Educated by Tara Westover
I am late to the Tara Westover phenomenon, but I just finished Educated and wanted to recommend it. Even at this late in the game, the story in this memoir was not quite what I expected. It was much more about mental illness, physical and emotional abuse, and dysfunctional families than I expected. It's stranger and more tragic than I expected. There were interesting currents of religion throughout the book. Westover had been raised in a family where religion was twisted. It was nice to see her share how the mainstream religious establishment was generous and supportive. She overcomes so much, it is really not likely most people could do what she did. Which you see reflected in some of the characters who succumb to the culture of poverty.