Educated

About the Author

Tara Westover is a historian, author, and memoirist best known for her memoir Educated. Born in a remote mountain town in Idaho in 1986, Tara grew up in a strict, survivalist family that shunned formal education and mainstream medicine. Despite the odds, Tara rose from these challenging beginnings to earn a PhD in history from Cambridge University. Her story is one of resilience, determination, and the transformative power of education. Educated has been celebrated for its raw and powerful portrayal of Tara’s journey, earning numerous awards and a place on the New York Times Best Seller list.

Main Idea

Educated is a memoir that chronicles Tara Westover’s extraordinary journey from the isolated and oppressive environment of her childhood to the world of academia and self-empowerment. The main idea of the book is the exploration of the power of education—not merely as an institutionalized system but as a means of self-liberation and personal growth. Tara’s story underscores the ways in which knowledge can emancipate individuals from ignorance, control, and abuse, allowing them to discover their true identities and potentials.

Table of Contents

1. Prologue
2. Part One: The Mountain
3. Part Two: The Midway
4. Part Three: The Exit
5. Part Four: The Realization
6. Part Five: The Transformation
7. Epilogue

Prologue

The prologue of Educated sets the stage for Tara’s journey by offering a glimpse into her life at the time the book was written. It opens with a vivid description of her memories of her family, the mountain they lived on, and the way their lives were shaped by her father’s strict beliefs and isolationist worldview. This introduction prepares the reader for the journey through Tara’s past, providing a stark contrast to the person she has become by the end of the memoir.

Part One: The Mountain

The first part of the memoir delves into Tara’s childhood, growing up in the mountains of Idaho. Here, we are introduced to her father, Gene, a man whose extreme anti-government and anti-establishment beliefs dominated every aspect of the family’s life. Gene’s paranoia about government control led him to reject public education, modern medicine, and anything else he perceived as a threat to his autonomy. Tara and her siblings were not allowed to attend school; instead, they were homeschooled by their mother, Faye, who had no formal education herself.

Life in Isolation

Tara’s early years were marked by a profound sense of isolation. The family’s remote location and her father’s radical beliefs cut them off from the rest of society. Tara’s education was limited to the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and a few rudimentary lessons. This lack of formal education left Tara with significant gaps in her knowledge. She was unaware of basic historical events like the Holocaust and had no understanding of subjects like mathematics and science.

Moreover, Gene’s rejection of modern medicine meant that the family relied on herbal remedies for everything from minor ailments to serious injuries. This often led to dangerous situations, as Faye, despite her lack of medical training, believed she was a gifted healer. The children were frequently exposed to unnecessary suffering due to this reliance on alternative medicine.