#1 NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, AND BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER âĸ One of the most acclaimed books of our time: an unforgettable memoir about a young woman who, kept out of school, leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University
âExtraordinary . . . an act of courage and self-invention.ââThe New York Times
NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW âĸ ONE OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMAâS FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR âĸ BILL GATESâS HOLIDAY READING LIST âĸ A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE CENTURY âĸ FINALIST: National Book Critics Circleâs Award In Autobiography and John Leonard Prize For Best First Book âĸ PEN/Jean Stein Book Award âĸ Los Angeles Times Book Prize
Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Taraâs older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if sheâd traveled too far, if there was still a way home.
âBeautiful and propulsive . . . Despite the singularity of [Westoverâs] childhood, the questions her book poses are universal: How much of ourselves should we give to those we love? And how much must we betray them to grow up?ââVogue
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, O: The Oprah Magazine, Time, NPR, Good Morning America, San Francisco Chronicle, The Guardian, The Economist, Financial Times, Newsday, New York Post, theSkimm, Refinery29, Bloomberg, Self, Real Simple, Town & Country, Bustle, Paste, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, LibraryReads, Book Riot, Pamela Paul, KQED, New York Public Library