Educated: A Conversation with Tara Westover

Raised by uncompromising survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover survived extreme adversity, from never being allowed to go to school, to suffering serious physical injuries (and a dad that prohibited doctors or hospitals), to being at the mercy of a volatile and often abusive older brother. How did she not only make it through this childhood, but ultimately achieve success at the highest levels? How does she look back on her childhood and her family? What has she learned from her incredible and improbable journey?

[@susan5935]

Tara Westover is a national treasure. "An educated person is not someone that can recite an army of facts and knows a lot of things, but rather it is someone that has the flexibility of mind. Someone that is willing to explore her own prejudice and has acquired a depth of understanding that allows her to see the world through another point of view." Now that's amazing.

[@RichardChappell1]

I wonder. It seems the facts don't support her retelling quite the same way. There's a number of issues in her recollections that even her supportive brother Tyler disagrees with. She often tells stories and leaves out important details that change the context. Her comments about her college Bishop suggest that maybe her judgement of his beliefs aren't quite as they really are. Her comments about her father and getting government money doesn't square with his support of her brother working for scholarships and funding for college.

[@thumpermater5550]

She is just looking for attention.

[@nicolletaylor6494]

I agree - someone who has the flexibility of mind and is curious of others experiences can develop a depth of understanding...and taking the condescension out of it. And like she said we've allowed education to become an identity, which can create a huge divide with those who have experienced something unlike our own. I appreciated that she reminded us to inquire into our own prejudices. well said.

[@RichardChappell1]

@@nicolletaylor6494 - All the while exhibiting some pretty huge prejudices herself. Her description on the phrase "breaking charity" is undermined as she discusses homeschooling, or vaccines, etc with disdain.

[@RichardChappell1]

@@nicolletaylor6494 - All the while expressing her disdain for those who have legitimate concerns about public education, vaccinations and government intrusion. It's kind of interesting to watch certain folks pat themselves on the back for their diversity while expressing no respect for philosophies that disagree.

[@marissaventre222]

Stayed up all night reading her book in one sitting. Then she sings. I'm blown away. Speechless. What a spirit.

[@claudialu]

♥️ It's inspiring and uplifting. I will be reading it a second time one day.

[@judyg974]

I did the same ! I’m forever changed by it! Her voice just like the book is out of this world.

[@jenrivard133]

I relate to Tara on so many different levels. Her book made me question myself and the excuses I’ve given over the years about why I wasn’t able to complete my college education. I blamed my upbringing for my perceived failure. This woman made it through hell and STILL came out of the other side with a PhD. I admire her strength. I’m inspired. Thank you Tara!

[@elizabethbennet4791]

you sound like youre in need of better therapy for ptsd. you're blaming yourself for suffering a disability? Support to Cope.

[@jenrivard133]

@@elizabethbennet4791 I posted this comment 2 years ago, so. nah I'm good now. thanks though!

[@mollygraham7687]

Tara Westover is a genius. She is able to clearly articulate the big ideas we are all grappling with today. Thank you, Tara.

[@user-hl5xj2qh8q]

She hits plenty of great points, Intellectual arrogance is a thing I've grappled with, both in myself and others, the feeling of being "looked down on", or thinking demeaning thoughts out of the plight of my own ignorance about another's knowledge. Tara is great at speaking her mind, agreed.

[@amandagarcia6320]

WoW! What she said about students and money is sooooooo SPOT ON. How can college students concentrate on any of their studies if they are so pre-occupied with how they are going to afford the absolute BASICS of food, shelter, clothing? I think more money should be made available for anyone who wants to attend school to better their lives. Great speaker. Great interviewer. Good questions.

[@elizabethbennet4791]

its easy for an autistic person (it's called "non goal directed behavior"). however, what's impossible for us is to get people to listen to our questions and accept our thinking.

[@whenplantingforests]

“Education is less about knowing more than someone, and maybe more about knowing someone.” The heart of her voice and intellect. Beautiful words, Tara. I've had this quote saved and pinned for years.

[@waistfinder8267]

The way this book resonated with me is how mental illness destroys families, destroys lives. I've been crying since yesterday. I finished today and I feel relief that I'm not the only one that has gone through something like this. My mom suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder and my dad was an alcoholic. Thank you Tara!

