Tara Westover: An Unconventional Education
Tara Westover's journey is a testament to the transformative power of education and the complex relationship between family, identity, and self-discovery. Born in 1986 in rural Idaho, Westover's upbringing was far from conventional. Her story, detailed in her memoir "Educated," has resonated with readers worldwide, sparking conversations about the meaning of education, the strength of family ties, and the courage it takes to forge one's own path.
A Childhood Apart
Raised in a strict Mormon family, Westover's early life was marked by isolation and a deep suspicion of mainstream institutions. Her parents, survivalists with a radical worldview, were opposed to doctors, hospitals, public schools, and the federal government. As a result, Westover never attended school, nor did she see a doctor when she was ill or injured. She wasn't even registered for a birth certificate until she was nine years old.
Her father's extreme beliefs shaped the family's daily life. Westover and her siblings worked in the family's junkyard, often without protective gear, and her mother, a self-taught herbalist and midwife, treated injuries and illnesses with herbal remedies. While the children were loosely homeschooled by their mother, Westover has said an older brother taught her to read, and she studied the scriptures of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, she never attended a lecture, wrote an essay, or took an exam.
The Desire for Something More
Despite her unconventional upbringing, Westover harbored a desire to explore the world beyond her family's mountain in Idaho. As a teenager, she began to yearn for an education and a life beyond the junkyard. Motivated by this desire, she purchased textbooks and began studying independently, teaching herself algebra and trigonometry in order to score well on the ACT test.
At 17, Westover took a leap of faith and applied to Brigham Young University (BYU). Despite having no high school diploma, she gained admission and was awarded a scholarship. This marked the beginning of her formal education and her journey toward a new life.
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Embracing Education, Questioning Beliefs
Stepping into a classroom for the first time was a culture shock for Westover. Her social circle had, until this point, consisted only of her family. She had never heard of the Holocaust or the civil rights movement and thought Europe was a country. But she embraced the opportunity to learn, immersing herself in her studies and discovering new ideas and perspectives.
Her experience studying, exploring history, and gaining a wider perspective of the world prompted her to question some of the beliefs she grew up with, and realize that many things about her childhood had been unhealthy and damaging. She found worlds of possibility, not just in classrooms, but in the people around her. She noticed a tolerance for difference, for a diversity of opinion, that had not been present in her childhood.
Academic Success and Personal Struggle
Despite the challenges she faced, Westover excelled academically at BYU. She graduated magna cum laude in 2008 and was subsequently awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. This prestigious scholarship allowed her to pursue further studies at the University of Cambridge in England.
Westover earned a Master's degree from Trinity College, Cambridge, in 2009 and was a visiting fellow at Harvard University in 2010. She then returned to the University of Cambridge, where she was awarded a PhD in intellectual history in 2014.
However, her academic success came at a personal cost. As she embraced education and began to question her family's beliefs, she found herself increasingly estranged from them.
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Family Conflict and Estrangement
In 2009, while a graduate student at Cambridge, Westover confronted her parents about the abuse she had been suffering for years at the hands of her brother. Their denial finally prompted Westover to sever ties with them. Her father, because he is so extreme, would begin to tell people that she was possessed.
This decision was incredibly painful for Westover, who loved her family deeply. However, she realized that she needed to prioritize her own well-being and create a life for herself that was free from the violence and manipulation she had experienced in her childhood.
"Educated": Telling Her Story
Once estranged from her family, Westover began to reflect on her experiences and process the trauma she endured. Mentors and friends encouraged her to tell her story, because they knew it was astonishing. In 2018, she published her memoir, "Educated," which chronicles her journey from a secluded childhood in rural Idaho to a PhD from Cambridge University.
"Educated" quickly became a commercial and critical success, debuting at number one on the New York Times bestseller list and remaining there for more than two years. The book was praised for its honesty, vulnerability, and powerful portrayal of Westover's struggle to reconcile her desire for education and autonomy with her desire to be loyal to her family.
A Lasting Impact
"Educated" has resonated with readers around the world, selling millions of copies and being translated into over 45 languages. It was named one of the Best Books of 2018 by numerous publications, including the New York Times, Oprah Magazine, The Economist, The Guardian, and Publishers Weekly. President Barack Obama and Bill Gates both recommended "Educated" on their annual reading lists.
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Westover's story has sparked important conversations about the meaning of education, the importance of critical thinking, and the power of self-discovery. She emphasizes that education is not simply the possession of knowledge, but the pursuit of it. Studying the humanities showed her that there are other ways of being-that the life she was living at that moment was just one of many possible lives, and that there could be others. To be educated is not to know more than another person, but simply to know that other person as kindly and as curiously as you can.
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