Educated by Tara Westover

No Vacancy Member Ratings:

Combined: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ 3.1 / 5

Mrs: Mellark: ★ ★

Juliet: ★ ★ ★ ⯨

Scarlett: ★ ★

Finch: ★ ★ ★

Shallan: ★ ★ ★

So this month's choice comes courtesy of Finch and while it is technically our 19th book choice in our little No Vacancy book club, it is only the second memoir we've read.

The story tells the tale of Tara Westover, a young girl growing up in rural Idaho in the shade of a mountain and the shadow of her families self-admitted faults. And before we really dive into this one, here is the Amazon description:

Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home.

So for me, memoirs are also a wee bit difficult to get through. Pretty much all of the memoirs on my shelf (of which there are 5) that were not chosen for book club are from comedians and women I admire (Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fischer, Bossypants by Tina Fey, and Yes Please by Amy Poehler). So does that skew my review for Educated? Most assuredly, but that's why you are reading this because we have already established you have some sort of "bookinship" with one of our Hotel Guests here at No Vacancy Book Club (NVBC) and thereby appreciate said skew.

I will be honest and say I had a hard time getting into this book and my fellow bloggers generally agreed. There was a lot to unpack from this woman's life. And before I get any further, *trigger warnings* for emotional and physical abuse throughout this book. While I have no doubt that much of Tara's life as portrayed in this book did in fact happen, and no one can take away the struggles she not only faced but overcame to achieve everything she did. It is a testament to her intelligence and fortitude.

But alas I take memoirs with a grain of salt and, by the author's own admission, our memories are skewed by time and perspective. We cannot be expected to remember everything exactly as it happened, even two people relating a story from the mere days or even hours earlier can be told in two wholly divergent ways. Case in point, Westover's own mother has released her own memoir called Educating as a response to her daughter's book. Will I read that one? Honestly, probably not. Am I glad that I read Educated though? Yes, I am.

Memoirs serve a special purpose in enlightening us to the real plights of others, allowing us to walk in the shoes of real person for a few hundred pages. As a SFF fan, I prefer disassociating from real world problems more often than not, but that doesn't mean memoirs don't still serve as a lightning rod to perspective. And this book certainly did that.

To anyone that thinks where they come from wholly blocks where they are able to go in the future, we know it's possible. It's not easy, never will be, and there are certainly systemic problems of privilege that will always make it more difficult, but never impossible and Tara Westover is certainly an example of that.

That being said, from a writing perspective I found it easy to get through and engaging. I also listened to the audiobook for a portion of this novel and would recommend that as Julia Whelan is one of the greatest gifts the audiobook world has ever given us. If you doubt me, just look to the fact the Taylor Jenkins Reid, Kristin Hannah, and Nora Roberts have all used her on more than one occasion.

Some of Westover's stories, while not doubted, are nothing if not difficult to believe: from family work conditions bordering on child neglect, to a brother that has been in not one, but multiple life-or-death situations and survived, to the unfortunate cycle of abuse seen in many families today. Her other stories about delving into her own thoughts, trauma, and feelings are harrowing and seem to strike a cord for not only myself, but most of the other NVCB members.

If you are a fan of memoirs, survivalists stories, or even just those people that seem to survive despite (or perhaps to spite) the odds, then give Educated a chance. If not, you're probably not missing much.

- Shallan