Educated: A Memoir

I listened to this book on audiobook and there were times that I could barely shut my car off and times when I was driving that I wished I could shut it off. This book was recommended to me because I loved The Glass Castle. What frustrated me about the Glass Castle was the way Wells occasionally slipped awe and wonder into what were terrible and dangerous situations. Westover does nothing of the sort. Her book is a harsh glance at what rampant untreated mental illness, physical abuse, mental abuse and religious zealotry can do to a family and person. So many times as Westover tried to explain away the physical abuse that she was suffering I had audible outbursts in my car, trying to warn Westover that her brother was a sociopath and tell her it was not her fault. Her tale is fascinating as she talks about how somehow she was able to rise out of a childhood where she was “educated” believing that the Holocaust was a vast conspiracy by the Jewish people, to obtaining a PhD from Cambridge. As I listened to this book I pictured an older time where computers didn't exist but was shocked to find that Westover is actually younger than myself. Absolutely gripping and fantastic.