[@sheffielddu4803]

Only these who have suffered from mental illness could how terrible it is. I hope you could feel better after reading this book and find a path to a happy life.

[@elizabethbennet4791]

yep i have this too!!! my parents were nightmares

[@VonJay]

I didn’t go through what Tara did but I married a woman that I didn’t know had a personality disorder. And her family was really nice to me in a direct sense, but when it came to questions about her and her decisions, the enabling and triangulation, it was somewhat of harsh experience. Again, this wasn’t done directly but only in reference to my wife when I tried to see if my grasp on reality was real, and took one of her estranged family members to confirm everything I was experiencing for me to be able to put one foot out the door. And some indirect communication, like, conversations I’d see her mother have with her or others to see that her mother reached the same conclusions as I did. There was also a wedding we attended where one of her friends, who is the daughter of the groom, was drunk and flat out told me that she never thought my wife would get married because of how horrible she is. I’m still friends with my ex and I brought it to to her jokingly and she passed it off as “she’s always making funny jokes” type of thing.

[@elizabethbennet4791]

WOW it REALLY HIT when she said "you can hide behind language quite a bit" in terms of talking about very personal (family) experiences- even though she wasnt sure if others would understand that. I *totally* get that as a poet often castigated for "writing in code" and hiding feelings. I had a horrific childhood. Moreover it turns out in my 40s that I am autistic. Yes, I kept many secrets despite being a writer. I told them but many didn't hear them.

[@brissycombs1110]

Thinking of this girl breaking down all of the life heuristics she’s must have had on the mountain...that in itself is remarkable.

[@zakmanfa]

She speaks as someone who has gone through hell and back. Never has that phrase made more sense than it does with Tara. Thank you for sharing your story with us.

[@huyenle7242]

Educated: a memoir is my favorite book ever! Tara's intelligence and path of self-discovery will always be an inspiration to mine.

[@mdaze9753]

The girl can write AND sing.

[@equipadont]

*AAAND

[@franciscaleon7621]

equipadon't ouch rude response

[@zoejanuszewski2249]

“Education has become an identity” ‘You cannot persuade someone unless you understand and listen to them’ Wow.

[@mycollegeadvisor3192]

We need to have forums and self-help groups for adult survivors of child abuse. This is an area that does not get enough attention from psychologists. There are many programs---rightfully so---to protect and help children, but there is a huge population of adult survivors who have never been treated. We need to create safe places where they can discuss, heal, and change their lives and quite possibly, what they might transfer to their children.

[@tygrysekbp]

There are 12 steps groups adressing this all over the world

[@elizabethbennet4791]

they already have them it's called therapy and ptsd dummy

[@shorooq5020]

Read(Quran)..even if you are not muslim..go read it.. it has the rule you should follow when you dealing with sick people .. Do not believe anyone who accuses this book of brutality. Not at all. The thing that surprised me most was when it explained to us how to deal with one of the types of sick (those who take money on credit and then do not return it).

[@mariakoby9467]

Wow! She’s amazing! It’s so rare to meet someone so authentic and humble and not condescending in the academia/Ivy League. Buying her book. Yesterday

[@MonicaElaineSolis]

Knowing someone who is not like you...that is education!!!

[@deborahroberts1854]

The beauty of the book is that you can take out of it what you need at the time.

[@pameladye6952]

Her book and her life are fascinating. Tara - now that I've heard you sing, I can certainly understand why your father took such great pride in hearing you sing. You have the voice of an angel!

[@hardryv3719]

I feel love for this young woman, and I'm moved that so many others see value in her observations... it gives me hope for our species.

[@Isabellasoleil]

She is so insightful, intelligent, articulate, interesting and wise. Such a pleasure to hear her talk about universal truths/queries that make the listener reflect.

[@junshu4987]

Two years later I actually finished reading the books and watched this again. Amazing. Simply amazing.

[@MT-tx7bu]

That is an incredibly insightful and powerful statement, about how someone valued her enough to have conversations with her. It's not about convincing someone, it's about challenging what they believe and allowing, I believe to be open to the challenge, as it helps us to grow and become at any given age. I also feel that yelling at others for the purpose of being "right" loses your audience.

