Educated: A Memoir

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

Reviewed by: Dean Shepherd, Elouise Sital, Nathan Schuch, and Sarah Stucky

Review: Educated by Tara Westover is a memoir about her childhood. In the novel she recounts key aspects of her childhood where she describes life in Idaho and how she came to be who she is today. Westover discusses the challenges she had to go through just to get a normal education. Most of the story revolves around the conflict Westover has with her father and grandmother. The narrative is beautifully written as she discusses not only her struggle with her father, but her internal struggle as well. As far as instructional material goes, this story is perfect for a classroom discussion, not just because of the subject matter, but because of the possible politics behind it. Educated, has the perfect opportunity to bring up an argument on whether the parents have the right to keep their kids in the mountain like Westover entails and bare them from the rest of society. Each student would have their opinion, but Educated allows students to see the affects isolation has on a child growing up, and how it affects them as an adult. Educated also has the opportunity to bring up the separation between church and state. Do the protections we have for religion go too far? Are they not protected enough? Should the way we view religion in our society change? Has this memoir changed the view of the students? Further, this coming of age story is perfect for students in high school. As many of them are finding out who they are and how they perceive themselves and how they might fit into the world, this book follows the same narrative. Westover describes in the novel her struggle into finding out how she fit in. She felt like an outcast to the family, and up until when she saw her brother leave family, she didn’t know that there was any out. This memoir is also a good moral story of doing something that makes the individual feel happy and to peruse what the individual wants to achieve. In the novel, Westover describes that feeling of feeling like she doesn’t belong and not feeling complete with her family in isolation. Like any young person she wants to explore and travel the world. She knows that even though she will upset and have a major conflict with her father she wants to persist and do what makes her happy and not her father. Overall, I feel as though Educated is the perfect novel for high school students. The subject matter, a coming of age story of a young Westover fighting for her own free will and what she thinks is right, is perfect for students who are finding themselves. Moreover, the possibility of a political and ethical discussion or essay topic for the classroom makes this novel a really good conversation starter for the classroom. Considering the discussion matter, especially if the student population is religious, the results could be interesting. All in all, the novel is also a great read that will keep the students engaged. I recommend this novel for 11th grade and up. 

Biography:

Tara Westover
Photo: Hill and Aubrey for Vogue

Tara Westover is an American author born and raised off-grid in the rural mountains of Idaho in September of 1986. She obtained a Delayed Certificate of Birth at the age of nine but neither she or her family could remember the specific date in which she was born. She was one of seven siblings. Her parents were Mormon survivalists who spent their days preparing for the Days of Abomination. Her days were spent working in her father’s junkyard, helping her mother prepare herbs to use as medicine, and being her assistant midwife.

Her father opposed public educational establishments, so she never attended school until the age of seventeen when she gained admissions to Brigham Young University and graduated with great distinctions with a BA in 2008. She won a Gates Cambridge Scholarship and went on to Trinity College, Cambridge where she earned an MPhil in 2009 and in 2010 was a visiting fellow at Harvard University. She then went on to earn a Phd in History in 2014 back in Cambridge.

Her memoir is a depiction of her hardships and how she was able to achieve extraordinary accomplishments despite having suffered horrendous physical and emotional abuse. It is a story of finding peace in separating oneself from who they used to be, and finding oneself in the search for knowledge. She states in an interview with Vogue Magazine in regard to leaving her home and family in Idaho, “It took me a long time to understand that you can feel many conflicting things. You can cut someone out of your life and miss them every day but still be glad you don’t have to see them again. Missing people doesn’t mean that you made the wrong decision.” After suffering a mental breakdown because her parents denied allegations of her brothers’ physical and mental abuse, she stopped communicating with them. Now, she only has contact with three of her brothers. Educated, a New York Times Bestseller, was Westover’s first book. She is currently single and living in Cambridge, where she spends her days reading, writing, and planning her next book and Mormonism plays no role in her life. 

Instructional References:

“A Conversation with Bill Gates and Tara Westover.” YouTube, Bill Gates, 3 Dec. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Y6Udf_Nzo.

This video could be helpful for students because it is a straightforward interview with the author about her book and personal history. Because the book is a memoir, listening to the author speak could help the students 'hear' her voice in the book.

Azarian, Bobby. “How Religious Fundamentalism Hijacks the Brain.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 10 Oct. 2018, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mind-in-the-machine/201810/how-religious-fundamentalism-hijacks-the-brain.

