Educated by Tara Westover is an eye-opening memoir.

This book retells the story of

Tara’s life. The story includes some very early memories, as well as her self-realization journey.

Tara is the youngest of seven siblings born to LaRee and Val Westover. Some of these children

were not recognized by the government because they were born at home, and it took a while for

her parents to be convinced to allow them to get birth certificates. Tara was raised in a survivalist

Mormon family, where she was taught about preparing for the “time of abomination” from her

father. Being raised in this religion exposed her to trauma throughout her entire life. This trauma

came from her parents, her siblings, and even some of her friends. Tara’s upbringing affected

every aspect of her life, including her self-image and her education. Through a lot of hard work

and a lot of obstacles, Tara was eventually able to receive the education that she so desired.

Some of the biggest obstacles in her life included her father and mother not caring about

her safety. The amount of physical and mental abuse that Tara has endured completely shocked

me. Tara would often work in the junkyard with her father. She started working there at a very

young age, however Tara remembers some of the first days of her job vividly. She recalls how

her father would toss debris at her, without any apology. Her father would claim that the angels

would protect her. Tara also recalls when she almost died helping her father on top of a makeshift

lift. She was sitting in a bucket of debris, as told to do by her father, when she found herself

stuck. Her father did not bother to check on her, but instead he dumped the debris, which not

only impaled Tara but also sent her plummeting to the ground. Instead of going to the doctor, her

father told her to go inside to her mother, where her mother would attempt to heal her using her

special homemade oils. Her mother would tend to the wounds using her herbal medicine, never

once stopping her father from working so dangerously. Her mother would take the side of

whoever was the most convenient, and was emotionally abusive in this way.
 Another huge obstacle in her life was the fact that her brother, Shawn, abused her. This

abuse was both mental and physical. At the beginning of the book Shawn was not so bad. Tara

and him were close, but as the accidents at the farm kept occurring, he got much worse. Shawn

was involved in a lot of accidents while working with his father at the junkyard. Tara was not the

only child whose life was in danger there. Shawn had multiple head injuries that seemed to make

his abusive side more prominent. Shawn would physically assault Tara over the clothes that she

wore or the people that she talked to, and then come and apologize the next day. Tara never knew

what to expect from Shawn. Even though she was scared of him, she still loved him because he

is her brother. The relationship between Shawn and Tara absolutely broke my heart and made me

angry at the same time. The amount of control that Shawn had over her life was terrifying. Their

parents would choose not to be involved, and if they were involved they would side with Shawn,

blaming it on his concussions. I have seen similar situations like this in students that I have

taught. It is heartbreaking to see them feel so confused and useless.

Eventually Tara is able to escape and seek further education. Tara speaks about her

different college professors and how they treated her. Some treated her negatively because she

did not know things like the holocaust. These professors did not take the time to recognize her

and her background. Some treated her positively. These professors took the time to recognize her

and recognize her struggles. I think it is an important lesson to always be learning; to never

assume people have the same knowledge and background as you might expect. If it were not for

Tara’s siblings that went to college she may not have had the resources to be able to go. Tyler,

her brother, was a huge reason she even believed she could make it out of the house. Tyler was

able to escape and be educated elsewhere. Tara would study so hard at home, sometimes having

to hide it from her family at home, just like Tyler.

 College experience at BYU, Kings College Cambridge, and Trinity College are huge

reasons why Tara was able to achieve personal growth. Seeing Tara start college as a meek and

sheltered little girl, and grow into a powerful and confident woman, is truly inspiring. I truly

believe that if Tara can provide herself with education and growth, then almost anyone has the

ability to. Tara completely switched her viewpoints of life, education, and religion. Although it

wasn’t easy and it took a huge chunk of her life. She learned to have an open mind and a loving

heart, even to those who hurt her the worst. At the end of the book there is a very powerful quote

that will forever stick with me, “You can call this selfhood many things. Transformation.

Metamorphosis. Falsity. Betrayal. I call it an education”.

There is a lot to connect to other people and other situations. Many of these situations we

may see in a classroom. Trauma, struggling families, unsafe living conditions. Tara experienced

so much unfairness and abuse that I hope no child ever has to go through. Unfortunately, the

reality is that this happens more than we think. Another example is The Weaver Family. Tara was

able to escape, but so many other children cannot. Tara was able to reconnect with her extended

family, but for some children there is no extended family. It is important that educators are able

to be a support system for their students. Sometimes teachers are the other people that students

have to protect them. It is important for educators to provide a safe space for all of their students,

and to teach about different backgrounds. Allowing students to have difficult decisions, while

teaching them to respect one another, is what can help keep history from repeating itself. My

eyes have been opened to a whole new type of childhood. Her father called her and said, “‘I love

you, you know that?’ ‘I do,’ I said. ‘That has never been the issue’”. It is not that her parents did

not love her, it is that they were not open to their children living different lives than them.
 While I was reading this book, there were countless sections where I found myself

getting worked up. I would read a paragraph and have to stop to re-read it because I could not

believe it was real! There are so many accidents that Tara talks about. Car accidents and junkyard

accidents. At every accident I winced. There are many assaults. Assaults towards Tara and

assaults towards others. At every assault I became hotheaded. I felt so many emotions so deeply

throughout this book. At every page flip I was on the edge of my seat. It is truly such a well

written and engaging piece of literature. I felt so connected to Tara, almost like she was a

long-lost sister that I felt the need to protect. At the end of the book I felt so proud of her and all

of her accomplishments. I hope that she knows how many people are proud of her. She is an

inspiration for many, and I will continue to share her story.