Educated: A Memoir

 

My Thoughts:

As far as western education, this is a memoir that really talks about the idea of pulling one self up by one's own bootstraps. What this shows me is that pulling one self up is never done solo, and the learning is in the process. It has taken me a year and a half to read this but it has taken the author much longer, so it's ok.

This is also about truth and perspective and the decisions people make out of brokenness and mental illness. 

From the Publishers:

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.

Citation I kept:

“This is a magical place,” I said. “Everything shines here.” “You must stop yourself from thinking like that,” Dr. Kerry said, his voice raised. “You are not fool’s gold, shining only under a particular light. Whomever you become, whatever you make yourself into, that is who you always were. It was always in you. Not in Cambridge. In you. You are gold. And returning to BYU, or even to that mountain you came from, will not change who you are. It may change how others see you, it may even change how you see yourself—even gold appears dull in some lighting—but that is the illusion. And it always was.”

The Space Within the Silence

From the Publisher:

Tess thought that going away to college would mean she could finally be free from her shattered childhood. That she wouldn’t have to see Ian anymore, the step-brother who sexually abused her. That she could keep space between herself and her mother, who Tess told about the abuse and who didn’t believe her. That she could finally build a life that she felt safe in.

My Thoughts:

As far as surviving abuse and trying to let go of rage stories go, this one is pretty good. It is definitely much better than The Way He Loved Me by Heather Tanti. I could not even finish or stomach that book. It was just unrealistic drama and mysogony. This story, at least is more realistic and subtle. Sometimes parents are not capable of protecting their children. Sometimes safety is not found at home. The characters are a little underdeveloped, verging on stereotypical, however, this is a short novel. The change in characters happens in a  two week span in order to close out this story and give it a nice little ending, so perhaps the characters need to be simple. 

What I really would have wanted, which I have seen in other YA novels recently is a referral to a national hotline or organization for readers to get help if they are in a similar dilemma. Perhaps the publishers included this on the final publication.

An  advanced copy provided by Net Galley and the publishers for an honest review.

Dreamland

I decided to plunge into the Sarah Dessen summer challenge by going to the library to read my first Sarah Dessen book. It seems inconceivable that this is my first ever read of this prolific YA author, but I've been concentrating on YA lit for boys.

Dreamland is about Caitlin and her mysterious new bad-boy boyfriend Rogerson, green-eyed and troubled. She wants to protect him from the cruel wrath of his father, and in him, she finds a mirror of herself -- the less than perfect, less than stellar younger sibling. But Rogerson soon consumes her in his jealousy and his rage and Caitlin can't separate herself, even when she knows she's losing herself.

As an adult and a parent, this is a scary look into teenage domestic violence, and unfortunately as a teacher and a former teen, it brings back memories of certain teens in the middle of these types of relationships. I can feel the tightness in Caitlin's stomach as she tries to make sure that she is not late when Rogerson picks her up, not talking to anyone that may trigger his anger, not doing anything inappropriate, not talking too long, laughing too loud. . . How do we raise girls that will be strong enough to reach out for help? How do we raise boys who will respect females and release anger and frustration in more productive and creative ways? How do we as parents deal with the guilt of turning away, being blind to the adult problems that teens often face?