Tara Westover

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Tara Westover[1]
Tara Westover receiving the National Humanities Medal on March 21, 2023 at the White House
Tara Westover receiving the National Humanities Medal on March 21, 2023 at the White House
Born (1986-09-27) September 27, 1986 (age 37)
Clifton, Idaho
OccupationHistorian and author
LanguageEnglish
Alma materBrigham Young University, University of Cambridge
Website
tarawestover.com

Tara Westover[2] is an American memoirist, essayist and historian. Her memoir Educated (2018) debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list. She was chosen by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2019.[3]

Early life[change | change source]

Westover was the youngest of seven children born in Clifton, Idaho (population 259) to Mormon survivalist parents. She has five older brothers and an older sister.[4][5] Her parents were suspicious of doctors, hospitals, public schools, and the federal government. Westover was born at home, delivered by a midwife, and was never taken to a doctor or nurse.[6] She was not registered for a birth certificate until she was nine years old. Their father resisted getting formal medical treatment for any of the family. Even when seriously injured, the children were treated only by their mother with the common method of herbalism.

Personal Life[change | change source]

She lives in London.[7]

References[change | change source]

  1. "Tara Westover". Alumni Biography. Gates Cambridge. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  2. Whitworth, Damian (February 17, 2018). "Review: Educated by Tara Westover — from the Mormon boondocks to a Cambridge PhD". The Times.
  3. "Tara Westover: The 100 Most Influential People of 2019". TIME. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
  4. Bureau, U. S. Census. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  5. Educated by Tara Westover | PenguinRandomHouse.com.
  6. Miller, Dave. "REBROADCAST: Tara Westover". Think Out Loud. Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  7. Follis, Don (August 27, 2018). "On defying one's family to earn a Ph.D. from Cambridge". The News-Gazette. Champaign, Illinois . Retrieved 9 November 2022.