Recent Reads: Educated + David & Goliath
One thing I constantly like to brag about is that I am an avid reader. This has always been the case, ever since I learned how to read. I am also quite a speedy reader so when I’d run out of things to read between library trips, I would either re-read the books I owned or if I was really desperate, I would take a crack at one of the adult books my parents had lying around. I’m already 37 books deep for 2024 and between 2021 and 2023 I read a total of 247 books.
Most recently, I finished a memoir entitled Educated by Tara Westover. I am rarely compelled to review a book because it’s too difficult for me to critique art when it’s so subjective. There are plenty of books I would be able to recommend to friends and family but only in the context of a specific moment or conversation. There are also a good number of books that I would recommend to most people because they are educational or entertaining and well-written.
I wanted to highlight Educated for two reasons. Let me start by saying that it is not for the faint of heart and features a lot of abuse and violence that the author suffered at the hands of her family. I have to admit that I had to scan through some of the more brutal scenes because they are excruciating. The reason that it’s worth bearing through is because this memoir touches on so many themes that are relevant to us today.
One of those themes is the concept of privilege. It’s hard for me not to be filled with gratitude after reading this book. The author never went to school until enrolling in university at the age of 17 and I never thought of attending underfunded public school as such a privilege until now. The other thing is the intricate portrait by the author of both experiencing trauma and hiding that trauma from everybody around her. Westover is extremely transparent about the psychological effects this dissonance had on her throughout her life, especially after she started achieving some level of success.
The other reason I want to highlight this book is because it dovetails beautifully with another book I recently finished, Malcolm Gladwell’s David and Goliath. That book investigates the reasons behind the successes of perceived underdogs. One of the sections speaks about adversity being one of the key ingredients to beating the odds. Gladwell has plenty of examples, specifically around people who have become moguls within their industries despite having dyslexia (he is quick to point out that this is more often not the case and that this is one of a series of factors that come into play when underdogs win). I was glad to read Educated right after because it’s a very in depth look at one underdog and the role that adversity played in some of her achievements.
I realize that not everybody loves reading as much as I do. If you are interested in learning a little bit more without committing so much time, I recommend Blinkist. It’s an app that allows you to listen to or read summaries of books in less than 30 minutes. I’ve been using it for a few months and so far I like it. There’s a free version of the app which gives you limited access to titles but you can access the two books mentioned above (as well as some of my other favorites) here.