she is not sure if her memory is correct about a certain event. She is adamant about telling the version her siblings remember of the same event, but slightly different.
The human mind, especially when put through trauma, is an interesting and complicated thing. Regardless of if some memories have been reshaped due to the horrors she experienced, it is still her story and how she lives through the events.
10/10 an amazing memoir and an inspiring story.