Educated

Authentic stories told from the perspective of children whose parents are outside the mainstream are one of my favorite genres. I love living their experiences through their writing, learning how they cope and become functioning adult humans when everything around them restricts their opportunities. Tara’s story made me want to help her and give her parents a good shake; their conditional love is oppressively controlling and downright dangerous sometimes. I wanted to cheer when she succeeded in her educational goals despite the almost impossible challenges placed in her way. She did it because it was her passion; she couldn’t have created herself entirely without moving off the mountain, and by doing so, she removed her blinders and opened the door to everything else.