There’s always hesitation when reading such a highly rated book, but this completely lived up to the praise. I am truly blown away by Tara Westover’s story. Ben and I listened to it together, and he commented that if some of these events were put in a work of fiction, it wouldn’t be believable. They got in another car accident? Shawn has had how many head injuries?? I fully trust Westover’s account, but there are definitely a number of shocking moments that took me a while to process. I will give you fair warning that a lot of this book made me feel absolutely infuriated. Westover’s home was incredibly oppressive and insanely dangerous. I felt the most rage when I saw young Tara internalizing misogyny. When she thought of six year-old dancers in their leotards as “tiny harlots,” I couldn’t decide if I wanted to cry or scream. The fury I felt made this hard to read at times, but the story is so compelling. And I knew she made it out the other side. I needed to see the journey through. I think I received some insight into my fellow Americans that are just so diametrically different than me. The Westover clan may seem unique or remarkable, but in a lot of ways, they’re not. There are lots of folks in our country insulating themselves inside a community that isolates and demonizes anyone outside of it. It makes me profoundly sad to see how deep-seated fears crystallize into extremism and hatred. At the same time, I am heartened to see an example here of how those fears can be lightened, by expanding one’s horizons through time, travel, and of course, education.