Aug 2023: Educated by Tara Westover
Details
August 2023
Title: Educated
Author: Tara Westover
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 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 forbade hospitals, so Tara never saw a doctor or nurse. The family was so isolated that the children received no education, and no one intervened when one of Tara's older brothers became violent.
However, Tara began to educate herself. She taught herself enough to be admitted to Brigham Young University, where she studied history, learning for the first time about events like the Holocaust and the civil rights movement. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her across oceans and continents, to Harvard and Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she'd traveled too far, if there was still a way home.
Educated is an account of the struggle for self-invention. It is a tale of family loyalty and of the grief that comes with severing our closest ties. With acute insight, Westover has crafted a coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education offers: the perspective to see one's life through new eyes and the will to change it.
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General Attendance Policy:
- We encourage you to have read the book (or most of it), but if you didn't get a chance to, don't let that stop you from attending. Some members find it beneficial to read the book after discussing it. 3 no-shows and you will be removed from the group. You have 48 hours prior to the event to withdraw.
- It is your responsibility to purchase/borrow the month's book. If you are struggling to locate a copy, please let us know and we will endeavour to locate a copy.
- Please respect everyone's opinions and ideas and use common courtesy when participating.
- Members take turns hosting the book affairs. The host for the month is responsible for leading the discussion but anyone in the group can ask questions.
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First time attending an ink affair meetup? On the day, you will be asked the following questions as a way of introduction:
- Name
- A little bit about you (i.e. resides in Tauranga, visiting)
- What are your current reading habits?
- What are you hoping to get out of being part of a book club?