Students could benefit from reading this article along with the book because it explains why families like Tara's participate in Religious Fundamentalism and what their thought-process is in these beliefs.

Conder, Leslie. “A Short History of Mormonism.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 14 July 2012, www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2012/07/15/A-short-history-of-Mormonism/stories/201207150118.

This article would be helpful for students studying the book because the main character's background is Mormon, and it is an important aspect of her life and the conflict of the story.

Family Tree. 4 Dec. 2018.

This image could help the students with the novel because Tara has a lot of siblings, and the chart can assist the students in tracking the different siblings.

Jackson, Wayne. "Fundamentalist Mormonism Is the Original Mormonism." ChristianCourier.com. Access date: December 20, 2018. https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1416-fundamentalist-mormonism-is-the-original-mormonism

This article would be useful in teaching this book because it gives an overview of Mormonism and the differences between Fundamentalist Mormonism and Mormonism, which is a conflict in the story, especially when Tara leaves for college.

Kozhimannil, Katy B., et al. “The Practice of Midwifery in Rural US Hospitals.” The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, Wiley-Blackwell, 14 Apr. 2016, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jmwh.12474.

Students could benefit by reading this website because Tara's mom is a midwife and her job is an important part of her life when she lives at home.

“Schizoaffective Disorder.” NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI, www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions/Schizoaffective-Disorder.

In teaching this book, teachers can use this article to inform students of the mental illness 'Schizoaffective Disorder,' which is similar to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, which Tara's father most likely has. His disease played a major role in Tara's childhood and would be helpful to understand his character.

“Some Favorite Writers: Tara Westover - Hammer Museum.” The Hammer Museum, UCLA, 28 Nov. 2018, hammer.ucla.edu/programs-events/2018/11/some-favorite-writers-tara-westover/.

This article could be useful to students because it gives a good background on Tara Westover and her writings. 

Instructional Activity: 

Preview:

Subject Area(s): ELA

Lesson Topic: Analyzing Characters and their functions in Educated by Tara Westover          

Grade Level(s): 10th or 11th

Overview: This activity will take place over the course of two days anytime after they have finished the book.  There are a lot of characters in this novel, so it is easy to become confused with who does what and how that affects the plot.  The students will put themselves into groups of 5-6 and they be given one piece of poster paper and markers per group to create character maps for the main characters (Tara, Mom, Dad, Tyler, Shawn, and Charles)  in the novel and analyze how they relate to one another by addressing five different questions within their character charts, which are as follows:

1. How do they view themselves?
2. How do others view them?
3. What do they want?
4. How do they get what they want?
5. How do they change over the course of the novel?

To answer these questions they will be using textual evidence to support their claims.  These questions will reinforce the theme of being educated in regard to Tara and how they propel her journey as well as why decided to depict these players within her novel.  To ensure that they students have fully understood the intended ideas, they will write in their learning logs, addressing the reason why Tara Westover decided to include these specific people in the specific ways.

California Common Core Standards: 

Literacy Standard(s):
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.5

Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1

Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

English Language Development (ELD) Standard(s):

ELD.9-10.I.A.1

Exchanging information and ideas with others through oral collaborative discussions on a range of social and academic topics

• Emerging-Engage in conversational exchanges and express ideas on familiar topics by asking and answering yes-no and wh- questions and responding using simple phrases.
• Expanding-Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions by following turn-taking rules, asking relevant questions, affirming others, adding relevant information, and paraphrasing key ideas.
• Bridging-Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions by following turn-taking rules, asking relevant questions, affirming others, adding relevant information and evidence, paraphrasing key ideas, building on responses, and providing useful feedback.

Resources and Preparation:

Materials: Poster Paper and Markers

Reading: Westover, Tara.  Educated.  New York, Random House, 2018.

Concept/Definition Mapping/ Character Map Example:

Learning Log:  The learning log will ensure that the students understand how varying characters contribute to the plot (Buehl 169-170).

Lesson Objectives & Supports

Content objectives:

SWK the different characters within the novel and the basic plot of the novel..

Literacy objectives:

SWBAT identify the varying functions, goals, and desires of each character and how they affect the plot.

