Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

Educated by Tara Westover

14 reviews

pandemonicbaby's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

I think this book might have changed my life.
This book is such a marvelous, deeply interesting exploration of the power of education, of the meaning of family, of struggling with abuse and still being able to forge an identity for yourself afterward. Her path towards education is also a path towards being able to think for herself, instead of being told what to think by others. This might be the strongest, most powerful message woven in between the threads of this memoir, an ode to finding yourself through education.
So much nuance, so many tiny little intricacies present in the text show that Tara Westover truly is a historian -- that she's able to see the many different versions of a story and present them to the reader, making them reflect upon the significance and meaning of each unique account. "[...] nothing final can be known", as she quotes John Stuart Mill.
I feel like I'm going to reread this soon, just so I can underline the passages in this book that are so powerful they would make anyone stop reading just to reflect upon them. I shouldn't have been scared of underlining this book, gosh!! I gotta start being more willing to do that, whenever I think it might be important to me.
All in all, wonderful book. Marvelously crafted, beautiful writing, moving and powerful message. I cried reading this. I think it will stay with me forever.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Sexism, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Blood, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Murder, Body shaming, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Grief

Minor: Vomit, Racism, Miscarriage, Mass/school shootings, and Genocide

rebah's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Torture, Abandonment, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Body shaming, Sexism, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Grief, Gun violence, Cancer, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Genocide, Classism, Cursing, Dementia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Hate crime, Physical abuse, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

taracoleman's review against another edition

dark inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Blood, Racial slurs, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Grief, Gun violence, Sexism, Slavery, Antisemitism, Cancer, Genocide, and Miscarriage

tigerkind's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

Both praising and criticizing this  feels wrong, as it contains  fairly detailed accounts of abuse. However, it was extremely well written and constructed, allowing for a reflection on the broader systematic workings of power relations in religion, family and education. Even though a memoir, it was at times written with so much detail and emotion that I had to remind myself I was listening to a non-fiction work and not a novel by Barbara Kingsolver. Unfortunately, it feels like the legal challenges the author apparently faced, which forced her to include disclaimers, paraphrase and use pseudonyms, somewhat hampered the overall impact of the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Death, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Car accident, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexism, Gaslighting, Body horror, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Child abuse, and Medical content

Moderate: Classism, Slavery, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Cancer, and Terminal illness

Minor: Genocide, Islamophobia, Murder, and Police brutality

alreads420's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Torture, Medical content, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Animal death, and Antisemitism

aliwhaley's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This book is fantastic and tragic and inspiring all at once. It’s hard to believe people like this really exist, and the fact that they do is so harrowing. With or without the Mormonism and end-of-days bent, these stories of manipulation and abuse play out time and again, and it is so difficult to read it from inside the mind of the victim. I am so impressed by Dr. Tara Westover.

As a writer, her ability to convey at once how she felt at the time events unfolded, whilst also conveying the incongruity of those feelings now that she has reflected and grown, but also having compassion for her former self is astonishing. She writes terrifying people, and yet their moments of loveableness are believable. You feel every blow with her.

And, as a human, her strength is just incredible. I wish everybody in a similar situation could read this book and know they’re not in the wrong

All the content warnings - this is not a light read 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Blood, Domestic abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, and Violence

Moderate: Gun violence and Genocide

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

rumay's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Antisemitism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Religious bigotry, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Gun violence and Vomit

Minor: Genocide

sasshq's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Child abuse, Animal death, Bullying, Medical content, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Blood, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Sexism, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Torture

Minor: Antisemitism, Body shaming, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Cancer, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Death, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Grief, Genocide, Misogyny, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Stalking, Dementia, and Medical content

hayat_'s review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Racism, Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, and Child abuse

zombiezami's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

Truly heartbreaking and beautifully written

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Animal death, Body shaming, Grief, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Classism, Confinement, Gore, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Sexism, Misogyny, and Bullying

Moderate: Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Racial slurs, and Racism

Minor: Genocide, Fatphobia, Slavery, Excrement, and Dementia

Abuse apologism