“Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her “head-for-the-hills bag.” In the summer she stewed herbs for her mother, a midwife and healer, and in the winter she salvaged in her father’s junkyard. Her father distrusted the medical establishment, so Tara never saw a doctor or nurse. Gashes and concussions, even burns from explosions, were all treated at home with herbalism. The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when an older brother became violent. When another brother got himself into college and came back with news of the world beyond the mountain, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. She taught herself enough mathematics, grammar, and science to take the ACT and was admitted to Brigham Young University. There, she studied psychology, politics, philosophy, and history, learning for the first time about pivotal world events like the Holocaust and the Civil Rights Movement. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home.”

I believe this book is important is because it shows how education allows us to grow. It shows how important education is and how we can sometimes take simple things for granted. I’m not referring to just a formal education but any type of education. You don’t have to go to school to learn. You learn everywhere and can learn many things outside of school. Perhaps even more than what you receive attending classes. Tara’s decision and devotion to her studies is inspiring, yes, but that devotion stemmed from a yearning to better understand the world she lived in. She wanted to know about history and the lives of those who came before her. The more she learned the more she became appalled at her ignorance. She sought to learn everything that she had missed by not attending school earlier. Education allows us to shed prejudices and and better understand each other. Tara’s journey leads her to better understand herself. Both fortunately and unfortunately, it also leads her to better understand her family, and that is where her true battle lies.

I encourage you to journey alongside Tara as she grows up and begins her journey into the realm of academia. I would love to hear your thoughts about her experiences. Most of all, I hope you learn something from her story.

Interested in this book? Look for it at your local library. If you’re affiliated with Lindenwood, you can request this book from the Lindenwood Library.