A book I couldn’t put down. That’s how I’d describe Educated.

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This award-winning memoir chronicles the tumultuous upbringing of American historian and writer, Tara Westover. Westover was born in rural Idaho, where she and her six older siblings were raised by their doomsday-prepping father and their herbalist mother. The children were barred from attending school. They never stepped foot in a hospital. Westover only obtained a birth certificate at the age of nine. As children, the Westover siblings were made to work in their father’s junkyard – a wasteland of sharp metals and bone-crushing equipment. It was no place for a child.

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But flying scraps of metal weren’t the only danger. In several chilling passages, Westover recalls the many days that she endured physical and emotional abuse, mostly involving her older brother Shaun. On one occasion, having found her applying lip gloss, he dragged her into the bathroom and shoved her into the toilet bowl. This abuse, alongside her father’s stifling presence, cast a shadow over Westover’s childhood. And her misguided mother did little to help.

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At first, Westover tries to reconcile herself to this reality. She is young, fearful and ill-equipped. Her family’s junk-ridden farm is all she’s ever known. But she soon imagines a different life for herself – one of freedom and promise. And it all starts with education.

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At 17, Westover dives into the world of books. She teaches herself algebra, trigonometry, grammar – all while her disapproving father looks on. But she is not alone. Westover is quietly spurred on by her older brother Tyler, who has himself pursued an education without the approval of his parents. His courage inspires her. Soon, it’s time for Westover to sit her college entry exam. This time, the courage comes from within. To Westover’s disbelief, she passes. After college she is accepted into the University of Cambridge. There Westover meets two professors who, like Tyler, show her the value of courage.

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Once I started reading Educated, I couldn’t stop. It’s beautifully written, but with a rawness which is both compelling and confronting and which sometimes caused me to wince while reading. But for Westover, writing the book has been a costly act of courage. She remains estranged from her family, even more so since the memoir’s publication in 2018.

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Importantly, this book caused me to reflect. Like Westover, I grew up in a deeply religious home. But I received the freedom, and the schooling, which she was so unfairly denied. If I’d been raised in that way, I wonder how I would’ve turned out. I doubt I’d have had the courage to write about it. But I’m glad that didn’t stop Westover.

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So if you’re reading this, I encourage you to read Educated for yourself. But a warning – you might struggle to put it down.