«A memoir to stand alongside classics by the likes of Jeanette Winterson and Lorna Sage . . . a compelling and ultimately joyous account of self-determination»

Sunday Times

«[A] fascinating, jaw-dropping memoir»

Observer

«This fiercely intelligent memoir is a fascinating and compassionate view of another world and the author’s struggle to both escape from and understand it as she heads out into the world»

The Pool, Ones to Watch in 2018

«A dazzling example of what you can achieve if you set your mind to something… an inspirational, truly unique coming-of-age tale»

BBC Ones to Watch in 2018

«A shocking and powerfully moving memoir»

Daily Express

«What comes through is Tara’s grit, determination and instinctive sense that somewhere within education lies her redemption ... There is pain and adversity in this heart-wrenching memoir but ultimately what Tara leaves us with is hope»

Sunday Express

«Marvellous. There is no feeling like discovering a young writer who is springing up fully armed with so much talent»

«Absolutely superb . . . the last 100 pages were so gripping I could hardly breathe»

«Educated is an unflinching account of love and brutality, of the strength of blood ties and the power of imagination, and of a young woman whose intellect, self-knowledge and courage illuminate every page. There are passages so painfully vivid that they sear themselves into the memory, yet Westover is never prurient or punitive: even when writing from the depths, she does so with compassion and grace. Both the book and its writer are remarkable in every respect»

«Westover has a story to tell that shouldn't be ignored»

The Guardian

«An astonishing and uplifting story about the transformative power of education»

Mail on Sunday, 2018 Cultural Highlights

«Educated is quite simply one of the best books I have ever read. What a writer, what a thinker and what a gift for the rest of us to be able to read her story. Unbelievably moving and profoundly thought-provoking.»

«[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.»

The Times

«Brilliantly recounts her journey towards knowledge and enlightenment»

Guardian

«

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

»

«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.»

The Economist

«This memoir [is] one of the wisest accounts of family love and betrayal that I’ve read»

Mail on Sunday

«[An] astonishing autobiography»

«Heartbreaking in its honesty...[an] intelligent and powerful memoir»

Literary Review

«Tara Westover's beautifully written memoir shines a light on a part of our country that we too often overlook. Her powerful tale—of trying to find a place for herself in the world, without losing her connection to her family or her beloved home—deserves to be widely read. My Mamaw would have been rooting for Tara.»