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All 16 learnings · one per slide
Educated
Tara Westover, in bytes
16 key learnings from Tara Westover's journey from a survivalist family to Cambridge.
16 learnings · ~40 sec eachSwipe →
Educated, in bytes
16 key learnings from Tara Westover's memoir of growing up in an isolated Idaho family without schooling, and educating herself. Each takes about 40 seconds to read. Swipe, use the arrows, or your keyboard.
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Learning 1 · Part One
Buck's Peak
What happened
Tara Westover grew up on a mountain in Idaho with a survivalist father who distrusted the government, schools and doctors.
The setting
The family prepared for the 'Days of Abomination'.
Takeaway
Our first world shapes what we think is normal.
Educated · Tara Westoverbooksinbytes.in
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Learning 2 · Part One
No Birth Certificate
What happened
She had no birth certificate until she was nine, and never went to school.
Example
Her 'homeschooling' was mostly working on the family's land and scrapyard.
Takeaway
She started with almost no formal learning.
Educated · Tara Westoverbooksinbytes.in
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Learning 3 · Part One
The Scrapyard
What happened
She and her siblings worked in their father's junkyard, where dangerous accidents were common.
Example
Serious injuries were treated at home with herbal remedies.
Takeaway
Risk was normalised in her family.
Educated · Tara Westoverbooksinbytes.in
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Learning 4 · Part One
Her Mother's Remedies
What happened
Her mother was a herbalist and midwife whose remedies the family relied on instead of hospitals.
Example
Treating burns and injuries with herbal salves.
Takeaway
Beliefs can carry real costs.
Educated · Tara Westoverbooksinbytes.in
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Learning 5 · Part One
Tyler's Example
What happened
Her brother Tyler left for college and encouraged her to do the same.
The lesson
One person who has left can show the way.
Takeaway
Mentors in the family can change lives.
Educated · Tara Westoverbooksinbytes.in
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Learning 6 · Part One
Teaching Herself
What happened
She taught herself enough maths and grammar to pass the ACT entrance exam.
The result
She was admitted to Brigham Young University at 17.
Takeaway
Self-teaching can open doors.
Educated · Tara Westoverbooksinbytes.in
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Learning 7 · Part Two
What's the Holocaust?
What happened
In a lecture at BYU, she asked what the Holocaust was, and classmates were shocked.
The lesson
She realised how much history she'd been kept from.
Takeaway
Learning starts with admitting what you don't know.
Educated · Tara Westoverbooksinbytes.in
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Learning 8 · Part Two
Learning to Learn
What happened
She struggled at first, not knowing how to read a textbook or take exams.
Help
A bishop and teachers encouraged her, and she learned how to study.
Takeaway
Learning is a skill.
Educated · Tara Westoverbooksinbytes.in
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Learning 9 · Part Two
A Violent Brother
What happened
She describes years of violence from one of her brothers, which her family often denied or minimised.
The struggle
Standing by her memories meant risking her family.
Takeaway
Your experience matters, even if others deny it.
Educated · Tara Westoverbooksinbytes.in
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Learning 10 · Part Two
Cambridge
What happened
A professor encouraged her to apply for a study programme at Cambridge University, where she thrived.
The lesson
She began to believe she belonged in academia.
Takeaway
Others' belief can lift us.
Educated · Tara Westoverbooksinbytes.in
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Learning 11 · Part Three
A Gates Scholar
What happened
She won a Gates scholarship, earned a master's at Cambridge, spent time at Harvard and later completed a PhD in history.
The transformation
From no schooling to a doctorate.
Takeaway
Education can transform a life.
Educated · Tara Westoverbooksinbytes.in
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Learning 12 · Part Three
Changing Her Mind
What happened
As she studied, she questioned her father's beliefs and the version of history she'd been taught.
Example
Reading about movements in history helped her see her family differently.
Takeaway
Education changes how we see the past.
Educated · Tara Westoverbooksinbytes.in
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Learning 13 · Part Three
Doubting Memory
What happened
She compared her memories with her siblings' and found differences.
The lesson
Memory is fallible, but some truths still stand.
Takeaway
Hold memories with honesty and humility.
Educated · Tara Westoverbooksinbytes.in
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Learning 14 · Part Three
Choosing Herself
What happened
She became estranged from her parents and some siblings after refusing to deny her experiences.
The cost
Losing family was painful.
Takeaway
Sometimes growth requires distance.
Educated · Tara Westoverbooksinbytes.in
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Learning 15 · Part Three
Who She Became
The idea
Westover describes education as the creation of a new self, with new ways of seeing.
Example
She calls this a transformation, not a betrayal.
Takeaway
You can become someone new.
Educated · Tara Westoverbooksinbytes.in
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Learning 16 · Part Three
Educated
The idea
The book closes with her accepting that she's changed, and that the girl from Buck's Peak is part of her past.
Why it matters
Education gave her a voice.
Reflect
What has learning made you rethink?
Educated · Tara Westoverbooksinbytes.in
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All 16 learnings complete
That’s all 16 learnings.
Education changed how Westover saw herself and her family. What has learning made you rethink?
Abhay Kumar JaiswalFCA · PMP® · Workday Financeabhayjaiswal.com
Summaries in my own words. Read the book for the full stories.
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Summaries are written in my own words for learning. Read Educated by Tara Westover (2018) for the full stories. More Books in Bytes