[@kathrynsheridan3605]

Wow, what an incredible voice!

[@maribelsouza1995]

What a reader are getting about the book? An inspiration to survive any difficult childhood experience. This book is fiel with the utmost inspirational . The readers, like me, had identified themselves with Tara traumatic childhood. Congratulations for your amazing success, Tara. The highest point of the book can be found on pages 242-243 the, chapter 29 - I read its content with heavy tears running down my face. These pages spoken deeply to my heart and life experience.

[@MonicaElaineSolis]

Wow! The only way to persuade someone is to care about them, understand them and understand their point of view! AMEN

[@maggieo1683]

She is such an incredible person and writer, and now on top of that, she's a beautiful singer! She is wonderful inside and out.

[@sinatrabone]

"The Breaking of Charity" -- what an incredible phrase she quoted from the literal Salem witch trials. What an apt description about the current state of American society. I really look up to her.

[@justdoyourthing1419]

Fantastic interview. Her intelligence is being able to distinguish what isn’t intelligent without judgment as it’s something she’s lived through herself. There’s humbleness in things she doesn’t understand and confidence in what she does know as she has dissected those things from many viewpoints. I’m glad she’s come out of her challenges to tell the world her story.

[@kashmiralove4207]

Wow oh WOW!!! Tara just gave me everything that I needed to hear to finish writing my book. What an incredible inspiration. Thank you!!!

[@stevemartin7096]

Thanks Tara, for your writing voice and your singing voice. Both have a depth and a simplicity that convey great meaning. Thanks for your courage in telling your story!

[@DaniellaYIbsen]

She is amazing. I believe her story--regardless of any exaggerations that her family has claimed...it is her experience, but many can relate--including myself.She's brilliant! Thank you Tara

[@ramywiles]

"You cut off my applause" 😂😂 For real, though, what an incredible person. Love her ideas, and I completely cosign with just about everything she's said here.

[@DaniellaYIbsen]

I could listen to her sing all day :-)

[@simonerussell1154]

I just got a new item on my bucket list - to sing that song with her. Beautiful. Proud of her.

[@ColleenC1950]

I've been waiting excitingly to listen to Tara Westover. She is a gem.

[@celiaarellano5485]

Just finished reading a book, wow, what a life! Your voice is clear and crisp, don't hide it, share it with the world... true gift from God

[@geohallahan5988]

Wow! Such a talented singer, and, interviewee who also happens to have written an extraordinary best seller memoir, all that - after postponing "school" until her late teens! Educated she very-much IS!

[@judithmcfarlane3228]

I'm in tears listening to her sing... beautiful

[@thomasholguin451]

Remarkable person, incredible story. Really great interview!

[@janeappleman]

Her singing is really beautiful. The perfection of her voice indeed suggests a prior life we cannot know. I can't help but think she learned to sing like that by having the time, the focus, the lack of distraction, the need to express herself and the joy of it back on the mountain over many years. I know something about this kind of life and I only wish singing had been part of my way of being, too.

[@Mal-jl3lk]

Wow she is amazing.

[@Omegasupreme1078]

That was a mind-blow of a book. Absolutely top notch. Fun fact-- How Great Thou Art was written by a Swede, and many denominations use it besides the Mormons.... my family is Catholic and it was in the mass for my dad's funeral.

[@xRhodie]

Omegasupreme, she referred to it like that because it has always been in the hymn book of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a convert to the Church who also loves that hymn, I recognized her faux pas immediately, but only because I had previous experience outside the Church - she hasn't have that experience, and so she doesn't know. I loved her book!

[@korinakim8145]

A truly remarkable human being.

[@GenXersJustWalkItOff]

I can’t believe I found a fellow, unlikely opera-opened-my-world child! When I was 7 or 8, I received an album of classic arias sung by Beverly Sills. It was like a conversion experience. Opera was an important path to thinking in a different way and opening up to experiences that didn’t necessarily resonate with the people around me... I, too, eventually found my way out of fundamentalism... great art breaks your heart and mind open.

