Educated is a memoir written by Tara Westover. The story recounts Tara's unusual upbringing as the daughter of extremist Mormon survivalists. Westover's father, referred to as "Gene" in the memoir, does not allow his seven children to go to school or to receive medical treatment. Instead, Tara and her siblings are forced to work in his metal scrapyard and are subject to harsh labor conditions. They are haphazardly homeschooled by their mother, "Faye," an herbalist and healer. Tara's memoir centers around the exploration of her academic identity. As Tara is exposed to history, politics, and culture, she simultaneously uncovers the damaging effects of ideology and its relation to her own psychological trauma.
Educated was published by Random House in 2018. Former U.S. President Barack Obama listed it as one of his favorite books of the year, and entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Gates also praised the memoir. It won an Alex Award in 2019 and was also shortlisted for a PEN/Jean Stein Book Award. As of May 2020, Educated had been on the New York Times Non-Fiction Best Seller list for 114 weeks. Although Educated was met with critical success, it has also been subject to criticism. The Westover family disputed many of the claims that were made in the novel, and some critics have questioned the selectivity and veracity of Tara's narrative style.
Westover currently serves as a Senior Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center, where she investigates media and political polarization. Educated is her first book. When preparing to write her memoir, Westover explained that she was inspired by the New Yorker fiction podcast and found its teachings essential in developing her own narrative voice. Educated has since been translated into over forty different languages. In addition to her academic and nonfiction writing, Westover also works as a public speaker and political analyst.
