By: Elena Roopchansingh, 25 August 2024
‘All my life those instincts had been instructing me in this single doctrine – that the odds are better if you rely on yourself.‘
In reading Educated you had to constantly remind yourself that this was a memoir, it wasn’t fiction. Tara Westover survived a lot of mental and physical abuse at the hands of her own family. She fought for the opportunity to be her own person and under the watch and guard of her father, it was no easy task. She considers her entire journey an education, not just the time she spent at the universities she attended, but her life experiences and being able to take herself out of the environment she grew up in. It is an inspiring story of strength, growth, acceptance and letting go.
Tara Westover was born in 1986 and raised in Idaho according to Mormon faith. She was the last of seven children. Her father was a strict believer in the faith and it was not easy to disagree with him. He kept the family isolated and away from all government institutions including hospitals and schools. The relationship between Tara and her father was a strained one and he was not pleased at her bold drive and ambition to go to school. Her mother often understood her plight but at the end of the day believed her role was to support her husband and that meant not vocally supporting Tara and standing up for her in front of him. She also had to deal with an older brother who physically abused her. She was encouraged to go to school by another older brother who enrolled in school himself.
Tara’s development and growth is inspiring. In the face of such strong challenges she was brave enough to go against her upbringing and go after an education. She knew it was her only way out and relied on all she had which was herself. She worked hard to get the grades she needed and gain funding to further her education at some of the world’s most recognised and prestigious universities. Moreover she showed tremendous character and strength in accepting and knowing that she had to let go of her family and everything she knew for her own benefit. It was not an easy decision and it eventually caught up with her as she experienced a mental breakdown and panic attacks. The relationship between her and her family meant she couldn’t have an education and maintain relationships with them.
In her writing she hasn’t shied away from the details of the struggle or being descriptive with the physical and mental abuse she endured, the situations which have plagued her mind or the difficult realisations of what the relationships with her family came to be. She was not protecting any individual, institution or religious belief at the compromise of being authentic and vocalising her truth.
It’s not easy to go against the odds and carve a way out of everything you know, but Tara’s story felt more than that. At times it felt like a survival tale. She had to stand up against her family and take herself out of a suffocating environment. She had to overcome incredible adversity and to lay her story bare shows immense courage. It is a supreme example of doing what’s best for yourself. What’s beautiful is that she considers her entire experience an education. This memoir deserves its place alongside the most inspiring.