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Educated: A Memoir Audiobook
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(4.67) - 12 listener ratings
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#1 NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, AND BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER • 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 “Extraordinary . . . an act of courage and self-invention.”—The New York Times NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW • ONE OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR • BILL GATES’S HOLIDAY READING LIST • FINALIST: National Book Critics Circle’s Award In Autobiography and John Leonard Prize For Best First Book • PEN/Jean Stein Book Award • 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 Tara’s 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 she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home. “Beautiful and propulsive . . . Despite the singularity of [Westover’s] 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?”—Vogue NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY 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
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"This is absolutely one of the best books I've read in a long time. Tara Westover details her life (the youngest of seven siblings) growing up in a radical Mormonism family - one that doesn't believe in Modern Medicine or Public School, even though she details several major accidents that left family members with severe injuries. This book is so captivating that I listened to it in two settings. Then, I Googled and Facebooked so I could get a better understanding of her parents "Gene" and "Faye" and her bi-polar brother "Shawn." As expected, Westover's family dispute her version of these events, and is likely the reason she is estranged from her parents and several siblings. Still, Tara Westover knew she wanted more for herself than what she could have living on the mountaintop in Idaho. She taught herself the subjects she would need to know to be successful on the ACT. Through hard work, dedication and perseverance, she went on to earn a Ph.D in history from Cambridge. Westover is a wonderful writer and as always, Julia Whalen does a fantastic job narrating this story. I would give this book six stars if I could. "
— Julie (5 out of 5 stars)
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“A memoir that is fit to stand alongside classics…A compelling and ultimately joyous account of self-determination.”
— Sunday Times (London) -
“Narrator Julia Whelan’s performance is outstanding. She expresses author Tara Westover’s naïve trust in her father…Whelan conducts a master class in the fear, dread, and self-doubt wrought by domestic violence as Westover recounts her older brother’s terrorizing all while spewing religious righteousness. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile -
"[A] searing debut memoir…Westover’s vivid prose makes this saga of the pressures of conformity and self-assertion that warp a family seem both terrifying and ordinary.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Awards
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A February 2018 LibraryReads Pick
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An Elle Magazine Pick for February 2018
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A Publishers Weekly Pick of the Week
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An Entertainment Weekly Pick of Most Anticipated Books
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A Vogue Pick
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An Amazon Best Book of the Month selection
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A USA Today Pick of New and Noteworthy Books
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A #1 New York Times bestseller in Nonfiction
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A BookPage Top Pick for March
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A USA Today bestseller
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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A Kirkus Reviews Pick of 9 Women Writing Bold Memoirs
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A #1 New York Times audio bestseller
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A #1 iBooks bestseller
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A 2018 LibraryReads Favorites of the Favorites selection
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A 2018 Time Magazine Top 10 Books of the Year selection in Nonfiction
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A New York Times Book Review Top 10 Book of the Year
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On the ALA Listen List for Outstanding Audiobook Narration
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Longlisted for the 2019 Wellcome Trust Book Prize
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The 2019 Audie Award Winner for Best Narration in Autobiography/Memoir
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The 2019 Audie Award Winner for Best Female Narrator
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Finalist for the 2019 Indies Choice Book Award for Audiobook of the Year
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An iBooks bestseller in audiobooks
Educated Listener Reviews
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8/9/2024
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CPO61, 10/12/2023
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6/24/2023
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Dolly Parker, 4/20/2022
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kim topping, 12/16/2021
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greg guizado, 11/30/2021
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" One of my favorite biographies of all time. the narrator keeps you interested. The characters in the story are incredible. The 12 hours seemed like only 6 hours!! Excellent story. My heart went out to Tara! "
— Marisela, 8/9/2021 -
" My kids were assigned this book for their HS AP English class. I usually try and read a book they are reading each year, and since their teacher is the best teacher they've ever had, I decided this year I would keep up with all of them. Glad I am, because truly, this is a great read (listen!). It is a deep, full of emotion, and such a captivating memoir. Tara Westover made her mark! Also, I am picky on readers' voices.. Ms. Whelan was one of the best I have heard. I felt like I was right there in the story! "
— TraciS, 9/25/2020 -
" This book was inspirational to me. It really put in perspective what it means to educate yourself, normalising the process of learning, the amount of work it requires and the roadblocks along the way. I felt educated about a culture that I had little contact with and about determination and pushing through natural processes of development. The way the author talks about her feelings provided words about similar situations that I had been through. I recomend this book. It's a testament of resilience and the power of growing and changing, and the heartache and joys it brings. "
— Madalina, 12/7/2019 -
" It really puts in perspective for me what is means to educate yourself, normalising the process of learning, the amount of work and roadblocks along the way. "
— Madalina, 12/7/2019 -
" Educated is a gripping tale that pulls you in immediately. Her story is one of redemption and inspiration-- and it's impossible to put down. I highly recommend this book and would read it again. "
— Textile Patterns, 4/10/2019
About Tara Westover
Tara Westover was born in Idaho in 1986. She received her BA from Brigham Young University in 2008 and was subsequently awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. She earned an MPhil from Trinity College, Cambridge, in 2009, and in 2010 was a visiting fellow at Harvard University. She returned to Cambridge, where she was awarded a PhD in history in 2014.
About Julia Whelan
Julia Whelan is a novelist, screenwriter, lifelong actor, and multiple award-winning audiobook narrator. She graduated with a degree in English and creative writing from Middlebury College and Oxford University. She is a former child actor who has appeared in multiple films and television shows.