Tara Westover
Educated: A Conversation with Tara Westover
Education should change you, it should absolutely change you.
Tara Westover
Author of Educated
Setup
Raised by uncompromising survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover survived extreme adversity, from never being allowed to go to school, to suffering serious physical injuries (and a dad that prohibited doctors or hospitals), to being at the mercy of a volatile and often abusive older brother. How did she not only make it through this childhood, but ultimately achieve success at the highest levels? How does she look back on her childhood and her family? What has she learned from her incredible and improbable journey?
How to relate to a junkyard childhood
How to relate to a junkyard childhood
Telling your own story means telling someone else’s too
Less condescension, more education
Tara a capella: listen to the power of music
1.
How to relate to a junkyard childhood
Jump to idea
01:27
Author Tara Westover’s life has been anything but normal, and her autobiography Educated shows that in spades. What lessons can the everyday reader, who probably grew up going to doctors and not working in a junkyard, take from such an extraordinary story? Westover explains how she hopes readers see themselves in her place:
“If someone reads the book and sees their father instead of my father… I’m OK with that,” says Westover. Westover wants Educated to be a filter that allows people to see her experiences as their own.
2.
Telling your own story means telling someone else’s too
Jump to idea
14:07
“It’s an old curse: May you have a writer in the family,” says interviewer and editor of The Atlantic Jeffrey Goldberg. Even as Tara Westover is thousands of miles away from her childhood home in Idaho, her family still remains front and center of her story in Educated. Westover talks about how she became comfortable writing about her family, the good and the bad:
3.
Less condescension, more education
Jump to idea
23:13
Education, and especially higher education, has become a cultural statement. A college degree has immense financial payoffs, but some are loathe to wade into a culture that often looks down on those outside of it. Jeffrey Goldberg and Tara Westover discuss how to make the idea of higher education palatable to all Americans:
This excerpt has been lightly edited for clarity
-
Jeffrey Goldberg: How do you suggest the value of cosmopolitan education, enlightened education, whatever you want to call it, to people who are afraid of what the downstream effects might be?
-
Tara Westover: I think you have to take the condescension out of it. We have allowed education to become an identity, almost. We’ve allowed it to be something that some people get a lot of access to, and that a certain kind of person gets, and a certain kind of person doesn’t get. In a lot of cases, we have allowed our education to putrefy into arrogance. Education should change you, it should absolutely change you. Most parents, even if they knew it might cause some change to their kid but it would also open up a world to them, would choose education — even rural people. But I think when you add that contempt into it, that’s when it becomes a different animal. And I don’t necessarily blame them for not wanting their kids to become contemptuous of them.
4.
Tara a capella: listen to the power of music
Jump to idea
45:25
The first time Tara Westover heard opera, it changed her life. Opera has to be taught in a formal, regimented way, and it made Westover realize the value of education that didn’t come from her parents. Music is what motivated her to go to college, and music is still a grounding force in her life. Take a minute, put some headphones on, and listen to her singing voice:
Learn More
Additional Information
Resources
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
Explore More
Arts
1454 ideas
Nov 20, 2024
What is Missing in the Lives of America’s Young People?
Young people in America are struggling. The causes are varied and may not be entirely clear, but the results are unfortunately unmistakable. Many of our youth feel lonely, iso...
Podcast — 59m
Oct 23, 2024
White Poverty
Many more Americans are struggling to survive and make ends meet than is typically portrayed in the media and public policy debates. And when poverty is depicted, harmful and...
Podcast — 54m
Collection
All About Books
October is National Book Month, and we’re celebrating by looking back at some of our favorite conversations about reading and writing from the Aspen Ideas Festival and Aspen I...
24 items
Collection
The Bonds We Make (and Break): Building Better Relationships
Friends, partners, children, families, coworkers — these connections profoundly shape our lives, and even in the best of times, navigating them takes real work. It also means...
30 items
Blog
Life Hacks From David Brooks
New York Times columnist and bestselling author David Brooks is known for bringing his thoughtful reflections on politics and culture, but at this year’s Aspen Ideas Festival,...
Article
Collection
All-Time: The Most Popular Talks From Aspen Ideas
Jump in by watching our 15 most popular talks of all time. From black holes to jazz and civil rights to psychology hacks, we've collected the talks that remain audience favori...
15 items
Sep 25, 2024
Is America Due for a Third Founding?
America’s “second founding” came on the heels of the Civil War, when the architects of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments thought long and hard about how to enshrine civil rig...
Podcast — 53m
Collection
Take a Break, Learn Something New
Finding the national and global headlines understandably bleak lately? Whether you need mental distraction or stimulation, engross yourself in compelling topics and get a gli...
33 items
Collection
Making the Grade: Helping Kids (and Parents) Thrive
Today's kids are coming of age against a backdrop of political, social, technological and economic upheaval. While these circumstances are shaping a precocious generation that...
23 items
Sep 11, 2024
Hope in Troubling Times
Hope seems like a simple concept, but the feeling can be difficult to hold onto. And when times are difficult and chaos swirls around us, it’s more important than ever. How do...
Podcast — 54m
Collection
Spotlight on Women's Health
Advocates, healthcare providers, legislators, researchers, and venture capitalists are bringing the unique health needs of women to light – from vigorous policy debates on iss...
17 items
Blog
Hard-Earned Lessons From Leaders at the Top
Ethical dilemmas, stakeholder pressure, building trust — leading organizations requires wisdom and stamina from the top. Who wouldn’t want some advice?
Article
Aug 28, 2024
At America’s Edge: Border Politics, Policy and People
It’s been decades since the United States has updated its immigration policies in any sort of comprehensive way, and the problems and suffering at the southern border have per...
Podcast — 55m
Collection
Modern Life
What makes us happy — really? How can we raise resilient and empathetic children? What does it mean to be truly connected in our increasingly digital world? Can we re-instill...
16 items
Collection
How the Arts Shape Society
The arts are not just forms of expression, but powerful forces that shape culture and the human experience, both reflecting and influencing our world. Join renowned artists, w...
15 items
Aug 7, 2024
Peter Thiel — On the Record with an Iconoclast
Whether they publicly tout it or not, U.S. technology companies play a powerful role in politics, cultural issues and the way we live. Founder and investor Peter Thiel is one...
Podcast — 1h 3m
Blog
Surgeon General's Orders: 3 Tips for Rebuilding Social Connection
Our need for human connection is profound and deep. Yet, today, one in two adults are living with measurable levels of loneliness – and the numbers are even higher among young...
Article
Collection
15 Talks to Understand the 2024 Political Landscape
The 2024 presidential election is only months away, and the past few weeks alone have brought shocking headlines that change the political ground we stand on — an attempted a...
15 items
Jul 31, 2024
A Revolutionary Age with Fareed Zakaria
Sizable electorates around the world are flocking to populist candidates who promise power, domination and a return to better times. The global experiment in liberalism seems...
Podcast — 50m
Jul 24, 2024
Seeing Light in Dark Times with Nicholas Kristof
Conflict and suffering can bring out the worst in people, but it can also bring out the best. This is one of the lessons New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has learned...
Podcast — 53m
Sorry, we couldn't find any results
Clear filters
