Audiobook Review: Educated by Tara Westover

Westover's memoir, Educated, struck me as it explores the pull of a family connection no matter what sort of instabilities are present.

Tara grew up in rural Idaho in a Mormon family where her father was bipolar, and her mother overlooked all sorts of really terrible situations that her seven children were exposed to.

Facts of Tara's life: her mother is an herbalist, and they were not allowed to go to the doctor. For anything. Broken bones, burns--nothing. Her mother was also an unlicensed midwife and suffered brain damage in a car accident.

Her father is a survivalist hoarding weapons, gasoline, water, food, etc. The family owns a junkyard and Tara and her siblings were required to work in it. Safety was of no concern, and this is where many of the accidents happened, but "God would protect them."

Her older brother was physically abusive, and no one seemed to care.

They were not allowed to go to school. Their homeschooling was nonexistent, until Tara decided, at the age of 17, to study and pass the ACT so she could go to college.

While reading this, you keep thinking, "Don't go back!" Why would you want to subject yourself to the danger and instability of life at home? But Tara returns, again and again, even trying to crawl back after her entire family, and extended family, have disowned her. It's easy to think she was stupid, but I'm reading this having grown up in a "normal," safe environment surrounded by friends and family that were neither mentally ill, nor religious fanatics. My family was easy to love.

It borders on disbelief. But even if some of what she remembers isn't entirely accurate (and she admits this at times) it paints a picture of where her mind was, and is, and how her extreme changes in mindset came about after years of education and some counseling.

So what struck me after reading Educated is that everyone needs family or some type of substitute family. We crave it. We are compelled to return to our roots. And for Westover, this was the source of turmoil that took her years to overcome. I'm sure she is still working on overcoming it.

The narrator, Julia Whelan, is excellent. I believed that this was Tara telling her story.

Fans of memoirs of difficult childhoods (ex: The Glass Castle) will enjoy (well, that might not be exactly the right adjective) Educated.

Published by Random House, February 20, 2018
Audiobook obtained from the library
352 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: Dividing Eden, by Joelle Charbonneau

I ended up enjoying Dividing Eden, but boy, it took awhile!

Carys and Andreus are twins.  They are a princess and a prince, but they don't have to worry about taking over the throne, because their older brother will do that.  Until their father, the king, and their brother are murdered. Then the queen loses her mind. Everything changes.

The elders don't know which twin is the rightful heir. To avoid the elders' scheme to take over the country, the twins agree to go through the Trials of Succession, to prove which one of them is worthy.

Now, they have secrets.  Andreus has a curse, and because the queen has asked, Carys has always protected him so no one is aware. He has asthma -- and if anyone knew, they would banish him.  Carys has her own little secret.  She's addicted to opium. So these trials, some of which are physical, are going to be a challenge.  Carys and Andreus both agree that Andreus should be the king, so Carys will protect him, and make sure he does better than she does.

There are a lot of secrets that are slowly revealed.  Carys and Andreus stop communicating, and Andreus has decided Carys is out to get the crown.  The trials get more and more intense, as there are murder plots, and many other issues that are keeping both of them from succeeding.

This book takes a really long time to get going.  The assassinations don't even take place until about 40% through. I really almost quit on Dividing Eden, but I've been doing that a lot lately, so I made myself stick it out.  The whole premise of the Trials is a bit weak, but that's what the plot hinges upon, and once the trials get going, so does the pace.

Dividing Eden is exciting to the very end, and this is the first in a series, so we need to wait to find out the ultimate outcome.  I think I'm becoming a bit battle worn over so many fantasies about royal families and fighting for kingdoms and crowns.  I think I need a break.  But I also think my teens will enjoy Dividing Eden.

Published by HarperTeen, June 6, 2017
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
336 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: From Ant to Eagle by Alex Lyttle

I don't usually review middle school books.  I don't usually respond to publishers' direct requests unless it's a book or author I've heard of.  But I decided to read From Aunt to Eagle despite both of these conditions being true.  And I enjoyed it.

Cal is our narrator and he's a big brother to Sammy.  He reads to him and plays with him and basically keeps him entertained.  But then he meets a new girl, Aleta, and he doesn't have much time for Sammy any more.

Aleta has her own mysteries, and she disappears for days at a time.  Cal is so wrapped up in figuring out his relationship with Aleta that he challenges Sammy to some monumental tasks to keep him occupied. When Sammy gets sick and is diagnosed with cancer, Cal feels very guilty.

From Ant to Eagle follows a rather predictable path, but the story is engaging and kept my interest.  As I said, I don't usually read middle school books, and there's a reason for that.  From Ant to Eagle is definitely written for lower levels with short sentences and lots of telling rather than showing.  It makes for a fast read, but for me it becomes monotonous. I felt like the subject matter is appropriate for middle school, but the writing is a bit lower.

From Ant to Eagle has been compared to Wonder. I was affected much more by Wonder and I didn't really see the bullied, disfigured kid connection.  And Wonder had multiple narrators which really added to that story for me. But the comparison isn't really necessary.  From Ant to Eagle is an engaging journey all its own.

For the intended audience who enjoy "cancer books" From Ant to Eagle is a worthy addition to the field.

Published by Central Avenue, April 1, 2017
eARC obtained from the publisher
256 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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