Paperback, 62 pages
Published Aug. 4, 2020 by Blurb.
Very good book if you want to get really angry about some people you'll hopefully never meet.
It's amazing what some of the family achieved, and disgusting what others in the family were allowed to get away with.
I'm not even sure where to start writing about this memoir. I've probably been driving my friends and family nuts talking about it to them, but I simply haven't been able to read this story and then put it away. I keep thinking about it.
Westover's experiences and self-doubt are heart wrenching. I nearly cheered when her friend asked her if she had ever considered letting go of her family. Understanding the abuse and manipulation from the outside of the story seems so easy, but Westover does an incredible job conveying her personal conflict and divided loyalties.
I'd like to say that Westover was rescued from a horrible life by her external and internal education, but I'm not sure that is a reasonable explanation because the family that remained connected to her father don't see their lives as horrible. They don't see themselves as abused or manipulated. They are gifts …
I'm not even sure where to start writing about this memoir. I've probably been driving my friends and family nuts talking about it to them, but I simply haven't been able to read this story and then put it away. I keep thinking about it.
Westover's experiences and self-doubt are heart wrenching. I nearly cheered when her friend asked her if she had ever considered letting go of her family. Understanding the abuse and manipulation from the outside of the story seems so easy, but Westover does an incredible job conveying her personal conflict and divided loyalties.
I'd like to say that Westover was rescued from a horrible life by her external and internal education, but I'm not sure that is a reasonable explanation because the family that remained connected to her father don't see their lives as horrible. They don't see themselves as abused or manipulated. They are gifts of God living the life he has planned for them.
I'll be thinking about this book for a long time. It gives some insight into the nature of faith, both good and bad.
