Educated Book Club Discussion Questions

Inside: Educated by Tara Westover book club discussion questions

Educated by Tara Westover is the official book club selection for August 2024 in the Happy Simple Mom Book Club.

This book is a memoir about the determination a young girl (and eventual woman) takes to educate herself. Her parents take an unconventional approach to homeschooling, often not doing any bookwork and leaving the kids to pursue any education on their own and in the cracks of the day, after working long hours with their father in their junkyard.

Educated can be a tough read, as it contains depictions of gross parental negligence, especially when it comes to the management of serious injuries to family members. For Tara Westover, her education came at a great expense, forever changing her relationship with her family.

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Happy Simple Mom Book Club August 2024 Pick: Educated by Tara Westover

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August 2024 Pick: Educated by Tara Westover Book Club Discussion Questions

Genre: Memoir

Length: 368 pages

Audio Length: 12 hours and 10 minutes

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Publisher’s Description:

Tara Westover grew up preparing for the end of the world. She was never put in school, never taken to the doctor. She did not even have a birth certificate until she was nine years old.

At sixteen, to escape her father’s radicalism and a violent older brother, Tara left home. What followed was a struggle for self-invention, a journey that gets to the heart of what an education is and what it offers: the perspective to see one’s life through new eyes, and the will to change it.

SPOILER ALERT!!! The following discussion questions WILL give away things from the book. Read at your own risk.

Educated by Tara Westover Book Club Discussion Questions

Question 1:

Tara speaks of the story her parents told her from the earliest she can remember.  It impacted much of her life.  

Were there any stories your parents told you, serious or goofy, that weren’t true but you believed from your childhood? 

Question 2:

Tara writes in the last paragraph of chapter four:

“A decade later my understanding would shift, part of my heavy swing into adulthood, and after that the accident would make me think of the Apache women, of all the decisions that go into making a life – the choices people make, together, and on their own, that combine to produce any single event. Grains of sand, incalculable, pressing into sentiment, then rock.”

What do you think Tara meant by this? Was she thinking of herself? Her mother? Someone else?

Question 3

Tara’s father risks his children’s lives physically over and over again. Do you think he knew he was putting them in physical danger? Do you think he cared? Why or why not?

Question 4

Tara told another young girl that the other midwife in town “is a fine midwife, but…nobody plays stupid like my mother.” She was talking about how her mother avoided trouble when medical issues arose during midwifery, but do you think Tara’s mother played “stupid” in other ways too? How so?

Question 5

Tara’s mom once encouraged her to leave home and go to college. Do you think she ever regretted encouraging Tara to get a higher education?

Question 6

Shawn, Tara’s older brother, was full of contradictions. He often bonded with Tara, taking her on a road trip and taking her to her plays. Then, he physically abused Tara on multiple occasions. Then, after abusing his own sister, he stood up for Tara against their father. He also had a brain injury. What are your thoughts on Shawn?

Question 7

Did you ever wonder if Tara’s dad’s faith was as strong as he claimed?

Question 8

There were a lot of great people who helped Tara achieve her goal of getting an education. Who was your favorite?

Question 9

What are your thoughts on Tara’s homeschool education? She writes as if she received only a very minimal education at home. Her parents have indicated they must have done a fine job, as three of their children earned doctorates. What are your thoughts?

Question 10

Several of Tara’s family members argue the book is an unfair representation of their family dynamics and the personalities of each family member. Knowing this, does it change how you feel about the perspective shared in Educated?

Question 11

If you could interview Tara and ask her any one question, what would it be?

Question 12

Did your view of education change after reading this book?

Question 13

Were there any parts of Tara’s story that you related to the most?

What were your thoughts on the August Happy Simple Mom book club pick, Educated by Tara Westover? Let me know in the comments below.