Educated memoir- Tara Westover

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I has been on my library wish list for a while now and I'm still only #54. Looking forward to it!

Up to #22 on the wait list... slowly but surely!!

[Anonymous]

Well, here is the test, particularly to the library user. I understand it's good, but is it worth $12.99 on kindle?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, here is the test, particularly to the library user. I understand it's good, but is it worth $12.99 on kindle?

I would say yes. It's one of the few books recently that I have kept thinking about for weeks after and needing to tell others they should read it.

[Anonymous]

00:18 here. The writing was a bit uneven, and the pacing wasn't perfect, although memoirs have their own rules for pacing.

There was so much that was left out, that I was able to add in from my knowledge of Mormons, fundamentalists, and also college and beyond. The book could easily have been twice as long -- I wonder how much she decided to leave out and how much she was unaware of or thought would be generally understood by the reader.

Reading reviews, including some from the family and neighbors, also gave depth to the story. So many angles, from the isolationism, private dysfunction and covering up (that I've also seen in families with private abuse and normal public face), and public history.

[Anonymous]

I also really enjoyed it. I think she's amazing writer with an amazing story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:00:18 here. The writing was a bit uneven, and the pacing wasn't perfect, although memoirs have their own rules for pacing.

There was so much that was left out, that I was able to add in from my knowledge of Mormons, fundamentalists, and also college and beyond. The book could easily have been twice as long -- I wonder how much she decided to leave out and how much she was unaware of or thought would be generally understood by the reader.

Reading reviews, including some from the family and neighbors, also gave depth to the story. So many angles, from the isolationism, private dysfunction and covering up (that I've also seen in families with private abuse and normal public face), and public history.

read the book and I agree

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:00:18 here. The writing was a bit uneven, and the pacing wasn't perfect, although memoirs have their own rules for pacing.

There was so much that was left out, that I was able to add in from my knowledge of Mormons, fundamentalists, and also college and beyond. The book could easily have been twice as long -- I wonder how much she decided to leave out and how much she was unaware of or thought would be generally understood by the reader.

Reading reviews, including some from the family and neighbors, also gave depth to the story. So many angles, from the isolationism, private dysfunction and covering up (that I've also seen in families with private abuse and normal public face), and public history.

read the book and I agree

I agree. I liked it VERY much ... but there were a few gaps and unanswered questions that, to me, created a little doubt about some aspects of the story. Like, how was she able to buy so many plane tickets? By the end, it seemed like she was flying all over the place all the time.

Very good, though, and I would say definitely worth $12.99.

[Anonymous]

I liked this book. I just finished it.

[Anonymous]

14:33- I wondered the exact same thing about how she could afford to travel, etc.

Very good read. I listened to her on NPR and was struck how she doesn't really hold any grudges against her family regarding the abuse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When the book was first published she was interviewed on NPR. It was interesting to hear her talk about her childhood and family.

+1 I heard that interview; and she seemed so candid and normal, despite her upbringing. Her responses to questions in this Guardian interview are similar--I definitely want to read her book.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/feb/17/tara-westover-education-interview-i-was-13-when-i-first-went-to-another-childs-house

[Anonymous]

Just finished this book this morning. Incredible. Really agree with the 00:18 poster above. I think the power in this book was in how she streamlined this story. It easily could have been twice as long, and still would have been fascinating, but it's powerful because it's distilled to its very essence.

I'm about ot dive into a deep google hole, I can tell, but my most overwhelming thought was I wonder if the book is enough to have CPS called on Shawn. I also wonder if anyone in the family (besides the ones she mentioned) have read it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, here is the test, particularly to the library user. I understand it's good, but is it worth $12.99 on kindle?

This was me, and just finished the book. I’m glad that I paid for it, and I hope Tara receives every cent possible. I’ll just say it’s the kind of book that leaves you wanting to know more, and since it’s real life, falling the rabbit hole of google. I’ve also found some of her podcast interviews and some podcasts she listens to for my commute this week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:14:33- I wondered the exact same thing about how she could afford to travel, etc.

Very good read. I listened to her on NPR and was struck how she doesn't really hold any grudges against her family regarding the abuse.

That was the travel as an undergrad and grad student? It doesn't surprise me-it's common for students on prestigious fellowships to get travel stipends.

[Anonymous]

Audible suggest it and I am listening to it now. It’s amazing and it’s something I hoped Hillbilly Elegy would be.

[Anonymous]

I enjoyed the story but wasn't blown away like the others here seem to have been. I've read memoir's that drew me in more and where the evolution of the person made more sense to me.

It wasn't clear where her drive to learn and change came from. Her decisions seemed to just happen.

Not that she isn't incredible and her story isn't meaningful. Just the narrative didn't strike me as it seemed to others.