We listened to this one on Audible so there are no extensive notes but this 2018 memoir comes with our highest recommendation."Educated" is the story of how one Mormon (ish) girl overcomes a childhood under the reign of an (undiagnosed) bi-polar, off-the-grid father who believed that the "end times" are imminent and enforced his own brand of extremist Mormon values upon his value. To make matters worse, her father ran his scrap business and family with a blatant disregard for the safety and well-being of his children--you'll find yourself reading this book with your mouth agape at the constant danger in which this "man" put his children. Not to mention the author's psychopathic brother Shawn who belongs in jail, not free on the streets.
While Tara's mere physical survival makes this memoir incredible, it's her own grit in persevering to educate herself, eventually getting a PhD from Cambridge that is most stunning. This accomplishment from someone who never stepped foot in a classroom as a child, and whose "homeschooling" experience involved sitting in a room by herself with textbooks. You'll tear (and tear) through this story and be left contemplating both the power of family and the individual.
See our 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014 Reading Lists.
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