[@susanallman2267]

Wise and deeply felt parallel experience. I never thought of opera this way, but it makes total sense.

[@iknowwhatsup2880]

Whoa, what an amazing human.

[@barbarawillis4275]

Her voice is beautiful sounding-I started to cry.

[@elizabethfreer1948]

Great insights particularly in what bandwidth EDUCATION has and can teach really teach..I embrace tara’s philosophy..I was passionate about this in my parenting and still am..keep thinking deeper and reaching higher..the world and people are an ocean of knowledge and experiences to be had..

[@maureenholla5084]

This interview was awesome. Thanks for capturing it and sharing it.

[@sj122s]

Wow... Beautiful voice...

[@judyhundredaire]

I wish the interviewer would let her finish before talking over her to ask the next question.

[@anitaodekirk2672]

WOW, what a wonderful interview, great book, and your voice in song at the end was beautiful

[@beckwil0852]

I finished reading Educated about 10 minutes ago and I cannot express the way I feel. Tara Westover is truly a blessed gift in prose and voice that she is willing to share with the world. I am a 69 year old woman from the East coast and your story is stunning to me. Thank you so much for believing in yourself and for making the most of your obvious gifts. The hymn you sang is beautiful. Peace to you and love.

[@agathapoirot5373]

He is asking the author "what are your readers getting out of this?" Readers make up their own opinion about anything they read, regardless of what the author's intentions are. It seems she wanted to tell her story to get it all out. Just read the comments to the interviews: people are different.

[@connievue7005]

The most important lesson from this memoir is this -- be kind, be compassionate and lend a hand to a human in need. Despite Tara's ignorance and negative beliefs about her peers, government funding, and doctors (which all came from her dad), it was the kindness and help that she received that liberated her. These educated individuals knew better. They didn't judge Tara for her ignorance; instead they gave her the help she needed to succeed because they recognized her suffering. This kindness and support allowed Tara to question her own upbringing and her own prejudice. Charles and Drew were Tara's best friends and the few people she confided in about her family. Her roommate was the one who got her to see a counselor when she noticed something was wrong with Tara even when Tara refused to share the abuse she was experiencing at home. Her roommate also helped her fill out her financial aid too, so she can receive aid. Her counselor discouraged her from going back home to the horror and abuse bc he was afraid for her life. He even offered to pay for Tara's rotting tooth when she continued to resist government aid. It was her professors that recognized her talent and assured her that she belonged even when she felt insecure. Her insecurity? That her childhood was different and she felt embarrassed about this. She did not have fancy dresses and a nice study house like her peers at Cambridge. How miraculous is this? To find strangers who genuinely loves you and you can confide in when you are battling such a scary battle with your own tribe? These kind and compassionate people have such a significant impact on Tara becoming educated, so if you are reading this -- be kind, be compassionate, and do not let your prejudice and fears override what it means to be humane.

[@Markie_Malarkey]

I love your book Tara!!!....What a life!

[@waddupmanitsjohn]

I never see any comments about how beautiful she is. I feel like that might be because it seems disrespectful to mention the physical beauty of someone so accomplished and intelligent, but I just gotta say it. She’s gorgeous and I have a fat crush on her.

[@vmine88]

I love this book and brilliant author. However, I am left with a nagging voice in my head concerning Tara's abuse. I'm compelled to feel a responsibility is owed to the children and animals of her abusive brother. The cycle of violence commonly continues on, until someone or something intervenes to stop it. The innocents are the perpetual casualties of this saga and it would be good to know that they too would be fortunate enough to escape Shaun's brutality in their own futures.

[@zellyu8559]

His name is Travis Westover in real life. I pray that his children and pets dont suffer abuse, but they probably do...the part where he stabs the dog to death was particularly eartbreaking :(

[@henrietteenge]

Also his poor wife :'(

[@elizabethbennet4791]

@@zellyu8559 she should have killed him before he did it.

[@anokhiladhani3083]

I need a transcript of this video. It is so profound!!!

[@dershiemcdevitt6003]

great interview

[@willardroad]

As a cult survivor who is reading Educated right now, I absolutely loved this interview. Yeah, ok, ok.... Tara isn't really about "cult survival," but I love her story anyway. HUGE impact on me, a 60+ year old man.

