Just finished 'Educated' and wow... Tara Westover's story hit me like a ton of bricks. This isn't your typical memoir - it's a survival story, an academic fairytale, and family drama all rolled into one.

The way she describes growing up in that survivalist household with zero formal education? Mind-blowing. I kept having to remind myself this wasn't fiction. The junkyard accidents, the medical neglect, the constant fear of government brainwashing - it reads like dystopian fiction but it's someone's actual childhood.

What really got me was Tara's transformation. Watching her teach herself algebra to pass the ACT? That scene gave me chills. Her first time in a classroom at BYU not knowing what the Holocaust was? Absolutely heartbreaking yet inspiring.

The writing style is so honest it hurts sometimes. She doesn't sugarcoat her own mistakes or paint herself as purely heroic. That scene where she keeps going back to her abusive brother because 'family is everything'? Oof. Relatable on so many levels.

Finished it in three days because I physically couldn't put it down. My only complaint? The ending felt a bit abrupt - I wanted 100 more pages about her Cambridge years! Already planning to reread next month.

PS - If you're debating whether to buy: YES. Worth every penny and then some.