Audiobook: Educated, Tara Westover

I stumbled across the “Audiobooks” app when I was looking for the audiobook Sapiens. Even though I have a list as long as my arm of books that I want to read, I couldn’t make up my mind what to use my second ‘Audiobook’ credit on. 

When I saw ‘Educated’ by Tara Westover, I didn’t think too much of it. What I quite like about the app is that is allows you to listen between three and five minutes of a book and you can then decide whether you want to download and listen to the rest of it. Every time I opened the app, ‘Educated’ popped up. Reluctantly, I decided to listen to the first few minutes to get an understanding of what it’s about. It was intriguing!

It’s about Tara Westover who grows up in a Mormon culture. I didn’t (still don’t really), know too much about Mormonism. It was absolutely fascinating, and very soon I was hooked, and every opportunity I  got, I would listen a bit more.

Her father was against relying on the government in any way, so did not register his children when they were born. He only believed in home remedies; so no going to hospital if you’ve seriously injured yourself. And all the education you needed you got at home. The fact that Tara was able to move out and get educated, is incredible.

I didn’t take too many notes while listening, but I really like this:

 “You are not fool's gold, shining only under a particular light. Whomever you become, whatever you make yourself into, that is who you always were. Even gold appears dull in some lighting—but that is the illusion. ... It was not that I had done something wrong so much as that I existed in the wrong way.

Highly recommendable.