Academic vocabulary:

Tier II (General): Main idea, Motif, Analyze, Climax, Rising Action, Falling Action, Plot

Tier III (Domain specific): Tone, Mood, Theme, Figurative Language, Imagery, Loaded Language, Rhetorical Devices

Differentiation:

• English learners: These students will be paired with students from the other categories so they can ask their peers for help.  At the start of the novel, the teacher gave them a box with themes in the book and vocabulary that may have been difficult.  In addition, for their learning logs, they are able to write on what they included on their maps.
• Striving readers: These students will be paired with the students in the other categories, so they will be able to ask their peers for help.  Similarly to the English Learners, they will be asked easy questions in their Learning Log, addressing the prompt in the same manner as the English Learners.
• Students with special needs: These students will be paired with the students in the other categories, so they will be able to ask their peers for help.  Depending on their needs, accommodations can be made like providing a list of themes, or walking around addressing concerns or questions they may have.
• Advanced students:  These students will be expected to come up with multiple passages that depict the specific questions.  Also for the Learning Logs they will be pushed to include quotations from the book that they have not already included in their charts.

Literacy strategies and Integrated ELD Strategies (SDAIE, Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English):

Concept/Definition  Mapping: This teaches students a richer understanding of how concepts and ideas are interconnected (Buehl 83-84).  This map will enable to clearly see the desires of the function, goal, and desire of each character in relation to each character and demonstrate how they may change throughout the plot.

Instructional Plan:

Lesson Introduction:

Minute 1-5

• Teacher will ask the students for all of the major characters and who they are within Educated by Tara Westover and write them on the board, ensuring that the following names are written: Tara, Mom, Dad, Tyler, Shawn, and Charles.
• Students will come in having read Educated by Tara Westover, and answer questions teacher poses.

Minute 6-8

• Teacher will explain that each of the characters in the memoir serves a purpose to the plot and each have their own goals, desires, and ways in which they try to arrive at those goals..
• Students will listen to what teacher is describing and take notes if necessary.

Minute 9-14

• Teacher will ask/explain the potential impact and importance of each character, highlighting that each character, or mention of character(s) has an impact, making each character vital to the plot (e.g. “What would have happened if the Weavers (the Mormon family that came over siege) were never mentioned?)
• Students will answer/listen to teacher’s question.

Lesson Body:

Minute 15-17

• Teacher will break students up into groups of four to five, giving each group pre-cut poster paper.
• Students will break up into groups and take the poster paper.

Minute 18-23

• Teacher will discuss assignment: Students will be identifying the major characters, the motivations of each character, and their relation to one another.  On the poster paper, the students will be instructed to focus on the following characters that were written on the board from the above introduction: Tara, Mom, Dad, Tyler, Shawn, and Charles.  The students will be instructed to place each of the names inside of their own individual circles with five lines coming off of it in varying places on the poster paper, allowing space to answer the following questions for each character: (1) How do they view themselves? (2) How do others view them? (3) What do they want? (4) How do they get what they want? (5) How do they change over the course of the novel?  For each question, they will have to include at least one quote and justify it. In a green marker they will draw a line to each character and write their relation.
• Students will listen to instruction and begin assignment.

Minute 24-34

• Teacher will demonstrate assignment by leading students in analyzing “Dad,” having them participate, aiding them along the way, if necessary (e.g. (1) in control/always right- p. 16 (2) harsh, uncaring, unfeeling- p. 139 (3) control/protect his family- p. 47 (4) instilling fear in them/threaten them that they will be disowned- p. 303 (5) Used to be more understanding and less paranoid- p. 46
• Students will listen and participate in discussion.

Minute 35-50/1-39

• Teacher will instruct the groups to continue on this assignment, having them do as much as they can, but ultimately having them work on it for the next two days.
• Students will work on assignment for the next two days.

Lesson Closure:

Minute 40-45

• Teacher will collect the posters and summarize the main points of the discussion, as well as add any necessary information that would benefit students as to why the author would choose to incorporate such characters (e.g. highlighting the plot of the characters in relation to the theme).
• Students will listen to teacher, asking any pertinent questions, and contributing when beneficial.

Minute 46-50

• Teacher will instruct students to write in their learning logs and describe how each character affected Tara and her journey to becoming educated.
• Students will write in their Learning Logs.

Bibliography:

Buhel, Doug.  Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning, 4th Edition.  Newark, DE:                 
       International Reading Association, 2014.

Freeman, Hadley. “Tara Westover on Turning Her Off-the-Grid Life Into a Remarkable Memoir.” Vogue Magazine, 15 February 2018, https://www.vogue.com/article/tara-westover-memoir-educated-vogue-march-2018-issue. Accessed 04 December 2018.

Westover, Tara.  Educated.  New York, Random House, 2018.

Westover Tara. Tara Westover Official Website of the Author of Educated. Squarespace. https://tarawestover.com/. Accessed 04 December 2018.