Educated cover art

Educated

The international bestselling memoir

 Preview
This Season's Biggest Deal

$0.99/mo for 3 months + $20 Audible bonus voucher

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 28 December, 2026.
More purchase options

Educated

By: Tara Westover
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Get this deal

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends 28 December, 2026. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $17.25

Buy Now for $17.25

This Season's Biggest Deal | $0.99/mo for 3 months + $20 Audible bonus

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo. after 3 months - terms apply.
Summary

Selected as a book of the year by AMAZON, THE TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES, GUARDIAN, NEW YORK TIMES, ECONOMIST, NEW STATESMAN, VOGUE, IRISH TIMES, IRISH EXAMINER and RED MAGAZINE

THE MULTI-MILLION COPY BESTSELLER

A Book of the Decade, 2010-2020 (Independent)

Tara Westover and her family grew up preparing for the End of Days but, according to the government, she didn't exist. She hadn't been registered for a birth certificate. She had no school records because she'd never set foot in a classroom, and no medical records because her father didn't believe in hospitals.

As she grew older, her father became more radical and her brother more violent. At sixteen, Tara knew she had to leave home. In doing so she discovered both the transformative power of education, and the price she had to pay for it.

· From one of TIME magazine's 100 most influential people of 2019
· Shortlisted for the 2018 BAMB Readers' Awards
· Recommended as a summer read by Barack Obama, Antony Beevor, India Knight, Blake Morrison and Nina Stibbe

© Tara Westover 2018 (P) Penguin Audio 2018

 Christianity Relationships Women Inspiring Feel-Good Thought-Provoking
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic Reviews

A memoir to stand alongside classics by the likes of Jeanette Winterson and Lorna Sage . . . a compelling and ultimately joyous account of self-determination
[A] fascinating, jaw-dropping memoir (Nina Stibbe)
[A] superb memoir… Westover’s journey from a remote corner of the American west to one of the world’s grandest seats of learning is extraordinary . . . Her story, of fighting to be herself, is as old as the hills she came from, but Westover gives us such a fresh, absorbing take that it deserves to bring her own private Idaho into the bestseller lists, book groups and, eventually, cinemas.
Brilliantly recounts her journey towards knowledge and enlightenment (Blake Morrison)

An amazing story, and truly inspiring. The kind of book everyone will enjoy. IT’S EVEN BETTER THAN YOU’VE HEARD.

(Bill Gates)
Her story is remarkable, as each extreme anecdote described in tidy prose attests. That someone who grew up in her circumstances could achieve as much as she has is astonishing . . . The central tension she wrestles with throughout her book is how to be true to herself without alienating her family. Her upbringing was extraordinary, but that struggle is not.
This memoir [is] one of the wisest accounts of family love and betrayal that I’ve read
[An] astonishing autobiography (Antony Beevor)
Heartbreaking in its honesty...[an] intelligent and powerful memoir
An astonishing and uplifting story about the transformative power of education
All stars
Most relevant
The courage shown by Tara in the novel is astounding. i feel most readers can relate to the battle within us when given the choose of listening to our own voice or the voice of someone we love.

loved every minute what a journey and what courage

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The insight paired with incredibly personal yet somehow objective recollections is riveting. It is delicate, truthful & a fascinating insight into human beings.

Finished in a day...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is an fascinating memoir told by an exceptional writer. Tara uses words to paint a vivid picture of her life growing up in rural Idaho. The child of ultra-religious 'doomsday preppers' who distrust the government, the medical establishment, the pharmaceutical industry etc etc. She is unschooled, unvaccinated and abused. As a teacher, this book has moved me like no other as Tara demonstrated the truth in the adage; education is the gift that changes lives.

Five stars all round!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I don't even know where to start... this book is harrowing, horrifying and uplifting all at once. Yo have survived such abuse and come out the other side able to shine a very honest light is quite remarkable. There are many aspects of this tale I was able to identify with and I couldn't recommend this book highly enough.

Absolutely Brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This review will not do the book it's true justice. I do not know how Tara Westover was able to put these experiences down on paper in the way she has done. Her experiences move from traumatic to exhilarating, all in one breath.
It is a difficult book to read, because her experiences and feelings are unconscionable. How could anyone treat a person as she has been treated? I found myself many times trying to counsel her towards a better decision or to comfort her through her feelings of doubt and mistrust in herself.
Westover is a master of words. She weaves her tale with reoccurring themes, finding beauty in her life, but not shying away from the harshness and brutality.
Julia Whelan is an amazing voice actress, switching from one accent to another. Giving each character an identifiable melody, pace and tone. The entire production was flawless.

Breathtaking brutality

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.