Educated: A Memoir

Explore the culture of masculinity in the Westover home. In what ways do Gene and Shawn’s ideas about masculinity affect the lives of the other family members? How do power and control factor into Gene and Shawn’s own performances of masculinity?

What does it mean to “be a woman” to Westover’s family? In the Mormon faith? How do Westover’s ideas about womanhood change as she grows up?

Identify at least two people or organizations that helped Tara Westover along in her pursuit of a traditional education. Explain how their values, beliefs, and behaviors differed from those of at least two people or organizations who hindered Westover’s education.

Describe and analyze the social consequences that Tara Westover experienced as a result of the education she received in her home growing up. Conversely, describe and analyze the social consequences that Westover experienced as a result of leaving home and receiving an education in the “real world.”

Identify and explore as many uses of literacy—reading and writing—in the Westover home as you can. How do the uses of literacy in the Westover home differ from the uses of literacy that Tara Westover learns when she leaves home? What are the implications of the differences in uses of literacy in Westover’s home and at college for her experience with her education?

What challenges did Tara Westover experience during college and beyond as a result of her family’s socioeconomic status? How did her financial issues affect her experience during college? Using Westover’s experience as an example, describe how colleges and universities today might more effectively support students from disadvantaged backgrounds during their time in college.

Analyze the role of belief and doubt in the memoir. What does it mean to believe to Tara Westover’s parents, Gene and Faye Westover? How does the meaning of belief change for Westover as she grows up and leaves home?

Tara Westover’s memoir deals with the question of who is allowed to write history and what it means to write one’s own history. Write an analysis of the significance of different versions of history in Educated and explore the role of writing her own history to Westover’s self-transformation.