Educated by Tara Westover

First of all, I love a memoir, but this one in particular was excellent. The author describes her life growing up in rural Idaho with her survivalist (borderline cult-like) parents. She is “homeschooled” and, at 17, decides that she’s going to get an actual education, partly to escape her violent older brother. Beware that there isn’t a nice pretty bow on this story. It’s messy and sometimes incredibly sad, but it’s also an important perspective on adversity and finding your own way in life.

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The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls