desertcart.com: Educated: A Memoir (Audible Audio Edition): Tara Westover, Julia Whelan, Random House Audio: Books Review: Extraordinary memoir of a family that gives new meaning to the word dysfunctional. - This amazing book, destined to be a classic, kept me up at night and then well into the following day. It should be required reading for courses in psychology , counseling and family therapy. The memoir is of a young girl in a family of 7 children in a survivalist Mormon family. The patriarch was mentally ill, possibly bipolar. He used his extreme interpretation of Mormonism to emotionally abuse, bully and intimidate each member of the family including his long suffering and submissive wife. He was "better" than the rest whom he called gentiles and Illiterati. By claiming a direct line to God, the father achieved a power over his family that defies the imagination. He .had bouts of mania when he took chances with their safety and well being. But God would protect them.. Repeatedly he refused common sense protection of his family. God would protect them. His depressive bouts left him bedridden while requiring the family to take him to see his parents in Arizona to recover. He was catered to and idolized. Defying him was defying God. Women, especially, came in for his scorn. They were little more than indentured servants. As with so many of these male dominated groups, the women were perceived as temptresses and whores. Freud would have had a field day with that perception. The mother appeared to have pseudo insight but was incapable of supporting her children in the face of incomprehensible emotional and physical abuse.; The existence of this family within a Mormon community yet so outside the boundaries of reasonable Mormon tenants begs the question: what responsibility does the broader community have to protect vulnerable children? This is not about Mormonism but a small community and extended family in Idaho that turned away and ignored neglect and abuse when children did not have birth certificates, were not schooled even at home, were not immunized, not taken to doctors, were repeatedly seriously injured, were dressed in filthy rags, and were told the Government and Medical Establishment was the enemy... The enemy was actually within that home. The enemy was this very mentally ill and destructive father. I think of the Turpin family, abusing their children but hidden. This family was neglectful in plain sight. The litany of serious injuries sustained by the children was chilling as was the father's cavalier dismissal of their safety. But willful neglect was one thing, sustained and brutal sibling abuse is quite another. All dysfunctional families have lies they tell themselves, their teachers, authority figures, extended family etc. e;g;, yes, we are home - schooled (not). They have secrets. . But the worst secret and lie that persisted like a rotting cancer was the denial of severe physical abuse inflicted on several of the siblings over the years by one extraordinarily disturbed son. The son would have murderous rages and then the apologies would start...the injured sibling was forced to forgive. Classic spousal abuse but in this case it was a sibling causing the abuse who should have been removed from the family, placed in a treatment program. Instead no one talked about it, the siblings didn't tell each other what had happened until they compared notes as adults and most horrific of all, the parents denied it happened, demanded "proof" and allowed this monster of a son to continue abusing girlfriends, his wife, his dog Diego.(I would have had him locked up for life for just this part of the story). .. In the end, the parents and this sibling bullied the family into staying silent. Only the daughter, with great effort, recognized what was going on. She made many attempts to connect with her parents but they pulled closer into their delusions. This daughter, extraordinarily intelligent and determined escapes, becomes well educated but pays a price, doubting herself up until almost the end, The writing was clear and perceptive. The author has survived but the story is still chilling. Sometimes children from an abusive background only survive with a "parentectomy". I do wonder if the story is finished. The sadistic bully of a son now has a family of his own (wife and two children) that he has shown himself willing to abuse. Review: Still Feeling all the emotions!! - I decided to read Educated after so many suggestions, the first pages I felt a little lost because I really didn't know anything about the book or the story, I went in completely blinded and I'm so happy that I did.. This is the real story of Tara Westover a story that really captivate me and made me feel so many emotions the author was describing, her sadness, her rage and even when she couldn't talk I felt the desperation for her to open up and finally say something about what was happening, also the heartwrenching moments when she wanted to confide in someone and found herself alone without not knowing what to do. especially her relationship with her mother I totally saw myself in that picture. "When my mother told me she had not been the mother to me that she wished she’d been, she became that mother for the first time." so many great things to say about this book but what really captivated me and made me feel hope is no matter how your world supposed to be, no matter if you are navigating in a world that was created by your parents and beliefs.. your true calling will always make it through, no matter how much those around you try to stop you and make you believe that maybe you're not good enough or that the life you chose is not the one you really want or deserve.. when something is for you it will be and it will find its way no matter how much the things around you or the people around you are trying to do it so.. "Everything I had worked for, all my years of study, had been to purchase for myself this one privilege: to see and experience more truths than those given to me by my father, and to use those truths to construct my own mind." Educated really made me feel hope, to meet people like Dr.Runciman and Dr.Kerry I wish there were more people like them, people who will embrace you and see your true potential and help you achieve to be the best version of yourself.. I can't recall how many times in my life I have searched for someone like them. someone who will finally see the light and push me true.. "It’s strange how you give the people you love so much power over you, I had written in my journal. But Shawn had more power over me than I could possibly have imagined. He had defined me to myself, and there’s no greater power than that." So many great people surrounded Tara her brothers were amazing I really love Tyler since the very first chapters and then Tom and Richard I'm glad they were there to help.. and it pains me to see how many deserted Taras claims without even giving her the chance to have a place in her life.. "But vindication has no power over guilt. No amount of anger or rage directed at others can subdue it, because guilt is never about them. Guilt is the fear of one’s own wretchedness. It has nothing to do with other people." Overall it was an amazing book with so many emotions, that showed me how much we can achieve no matter how many NO's and walls life and circumstances are puttying us in our paths. so happy for Tara to be able to achieve so much. I hope one day your other siblings finally see you from who you're rather than the lies or the picture they had created in their minds.
M**E
Extraordinary memoir of a family that gives new meaning to the word dysfunctional.
This amazing book, destined to be a classic, kept me up at night and then well into the following day. It should be required reading for courses in psychology , counseling and family therapy. The memoir is of a young girl in a family of 7 children in a survivalist Mormon family. The patriarch was mentally ill, possibly bipolar. He used his extreme interpretation of Mormonism to emotionally abuse, bully and intimidate each member of the family including his long suffering and submissive wife. He was "better" than the rest whom he called gentiles and Illiterati. By claiming a direct line to God, the father achieved a power over his family that defies the imagination. He .had bouts of mania when he took chances with their safety and well being. But God would protect them.. Repeatedly he refused common sense protection of his family. God would protect them. His depressive bouts left him bedridden while requiring the family to take him to see his parents in Arizona to recover. He was catered to and idolized. Defying him was defying God. Women, especially, came in for his scorn. They were little more than indentured servants. As with so many of these male dominated groups, the women were perceived as temptresses and whores. Freud would have had a field day with that perception. The mother appeared to have pseudo insight but was incapable of supporting her children in the face of incomprehensible emotional and physical abuse.; The existence of this family within a Mormon community yet so outside the boundaries of reasonable Mormon tenants begs the question: what responsibility does the broader community have to protect vulnerable children? This is not about Mormonism but a small community and extended family in Idaho that turned away and ignored neglect and abuse when children did not have birth certificates, were not schooled even at home, were not immunized, not taken to doctors, were repeatedly seriously injured, were dressed in filthy rags, and were told the Government and Medical Establishment was the enemy... The enemy was actually within that home. The enemy was this very mentally ill and destructive father. I think of the Turpin family, abusing their children but hidden. This family was neglectful in plain sight. The litany of serious injuries sustained by the children was chilling as was the father's cavalier dismissal of their safety. But willful neglect was one thing, sustained and brutal sibling abuse is quite another. All dysfunctional families have lies they tell themselves, their teachers, authority figures, extended family etc. e;g;, yes, we are home - schooled (not). They have secrets. . But the worst secret and lie that persisted like a rotting cancer was the denial of severe physical abuse inflicted on several of the siblings over the years by one extraordinarily disturbed son. The son would have murderous rages and then the apologies would start...the injured sibling was forced to forgive. Classic spousal abuse but in this case it was a sibling causing the abuse who should have been removed from the family, placed in a treatment program. Instead no one talked about it, the siblings didn't tell each other what had happened until they compared notes as adults and most horrific of all, the parents denied it happened, demanded "proof" and allowed this monster of a son to continue abusing girlfriends, his wife, his dog Diego.(I would have had him locked up for life for just this part of the story). .. In the end, the parents and this sibling bullied the family into staying silent. Only the daughter, with great effort, recognized what was going on. She made many attempts to connect with her parents but they pulled closer into their delusions. This daughter, extraordinarily intelligent and determined escapes, becomes well educated but pays a price, doubting herself up until almost the end, The writing was clear and perceptive. The author has survived but the story is still chilling. Sometimes children from an abusive background only survive with a "parentectomy". I do wonder if the story is finished. The sadistic bully of a son now has a family of his own (wife and two children) that he has shown himself willing to abuse.
T**A
Still Feeling all the emotions!!
I decided to read Educated after so many suggestions, the first pages I felt a little lost because I really didn't know anything about the book or the story, I went in completely blinded and I'm so happy that I did.. This is the real story of Tara Westover a story that really captivate me and made me feel so many emotions the author was describing, her sadness, her rage and even when she couldn't talk I felt the desperation for her to open up and finally say something about what was happening, also the heartwrenching moments when she wanted to confide in someone and found herself alone without not knowing what to do. especially her relationship with her mother I totally saw myself in that picture. "When my mother told me she had not been the mother to me that she wished she’d been, she became that mother for the first time." so many great things to say about this book but what really captivated me and made me feel hope is no matter how your world supposed to be, no matter if you are navigating in a world that was created by your parents and beliefs.. your true calling will always make it through, no matter how much those around you try to stop you and make you believe that maybe you're not good enough or that the life you chose is not the one you really want or deserve.. when something is for you it will be and it will find its way no matter how much the things around you or the people around you are trying to do it so.. "Everything I had worked for, all my years of study, had been to purchase for myself this one privilege: to see and experience more truths than those given to me by my father, and to use those truths to construct my own mind." Educated really made me feel hope, to meet people like Dr.Runciman and Dr.Kerry I wish there were more people like them, people who will embrace you and see your true potential and help you achieve to be the best version of yourself.. I can't recall how many times in my life I have searched for someone like them. someone who will finally see the light and push me true.. "It’s strange how you give the people you love so much power over you, I had written in my journal. But Shawn had more power over me than I could possibly have imagined. He had defined me to myself, and there’s no greater power than that." So many great people surrounded Tara her brothers were amazing I really love Tyler since the very first chapters and then Tom and Richard I'm glad they were there to help.. and it pains me to see how many deserted Taras claims without even giving her the chance to have a place in her life.. "But vindication has no power over guilt. No amount of anger or rage directed at others can subdue it, because guilt is never about them. Guilt is the fear of one’s own wretchedness. It has nothing to do with other people." Overall it was an amazing book with so many emotions, that showed me how much we can achieve no matter how many NO's and walls life and circumstances are puttying us in our paths. so happy for Tara to be able to achieve so much. I hope one day your other siblings finally see you from who you're rather than the lies or the picture they had created in their minds.
A**Y
I really liked the book
The book Educated by Tara Westover, is very interesting, attention grabbing throughout the book, and touching; but, I felt the ending was more rushed than the rest of the story. As a college kid, I understand the nervousness about going into college, but could never understand what she went through because of her background. As well as everything that led up to her even thinking about going to college, and she did it with little to no support from her family. This story does amazing job on showing not everyone's families or lives are "normal". All in all, this was a really good book, but I felt some parts were more rushed than others.
P**A
Such a wonderful book
I got this book through Amazon Audible and it is such a great book very inspiring. I’m so nice to hear the story of another woman that is very strong and intelligent.
R**O
Astonishing and beautifully raw!!!
I could not put this book down. It’s haunting, melodic, astonishing and beautifully raw! It’s engrossing and a testament to human resilience! It’s also an incredibly compassionate take on the complexity of mental illness and those impacted by it. It’s must read.
I**O
Adorei o livro. A história é incrível. Uma menina, que é educada em casa, passa no vestibular e conta suas memórias familiares, da universidade e, depois, do seu doutorado em Cambridge. É uma trajetória impressionante. A rotina familiar é maluca. O pai um mórmon radical que vê comunistas debaixo da cama. Não admite que os filhos frequentem as escolas para não serem contaminados pela "doutrina socialista". Da mesma forma, não permite o uso de medicamentos, muito menos de ir se tratar em um hospital. A mãe, uma parteira, prepara "poções mágicas" para todo tipo de doença. Por incrível que pareça, a família se torna um sucesso comercial e renega a filha bem educada. A experiência de uma jovem aluna, sem nenhum contato prévio com a escola, nas salas de uma universidade é contada de forma agradável e engraçada. Para um professor, como eu, percebe-se uma autonomia muito maior nas universidades americanas quando comparadas com as nossas. O apoio da igreja, do estado e de bons professores é determinante no seu progresso. O livro é um sucesso. Foi recomendado pelo Bill Gates e pelo Obama. Eu também recomendo fortemente.
B**I
Awesome book
C**P
A bit intense at times, but very interesting reading
M**M
nice book
A**A
This is one of the most memorable books I’ve ever read.! It is interesting and so well written. Is a very intimate and honest read. With non pretentious notes. The second part is more agile than the first, but the book in the whole is amazing. I liked so much as is this portrait of a family living in a religious community and how a girl so in need of learning and reading and being educated, deals with so much prejudice and social pressure. After I finished the book I was so interested that I went on line to watch Tara Westover interviews and talks about her autobiographical experience. One of the books I will definitely remember for ever.
Trustpilot
3 weeks ago
2 weeks ago