[@traceymuniak906]

I loved the book and wanted to hear a few interviews and this is a good one.

[@Truth-fk3vp]

Tracey Muniak Totally agree with you , its a great interview ..

[@sahana8929]

I'm in love with her mind

[@arianathough2070]

Great conversation and amazing points made about sociology and politics. This is also the first interview I've seen with Westover where the interviewer isn't just like "SO TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CRAZY CULT FAMILY OMG," just really black and white thinking.

[@SunnyBear]

38:07 ”You cut off my applause..?” I love her.

[@LouisaDeaseytv]

This was an amazing interview, I had to watch it twice. Loved what Tara said about having a sense of someone's value, even before you know them, and not assuming you know someone because you have a sense of just one of their ideologies. Thanks for this excellent piece!

[@laxminaroji8987]

I used to blame my parents as I was not able to take science stream. Now I know all parents love their children. Whatever they for them is because of their beliefs. And to protect them.

[@ramonab2029]

I just loved her autobiography.

[@etsukofly]

i appreciate how the interviewer do not try to comment/agree/disagree on her responses. This allowed for pure answers and for audience to digest the answers without influence, as opposed to popular shows where they show so much enthusiasms, that it either feels fake or it sways interviews to certain directions.

[@bethhearn]

Great book

[@lakeshagadson357]

tara westover is an author who has her own book that i like and she is someone i could learn about.

[@tammyzhang]

Love the book!!!!! There is a lot of pain but the part made me cry is LOVE. It’s powerful. Can someone tell me where she got this jacket from its beautiful

[@theola2499]

shivers when she sang!! :(

[@vgpurple6887]

Glad I finally started audio-book, looking into the author sorry I put it off so long.Tara has much more sense then anyone Ive heard speak in a long time. Listening to her speak I think she hit home for me. Plus the divide in the country because of someone not being in same political party or educated. People become snobs and don't realize how much the education lacks in many peoples life. This conversation I will share with my son who I hope realizes how much furthering his education can take him in his life.

[@i2pjd6hRw5P]

She's beautiful, wow.

[@sheffielddu4803]

Tara is obviously a little nervous so that she drink water for a couple of times. But she is a really good singer and has a beautiful voice. I love her book!

[@kateg9302]

I know it is really none of my business but I would really like to know how her upbringing affected her attachment style and forming relationships and most of all physical health. I am shocked how she survived but more than that I am wondering if she is in chronic pain all the time? I have had some minor injuries that don't even come close to hers and I have so many problems with my joints and I am about her age.

[@christinecampbell9507]

That's a thought I've had too. I found the book so harrowing and I struggled with it.. and to be honest I did not like it, I certainly did not enjoy it!.. and wondered after how she could learn to later cope with all that abuse, both physical and emotional. It seemed almost impossible to become "whole" again. I actually imagined she'd have some serious scars from both, yet to see her sitting there looking at ease with talking, young and attractive, and portraying almost as a bright light is absolutely amazing and I found this interview fascinating because of that. She appears detached from what she survived and perhaps that's the necessity, and if I had known before reading it that she was now such a strikingly different person I'd have appreciated the book differently instead of the gloom it left me with. She did not fully answer certain personal questions from the audience and I felt that may be a coping mechanism or was too private to share, and that's her right of course. Utterly remarkable in all ways.

[@whiteangel7777777]

FASINATING person. I just started reading her book and wow. I don't know why I get this feeling like I just want to protect her from anybody who will try to change her. She is amazing. I've always had this burning question inside me, "do humans have to suffer so much before they can really shine?" I have been reading a lot of books on resilience and all these amazing people suffered so much. Another book I recommend is Projection: Encounters with My Runaway Mother by Priscila Uppal

[@assasinon1209]

It sure does seem like a lot of successful people have been through hell.

[@mmymmy315]

The book didn't lie. She has an amazing voice

[@taraharrison8381]

10:16 Passion is a love of hard work, hard to create, don't kill it in your 7 yr.old (don't kill it in a child).

