Educated by Tara Westover | BOOK REVIEW

Tara Westover's memoir, Educated, is a beautifully crafted coming of age story centred on one young woman's path to education and the struggles she encounters on her journey due to her circumstances. The challenges she faces are not what you'd expect of someone who lives in modern America, and it is part of what makes her story so remarkable. In this debut memoir, Westover's nuanced storytelling offers readers a unique insight into what one person's life was like as a result of an atypical formative learning experience.

For context, I hadn't heard of the memoir, its author, or the building hype around the book before reading it and I am so thankful for that. It meant that I went in blind and experienced the story in the sequence the author had intended it to be learned. If you are in a similar position, I encourage you to go into this story of Tara Westover's life knowing as little as possible about Westover as possible because it's all part of the narrative that unfolds. (Yes, that includes avoiding the dust-jacket snippets and blurb too!)

Educated is poignant, raw, gritty and bittersweet. The deeply personal nature of what Westover shares and her vulnerability had me laughing and crying in equal parts. It offers a charming balance of light-heartedness and heaviness and was the reason why I took my time reading this memoir. I really did not want to put it down, but certain sections of the book require you to pause and reflect. Educated is self-aware, self-deprecating, and unassuming. I highly recommend everyone pick up a copy from their local bookshop or library, and encourage readers who enjoyed Dr. Brene Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection and Michelle Obama’s Becoming to add Educated to their To Be Read list.

If you have read Educated let me know your thoughts about it in the comments below, if it's on your reading list, or if you have plans to read it over the holiday break.

I hope you all had a wonderful time this past week, whatever you believe in and wherever you are in the world.     

As always, happy reading, and wishing you all the very best for the New Year!

- E

This gingerbread house was on the table where I took the photo for this post and couldn't resist taking some photos of it and sharing it. My sister made it in the lead up to Christmas and friends, I can't explain just how good it smells. If I had to compare it to anything it would be a mixture of two of the BodyShop's limited Christmas edition scents: Vanilla Marshmallow and Peppermint Candy Cane. So, so good!  

x E