Educated by Tara Westover
I was riveted and sometimes torn to pieces reading Educated. Westover’s account of her childhood in remote Idaho is captivating. If you read only a few books a year, this should make the list. Tara’s parents are fundamentalist Mormons, prepping for the end of the world. They live with their seven children isolated from civilization and society. Traditional medicine is strictly forbidden, as well as the public-school system. This book was hard to put down because her experiences were so extreme. It seemed impossible that a young girl could grow into a functional adult after surviving such an odd upbringing. At times I had to take breaks, the account of abuse by one family member was so disturbing. However, I had to know how it ended. I particularly appreciated how she portrayed herself in a brutally honest light. She recognized her own skewed thinking and habits, as well as her family. Her journey of healing and establishing a healthy mindset is the most inspiring story I have read all year.
To Purchase this book on Amazon, click here: Educated: A Memoir
Anna has not left her house in a long while. She feels safe and secure at home, and that is where she stays. Her New York City home sits across from a park, looking straight into the neighbor’s window. Anna is not working right now, she is on a break from her practice as a child psychologist. With so much time on her hands, she begins to watch the neighborhood with detailed intensity. When a new family moves in across the park, something does not seem quite right. As she gets to know them more, she is convinced they are suspicious. When she believes she has witnesses a crime in the neighborhood, Anna loses all sense of reality and fiction. The story unravels in unpredictable twists, and devastating back story all woven into a suspenseful read.
Clementine has written a deeply moving account of her life as a Rwandan Refugee. At six years old she survived the genocide in Rwanda. For years, she lived through conditions that would break any human in two. The book travels back and forth from Clemetine’s adult life to her childhood in Africa. I learned so much about the roots of conflict and the ripple of devastation it spread. Clementine’s description of her feelings, how she wrestled with the residual trauma are beyond moving. Without empathy for what others have suffered, we cannot treat others with compassion and kindness. I was gripped with sorrow, and amazed at the author’s fighting resilience. This memoir is necessary and worth every moment. I am thankful she was brave enough to put this story into words, and I am thankful I read every one of them.
Best Overall Character: Emily Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman– Emily is the most real, quirky, and charming character I have read in a long time. She has been through very difficult circumstances, and we meet her just as she is beginning to step out of a safe, but isolated life. I was moved, laughed, cringed, and cheered for her the whole way through.
Best Historical Fiction: The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict– Did you know Albert Einstein’s wife was also a genius mathematician and physicist? This is a riveting and heartbreaking story of their love affair. It was fascinating.
Best Middle Grade Novel: Wishtree by Catherine Applegate– Told from the perspective of a tree, the history, heartache, and hope of a little town is revealed by one little tree. Beautiful, imaginative, and wonderful.
Best Sophisticated Brain Candy: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandya Menon– When Dimple heads to Standford for a summer program, she has no idea her traditional Indian parents have betrothed her to another student in the program. Calamity ensues, and it is funny, sweet, and light. Sometimes you just need a light read, this is it, but well written.
Best Non-Fiction: A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park– A simply stunning novel about the lost boys of Sudan. Everyone should read this book, and teachers or parents of 4th graders and up should add it to their read aloud list.
Colson Whitehead uses an actual railroad under the ground as the center of the affecting tale of a slave’s s fight to be free. Cora is the lowest of all slaves on the plantation. Living in the hob, where the least desirable and most abused slaves are sentenced to live. She tends one small plot of dirt and grows a handful of her own vegetables. Even this pitiful plot of land is destroyed by a fellow slave. One night Cora takes her chance, and runs, beginning her journey on the train to freedom. With a fellow slave, her journey begins rough, and proves to be a grueling fight to live in peace. Stories of the horrors of slavery are nothing new in our literature, yet this book gets deep into the core of the depraved beliefs that kept freedom from so many people. Slave catchers hunt for Cora the entire book, bent on revenging her betrayal, and ultimately cleansing the world of black people. These horrors need to be read about and thought about, because prejudice is still alive today. This book is a sad journey, you will feel the depths of despair with Cora, but also clutch to hope alongside her. The Underground Railroad is an impeccable work of fiction. Let us all never forget the history before us and work to right the wrongs.
Beginnings and Book Ends 