Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

This book has gained a lot of speed and recognition since it's publication at the beginning of this year.  It has been on everyone's reading list from Oprah, to Barack Obama, to Bill Gates.  Amazon even selected "Educated" as their best book of the year.  With all the hype surrounding the book, I knew I had to get my hands on it.  My library had two copies going around and even still the wait was estimated at 66 weeks.  So I went on a hunt for this highly sought after book to see if it was all it was cracked up to be.

Educated's writing style is able to span two genres to help draw in the readers.  Westover is able to write an almost dystopian-like opening dealing with poverty, doomsday prepping, and a disconnect from the rest of modern day society.  Coincidentally, it is also a generic coming of age story about a young girl finding her identity, spreading her wings, and leaving the nest to go to college.  Westover grows up in a heavily sheltered Mormon household living off the grid.  She has never been to school or to the doctor.  We get to read anecdotes varying from her sibling's leg catching on fire to exploits in pursuing her education.

I thought the first half of the book was fabulous.  I loved reading the stories about her family, working in the junkyard with her brothers and dad, and all of the horror medical stories.  I think there may have been other readers who experienced more of a shock factor reading the details of her upbringing.  I wasn't necessarily shocked by those things, but I did think they were interesting to read.  The second half, when she goes to school, started to lose me a little.  Small spoiler ahead **  She would talk about how she was struggling in class and going to fail any second, and then miraculously she would get an academic scholarship and end up passing with flying colors. **  And that was the reoccurring theme of her academic years.  So, the second half was so-so for me.  I'm not lessening her achievements at all!  Just saying that I wasn't into that part of the book as much.  Nevertheless, she's a captivating storyteller.  It's a world that many of us have no knowledge of, and we follow her journey with intrigue.

I'm glad I ended the year out on a strong note!  I'm hoping that if you have not yet read this book, that it is on your to-read list soon!  Happy New Year to everyone, and best wishes on your 2019 reading goals!!


Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Positives: Loved the first half of the book.
Negatives: Her schooling years weren't as believable.  She would flip flop between being a bad student and excelling too quickly for me.