I am in a book club. I’m never too sure whether to be proud of that fact, or if it suggests that, without the moral support of other people, I would not read. This is not the case – but I must admit, the book club is making me read stuff I wouldn’t otherwise choose, and it is making me hurry the heck up with a book. No more can I languish over Birdsong for three months, or pick my way obsessively through a biography of Queen Victoria as if I had all the time in the world.
Plus – I had got into naughty habits in The Shed. Once the chores were done, and I’d collapsed into my nest under the mezzanine, where my babies slept (or lay awake, or bickered, depending on their disposition at the time) it somehow seemed easier to flick the TV on and watch stuff, rather than read. In this way, I failed to meet the deadline for the first book club title, and my personal shame that I didn’t manage to see it through has inspired me to try harder from here on in.
So, I am proud to report that I have just finished Educated, an autobiography by a fabulous writer called Tara Westover. And typically, I now feel bereft.
Bereft why? You may ask.
Well, even though it took me a while to get into Tara’s story, simply owing to the fact that I was re-adjusting to life in a house (lame excuse? Probably.), once I did, I was hooked. Tara grew up in a devout Mormon household at the foot of her beloved mountain in Idaho. Her parents didn’t believe in conforming to life in the way that most of us do, and they spent a lot of time and money preparing for The End Of The World. Tara never went to school, was not registered as existing and didn’t even know her own actual birth date. Her education consisted of learning to read Mormon texts, mixing essential oils and hauling scrap metal – often getting injured in the process.
As I read the book, I was inspired by just how much Tara, as a young girl, put up with: pain – because her parents wouldn’t allow her to see doctors: fear – that the government was determined to shoot her family for their views, and deprivation – of a life that most of us take for granted. No coffee. No Coca Cola. No ambition.
It really put my shed living into perspective.
The most interesting part of the story for me, and what has haunted me since I finished the last chapter, is that Tara’s parents really did love her. They – bound to and blinded by their extreme faith, felt they were protecting their daughter from harm by shunning federal authority and accepting God’s will. Yet if it weren’t for Tara’s inner strength, resilience and determination to open her mind to a broader education than the one her parents had allowed, the parents that loved her would have condemned her to a life of servitude, oppression and a continuation of the violence she had experienced as a child at the hands of family members.
Wow. I like to think I am strong and would never be oppressed. But under those circumstances, I am not sure I would have got away. Not only did she escape a bleak future, but she also managed to go on and get a pHD. That girl is an inspiration!
To top it all off, this is one hell of an autobiography. Carefully and honestly written, with an attempt at all times to be fair to those who could have destroyed her, the book is a testament to love and forgiveness. And education!
As a result of the book, I now find myself mentally exploring Tara’s Idaho mountain, Buck’s Peak, in my head – picturing myself there, having to cope with what she did. I have looked on Google Maps, and in my mind, I have identified the sprawling property where Tara’s family no doubt still resides, Â placing its faith in angels and fending off the Illuminati. From a safe distance, I can put myself in her shoes, and wonder at how she wore them.
Also, doing this makes me jolly grateful for my own mum, who has never oppressed me, nor forced her will – except that time when I was riding a lunatic, wall-eyed, hog-maned pony called Hovis at my riding school’s gymkhana. He bolted and she hollered across the crowd in a commanding voice “If you don’t like the horse, Rebecca, GET OFF IT!”. Even under those circumstances, where my mother was no doubt frightened for my life, her command was subject to whether I liked the horse or not. What Mum didn’t realise was that the pony itself had removed all my choices by being a lot stronger than I was.
So, if you are after a good read, I can thoroughly recommend “Educated”. It might make you hanker after a Cambridge stint, and the ability to tell stories the way Tara Westover does, but it’ll certainly make you glad you’ve never had to operate heavy, sharp, deadly machinery supervised by a father whose idea of health and safety is trusting in angels.
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