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ames_morgan (8 KP) rated Educated in Books

Jun 19, 2018  
Educated
Educated
Tara Westover | 2018 | Biography
10
9.3 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wow what a story is all I can say! This book totally blew my mind and at times I had trouble believing parts of it were real and it terrified me even more to know that they were.

Tara Westover never set foot in a classroom until she was 17 years old. Raised by Mormon survivalists in the mountains of Idaho her life was incredibly different than anything I can even imagine. With a midwife/herbalist for a mother and a father who operated a junkyard and prepared for the end of the world and was obsessed with the Illuminati Tara was horribly unprepared for life as she set foot into the academic world.

With no one to make sure Tara and her brothers and sisters had an education or even basic healthcare Tara decided to educate herself. At the age of 17 she had never even heard of the Holocaust much to the shock and disbelief of her fellow students and professor. With determination and perseverance Tara went on from never being in a classroom to receiving a a PhD from Cambridge University.
All the while Tara still struggled with a sense of loyalty to her family yet a desire to recreate herself into something more.

This was an incredible journey and I thank Tara for sharing it with us!
  
Latter Days (2004)
Latter Days (2004)
2004 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Contains spoilers, click to show
I saw this movie back when it was released fourteen years ago, when I was still young and had faith in things. I picked it up again to see if it held up, and you know? It's not bad. Usually romantic comedies don't do much for me, gay or straight, but I have a thing for Mormons--what can I say?

So Christian is a gay party boy livin' it up in LA, but ultimately lacking in purpose and drive. Aaron is a Mormon missionary from Iowa, who experiences culture shock and desire for the first time, because of course they become neighbors and hijinks ensue. Fun fact! This movie also stars Joseph Gorgon-Levitt as a total butt, which is quite a contrast to his role in Mysterious Skin, another gay-themed movie which came out in the same year.

The acting is actually not as horrible as you would think from the production value/budget, and the story is typical romantic comedy fare. Still, I think it would strike a chord with anyone who is queer and was brought up in a religious household. It doesn't shy away from how agonizing it can be to be betrayed by family, especially fourteen years ago. And you know, some of the dialogue is actually really poignant. If you can get over the vaguely "afterschool special" feeling of this movie, it's definitely worth a watch.

(It has a happy ending!)