Educated

A memoir about a woman who leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University.

Key Takeaways

• Education can be a transformative force that opens new worlds and perspectives
• Family loyalty can be both a source of strength and a barrier to growth
• Self-invention requires courage and the willingness to question deeply held beliefs
• Resilience can be developed through facing and overcoming extreme adversity

Summary

Educated is Tara Westover's gripping memoir of her journey from a childhood in a strict, survivalist family in rural Idaho to earning a PhD from Cambridge University. 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.

The memoir explores themes of family loyalty, the transformative power of education, self-invention, and the struggle to find one's own voice and identity. It raises profound questions about the nature of education and how it shapes our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.