[@bonniemellor5602]

You deserve to read Educating by Laree Westover and find out the real truth.

[@geniec5719]

Tara Westover for President!

[@TheHoneybeemeli]

Her voice♥️

[@splen-did5915]

She looks so calm and balanced. What did she do?

[@joannaszulc1496]

She probably went to therapy

[@gabriellameattray9778]

13:05 wow. She is brilliant. I wish everyone would come to realize this

[@tiffanyrainey670]

OMG, I have a huge crush on Tara Westover.

[@Rahulpatee]

The interviewer is very good.

[@jessicavandyke9339]

Educated was filled similarities between Tara’s Dad and my Dad

[@CruxDefender]

I'd love to meet her in real life. Have a nice bear-to-person conversation.

[@maryannebrown2385]

Well, she grew up isolated on mountain in Idaho. I suspect you are not the first bear she has talked to.

[@jennytaylor3203]

I love her little boots.

[@peterjohnson617]

It was a good read......you can pick your friends.......you can pick your nose.......but you do not get to pick your family.......

[@HoraceGold333]

I love her i love her i love her

[@StorytellingHeadshots]

At 38:00 I’m so glad she stood up for the audience response and called him on it when he “stepped on” the applause. Letting the audience applause for what she had just said was far more important than the follow-up question he tried to interrupt with- and it wasnt just “her” applause (tye As the interviewer implied when he tried to jokingly say,”I thought you said it wasn’t going to be about you…” only further sticking his foot in it… because the applause was NOT about her: that was her audience responding to the very profound statement that she had just made: we need to find ways to value people as people and not as “repositories of beliefs we agree or do not agree with”. And I don’t say this to condemn the interviewer because I know that when you are interviewing on stage, you have a lot on your mind and sometimes you don’t exactly engage with what the interviewee is saying --because you’re thinking about the next question. But Im grateful that she stood up for herself (and for the audience) because that was an important point to allow the audience to respond and agree. We need to hear the applause because Its important to know that it’s not only Terra who feels this way -but this room full of people who agree that we need to think of people as people. Her book is one of the most impactful books that I have read. The fact that this book has been on the best seller list and has been read and has resonated with so many people is an extremely hopeful sign. And also really encouraged me to see Tara (Dr Westover, I should say…) to not allow herself get walked on. Because it shows that she will continue to carry forth with this important work-and will let her voice continue to be heard on this, possibly the most important issue for our time.

[@elizabethe5976]

For those contending with men of a similar vibe, Lundy Bancroft’s Why Does He Do That is insightful.

[@eileendavis61]

This is the best...No one should try to tell you who you are! "That's feminism to me!"

[@stevetafor7602]

You sound as if feminism is a bad thing.

[@eileendavis61]

@@stevetafor7602 Thanks for your comment Steve and allowing me to elaborate my meaning. I think its best if you are able to identify the many facets of who you are and not someone else labeling you.

[@ticklemetimbers712]

It is

[@etsukofly]

24:54 "I think an educated person is I don't think it's someone who can recite an army of facts and knows a lot of things, it's probably someone who has some flexibility of mind who's willing to examine their own prejudice, who has acquired a depth of understanding that allows them to see the world for another point of view"

[@tinas8787]

Education is not about knowing all the presidents of America or all the elements. It is about how much you understand about any subject.

[@tonytafoya6217]

I have three literary heroes. All three are woman. Tara is the third. I've read her book. It's great. She's more of a man than most of us.

[@Qiq-og6ms]

Who are the other two?

[@hannerz777]

More hu*man for sure

[@wynnepruden3851]

As a person who isn't white, it's breath taking to hear you say 'we need to take the condescenion out of education because it's almost becomes your identity. We've allowed it be something that some people get a lot of access to and a certain kind of person gets, and a certain kind of person doesn't get.' Anyone from a secular faith, spiritual practise extreme in nature will find threads of themselves in your words as they read page by page.

[@blove142]

she is a testament to individualism and NOT the pretentious bubble of credentialing and social signaling that defines academia.

[@m.d.332]

Omg.How she survived?

[@sharenalynn]

She gets it

[@sunshinedenney8695]

💛