Educated is a heart-wrenching memoir that depicts the coming of age of a young girl. Tara Westover captures her journey -the good and bad- of life, and makes you eager for more after every page. Through twists and turns, the novel never fails to reflect on the past while teaching lessons on the future in an entertaining way. Educated highlights the ideas of creating your own path, and trusting yourself over everyone else.

The book is set around Tara Westover’s life as the daughter of parents that mistrusted everyone, including schools and the government. They put their faith in God and Mormonism. She never received an education or any medical care, instead she worked in her father’s junkyard and with her mother, who was a midwife. They spent their lives preparing for the End of Days, when her father said the world would end. Her home life was bad to say the least, and at every turn another horrible situation would blossom into a gnarly tree that rooted itself in Tara’s life. Sick of the life she was living, Tara studied for her ACT’s to get into college, with the help of her brother. Her memoir covers her journey attempting to break free from the chains of her parents and their life an Idaho, and getting herself an education. This comes at a cost for Tara, and she has to decide if becoming educated is worth it if that means losing everything.

Tara Westover’s memoir, in summary, is inspiring. Her struggles, although upsetting and horrid, are powerful and make you want to push the limits of your own life. Her emotion and passion throughout the novel makes Tara a relatable character, and her interactions with other characters develop and drive the plot forward. Educated is a well-thought out, and emotionally connected memoir. This book deals with mature and sensitive content like abuse, assault and sexism. I would still recommend it to older teens and adults.