Educated: A Memoir
Westover's only standalone book and her debut memoir.
Author guide
Tara Westover Books in Order
Tara Westover is an American historian and memoirist. Her first book, Educated, recounts her upbringing in rural Idaho in a survivalist family, her late entry into formal education, and her eventual academic career. Educated was a major bestseller and a finalist for several national awards. Westover holds a PhD in intellectual history from Trinity College, Cambridge. She was the Rosenthal Writer in Residence at Harvard University in 2019 and received the National Humanities Medal in 2023.
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- Educated: A Memoir
memoir · 2018
Tara Westover was 17 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…
Frequently asked questions about Tara Westover
Who is Tara Westover?
Tara Westover is an American historian and memoirist whose debut memoir, Educated, recounts her upbringing in rural Idaho and her late entry into formal education. The book became an international bestseller.
What was Tara Westover’s childhood and early education like?
She was raised in rural Idaho by survivalist parents opposed to public education and did not enter a classroom until age 17. She taught herself enough algebra and trigonometry to gain admission to Brigham Young University.
Sources: tarawestover.com (opens in a new tab)neh.gov (opens in a new tab)
Where did Tara Westover study, and what is her academic background?
Westover graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University, won a Gates Cambridge Scholarship, and earned a PhD in intellectual history from Trinity College, Cambridge. In 2019, she was the Rosenthal Writer in Residence at Harvard University.
Sources: tarawestover.com (opens in a new tab)penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)
What themes and experiences influence Tara Westover’s writing?
Her writing is shaped by tensions involving family, religion, education, personal autonomy, and conflicting memories of childhood. Westover has said she wrote Educated partly to understand the tension between what she owed her family and what she owed herself.
Sources: tarawestover.com (opens in a new tab)neh.gov (opens in a new tab)
What awards and recognition has Tara Westover received?
Educated won a 2019 Alex Award and was a finalist for several national book prizes, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Westover also received the National Humanities Medal as part of the 2021 cohort.
Sources: ala.org (opens in a new tab)penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)neh.gov (opens in a new tab)