A review by rasha_reads
Educated by Tara Westover

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

When I first added this book to my TBR, upon the recommendation of my sister, I expected a dark beginning but a story that would culminate in personal triumph proving the power of the written word.

Instead, what I read was a beautifully written and yet dark descent into the blackest recesses of bigotry, misogyny and madness where we are a witness to abuse of the worst kind: physical and mental by a family member compounded with disbelief due to small minded religious fervour caused, in part, by mental illness. The contrast of such beautifully written prose with the psychological horror of the author’s experience is not one you will easily forget. 

At it’s core, this book, even with its recounting of such a subject as abuse, is an in depth look into the effects of mental and physical violence on the psyche of the author and the journey she takes to emerge a different person with vastly altered perceptions. The education to which she refers is not just that of books and academia but of her world and self moving from how she is defined and confined by her family to how she defines and therefore claims her own identity and agency.

A gripping cautionary tale that is poignant and relevant; definitely one of those books that should be on one’s must read list before you die.
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