Summary Of Educated By Tara Westover

Tara Westover, author of the memoir, Educated, describes her father, Gene, extreme mindset and radical beliefs. Growing up, Tara portrays Gene as a pious man who sees the world through a religious lens. Gene was a Mormon who believed in the prophecy regarding the end of time. Furthermore, Gene believed he was on the path of God, and to go astray from that path would lead to experiencing God’s wrath. Gene believed that the government would lead him astray, and as a result, would lead him away from God. Tara recalls a time when her family was told a story by Gene, about a supposedly innocent family being swarmed by the federal government. While telling the story, each family member had “conjured [their] own cinematic version, with gunfire and

Throughout the story, Gene has made his decisions based on his conspiracy theories. These decisions caused him to experience multiple conflicts because his conspiracy theories led to irrational thinking, limited perspectives, and paranoia. Gene’s irrational thinking distorted his reality and caused him to have limited perspective. As Gene isolated himself and his family from society, he began to grow arrogant and self-centered. Gene wasn’t the loving father Tara hoped for, and instead was the head of the household who stunted her growth. Gene’s limited perspective caused him paranoia and distrust of the government. This paranoia prevented Gene’s family from going to a public school, hospital, or any government-related institution that could provide opportunities. If anything, conspiracy theories create problems that lead to more problems. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. The best way to combat these theories is to be open-minded and logical. Day by day, society will face many challenges. To get through tough times, people need to be willing to hear other opinions and make reasonable conclusions about them.