Tara Westover’s journey was an incredible one. I don’t know why I sat on this one for so long but I’m incredibly grateful to have heard her story. To come from her background and to receive such success in her academic career is astonishing. To have lived through such a childhood and become a great person is amazing.

Eye opening reality of life that is unimaginable in today's world. Sad to know she never really reconnected with her family but certainly demonstrates the power of perseverance and not letting your upbringing limit your future possibilities. Highly recommended.

This was such a phenomenal book. Tara has a gift with words. She was able to take her reader to each scene and create what appears like a movie in your mind. She so effortlessly gets into the head of her younger self and shows you all the fear and pain she felt growing up in an abusive home. I will be recommending this to so many.

Memoirs are tough to read for me to read because they always hit me right in the feels. I resonated deeply with Tara as someone who also did not have the happiest childhood.

This was a harrowing read. I grew up in a much less extreme religious environment but I found the parallels eerie.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital ARC of "Educated" by Tara Westover. "Educated" is a poignant autobiography of the author's life in a survivalist home, describing her emotional journey, family dynamics, and pursuit of an education. Ms. Westover's autobiography was heartbreaking, sad, and uplifting. It's a testament to the human spirit's resilience and the power of education. Family is important, but sometimes one has to walk away to seek their dream.  I have a copy of this book on my shelf, and it would be an excellent addition to your bookshelf.

This is a well written memoir. Several parts of the story inspired me and were so emotional. Education is so important for us to move forward in the world. So many untold stories are kept locked in small houses that need to be told. Be sure to have a tissue box around when you start this book. I do not rate memoirs less than five stars unless they are written terribly but these five stars are for plot, pace and writing style.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy of Educated!

I was blown away to read about Westover’s life. Her memoir kept me captivated and engrossed in all the discoveries of her life. This book wrecked me. I cried and cheered for Westover. What a redemption story!

An exceptional coming of age story set in remarkable circumstances. If you love seeing how a person can rise from the ashes, you want to read this ASAP.

I don't typically go for memoirs but I heard good things about this one so I was excited to give it a try.

Westover's journey from a survivalist family in the mountains to earning a PhD is both jaw-dropping and inspiring, especially coming from someone who doesn't have a college degree!

The book's raw honesty about family dynamics and education will make you feel emotional all around.

Tara’s story is fascinating. She is a strong woman who has overcome a lot.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #raandomhouse for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Pleasant enough read, much like any memoir about an abused-by-misogyny-addled-man. Clearly her experiences were awful. I feel voyeuristic reading these kinds of books, since I have nothing to offer the author for their baring of painful past wounds except money in royalties. If you liked <I>Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family</i>, this will please you.

I have heard from so many people how great this book was. It was incredibly sad that this was a memoir and that the author lived through all of these things. I really liked learning about the educational process and what that was like for her starting pretty much from scratch with her education. I really enjoyed it until the last part of the book and could not understand why she would want to have anything to do with her parents after everything that she had been through at their hands. I really felt that the book should have stopped after the educational component as the last segment took away from the strength of the book by offering something that actually detracted from it in my opinion. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

I apologize for not writing this review sooner. I had received a hard copy of this title, which I did use to hand sell in my store. I was equally excited to see it hit Obama's reading list. This is a great book for lover's of the Glass Castle. In addition to hands selling this book, it is one of my go to books for giving as gifts, especially for my teacher friends and family members.

This is an incredible memoir of overcoming family trauma, extreme fundamentalism. You see Tara fight for an education that she otherwise never would have obtained.

Did not finish. I wanted to like this book but the writing style just was not compatible with my taste.

A memoir about one woman's journey overcoming physical and emotional abuse from a family that lived off grid, a fear of most institutions, no outside education, no medical assistance from western medicine, and a devotion to the power of their beliefs.

Through determination to escape Tara Westover teaches herself the skills necessary to take the ACT so she can attend college and get out of her environment. The cost of education comes with a price - her faith is compromised, her trust is shattered, and her willingness to forgive at times will impact her future.

Knowledge is powerful and the discoveries Tara makes while seeking answers is difficult to read and unimaginable that anyone would life the life she has. A courageous, insightful, and honest story of a woman's rise above unthinkable circumstances as she questions her life and seeks answers from unlikely places.

A religious community where family loyalty is paramount and to question or speak out is to permanently cut ties. Would you be strong enough to walk away from your life?

Note trigger warnings - psychological and physical abuse.

I received an advance reader copy from the publisher for an honest and fair review.

I liked this book and was intrigued because it is a memoir. It didn't hold my interest as much as I was hoping that it would. Being a teacher, a assumed this would be more focused on education, but in reality that wasn't the focus. Education took a back seat to the family drama. But the family drama was interesting and mind blowing.

Very good non-fiction story of Tara Westover’s life. Eye-opening to the lives of others and different upbringings and systems in America.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I found it to be a very interesting read and some parts were challenging to get through. Tara Westovers childhood was challenging and at times I was unable to wrap my head around the situations. She has an incredible story and worked hard to change her life.

I heard so many great things about this book and now I finally read it. It is written so well and I learned a lot from this author. Thank god there are such brilliant minds out there who write down their memoir so that other people can benefit from their knowledge as well.