Educated: A Memoir

Educated

• Genre: Nonfiction; Memoir; Bildungsroman
• Originally Published: 2018
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 1010L; College/Adult
• Structure/Length: Prologue and 40 chapters; approximately 352 pages; approximately 12 hours, 10 minutes on audiobook
• Central Concern: The memoir depicts Westover’s journey from growing up in a strict, off-the-grid family in rural Idaho with no formal education to earning a PhD from Cambridge University. The narrative explores themes of family, survival, faith, education, and the transformative power of self-belief.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Physical and emotional abuse; neglect; serious accidents and injuries; extreme religious beliefs; mental illness; trauma; animal abuse.

Tara Westover, Author

• Bio: Born 1986; raised in a strict and isolated family in rural Idaho; received no formal education until age 17; self-taught enough to gain admission to Brigham Young University (BYU); earned a PhD from Cambridge University; known for her powerful storytelling and exploration of the importance of education.
• Awards: John Leonard Prize from the National Book Critics Circle (2018); LA Times Book Prize (2018)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Leaving Home and Finding One’s Place in the World
• The Different Paths to Becoming Educated
• The Challenge of Memory and Story
• The Consequences of Belief and Doubt

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the historical context around Mormon religious beliefs and the cultural impact of the Y2K doomsday predictions, both of which affect the course of Westover’s memoir.