Tara Westover was born in rural Idaho to a survivalist father and a compliant mother. During her entire childhood, her father feared the government and any federal institutions and dictated the family to be prepared for the Days of Abomination—a prophetic event from the Bible stating judgement to all wicked. Four of Tara’s seven siblings—including Tara— lack a birth certificate solely because they do not visit hospitals and were home-birthed. As a result, the federal government is unaware of their existence. In fact, the Westover family became very isolated from any outside influence apart from strict Mormonism and religious texts, resulting in the family’s ignorance when one family member becomes violent.
I would recommend high school students, especially, to read Educated by Tara Westover because the memoir exemplifies the struggle for education. Not only does it show that education is a luxury that many can not afford to have, but education to Tara was the utmost solution to leave her family situation. Without a formal education, Tara would base her knowledge undoubtedly on those around her. For example, Tara grew up not washing her hands after using the bathroom because her father had reasoned that they do not piss on their hands. Most importantly, Tara learns the strength in perspective: when Tara was first taught about the Holocaust, her mother taught her that it was some minuscule event, however, a discussion in her college class leads her to learn the true severity of the event. In fact, there are numerous instances during her undergraduate career where Tara had to relearn the basic education she received.
A particular aspect of this book that truly captures the necessity for education is Tara’s relationship with her family. For example, Tara’s unwavering loyalty to her father hinders her from many important decisions of her life, including her decision to go to college. When Tara expressed her interest in attending college, her father religiously claimed that, “The Lord is displeased. You have cast His blessings aside to whore after a man’s knowledge.” (Page 133) Due to her father’s misguided notions, Tara suppressed her interest in college for an extensive amount of time. She delays her education because she strongly trusts her father and she fears that she has genuinely enraged God. As a result, her future decisions become overly dependent on her father’s beliefs, rather than her own thinking—especially during her first year of college. This dependency eventually led her to see “the immensity of the gap.” (Page 159) ; she realizes her family’s religious practices were not similar to others and there was no connecting link between her family’s world and the world outside of it. As she becomes more exposed to a world unlike the one she is from, she realizes that she drifts away from being her parents’ ideal daughter.
Another person that had a psychological and physical impact on Tara was her brother Shawn. Although Tara initially characterized him as “nearly a stranger to me” (Page 96), she soon learns of the rebellious personality her brother had. After some time strengthening their sibling relationship, Tara notices an odd recurring behavior from Shawn: the desire for control. For example, he would target girls that fit the description of having “Fish Eyes”—a beautiful woman but oblivious and naive—and emotionally abuse them because they were easily submissive. In fact, he perceives women as subjects of his authority, not worthy of respect. So, when Tara undergoes puberty and begins to wear makeup to impress a boy, Shawn enrages, “SLUT! WHORE! … I see how you prance around with Charles like a prostitute” (Page 116) while simultaneously dragging her by the hair across the hallway floor. His extreme violence in the Westover home is not unprecedented and goes unnoticed except for Tyler, Tara’s brother who left the house for his education. Even Tara’s mother stays silent because she is unmatched against Shawn’s strength and avoids confrontation. Up until this point, Tara believed that she was weak against Shawn but Tyler convinces her to attend college in order to escape Shawn’s abuse—finally Tara listening in on a different voice, rather than herself.
During college and her PhD, Tara discovers the writings of very profound authors such as James Madison, John Jay, Edmund Burke, Mary Wollstonecraft.
These enlightening ideas taught her to “emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.” (Page 257) Reinventing her identity and her beliefs apart from anyone else was the recurring internal conflict within Tara. She couldn’t voice her opinion against her father’s because she has not yet understood herself fully. Although she has come so far from her young ignorant self, she still felt as though incomplete, evident when she said “Of the nature of women, nothing final can be known.” (Page 259). This emotion of Tara carries on with her as she continues to adventure out in search for her true identity, “I wondered if how I started is how I would end—if the first shape a person takes is their only true shape.” (Page 327)
Our life experiences and human interactions fundamentally create the person that we are. At a young age, we tend to invent ourselves on the basis of our family and friends’ beliefs. It is only after we learn the factual information that we have the opportunity for reinvention. Many, including myself and Tara Westover, would call this an education.
