If you enjoy reading books by Tara Westover then you might also like the following authors:
Books by Jeannette Walls often explore family dysfunction, resilience, and the struggle toward self-discovery. In her memoir “The Glass Castle,” she shares her childhood experiences with captivating honesty and emotional depth.
The story paints a vivid picture of her unusual upbringing marked by poverty, neglect, and periods of adventure due to her parents’ unconventional lifestyles.
While her father passionately dreams of building a magnificent glass castle for the family, the stark realities of their day-to-day existence reveal the complexity of love and disappointment in dysfunctional families.
Readers who appreciated Tara Westover’s “Educated” may find a similar sense of raw honesty and insight in Walls’ writing.
Cheryl Strayed is an author whose work resonates deeply with readers drawn to raw, authentic personal narratives, similar to those found in Tara Westover’s “Educated.”
In her memoir “Wild,” Strayed tells her remarkable story of grief, healing, and resilience after the loss of her mother. With no backpacking experience, she sets out alone to hike the Pacific Crest Trail—a demanding journey that tests her physically and emotionally.
As setbacks and struggles arise, readers witness her determination, vulnerability, and humor. The memoir touches on themes of healing, self-discovery, and redemption, making it an unforgettable story for those who appreciate powerful true-life memoirs.
Mary Karr is an author known for her honest exploration of family and identity through memoir. Her book “The Liars’ Club” vividly captures her turbulent childhood in a small Texas town, marked by volatile relationships and complex family secrets.
Karr shows how memory shapes who we become. She draws readers into her childhood world with sharp humor and emotional depth. Anyone who enjoyed Tara Westover’s “Educated” might appreciate Karr’s candid portrayal of navigating a challenging upbringing.
Readers who enjoy Tara Westover’s intimate storytelling and honest reflections might connect with Elizabeth Gilbert. Gilbert is skilled at weaving personal journeys into powerful narratives. Her memoir “Eat, Pray, Love” captures a year-long quest after a tough divorce.
Gilbert travels across Italy, India, and Indonesia in search of pleasure, spirituality, and balance. Each location delivers vivid insights and personal revelations that readers can easily relate to.
Fans of Westover’s “Educated” will find similar threads in Gilbert’s transparent exploration of self-discovery and emotional growth.
Books by Anne Lamott often speak to those who appreciated Tara Westover’s “Educated”. In her deeply personal memoir “Traveling Mercies”, Lamott shares her journey through faith, motherhood, addiction, and finding peace in life’s messiness.
With authenticity and a sense of humor, she recounts transformative experiences from losing friends to addiction and illness, to raising her son alone, to discovering hope in unexpected places. Like Westover, Lamott tells her story openly, unfiltered and without sentimentality.
Her narratives resonate because they feel honest and relatable.
Joan Didion is an American author known for her thoughtful memoirs and sharp observations on society. If you enjoyed Tara Westover’s memoir “Educated,” Didion’s “The Year of Magical Thinking” may interest you as well.
A deeply personal memoir, it explores Didion’s life after the sudden loss of her husband. She writes openly about grief, memory, and the complicated ways people cope with devastating change.
Her reflections are honest and precise, offering a clear-eyed look at sorrow without becoming overly sentimental. Through Didion’s elegant yet straightforward style, the memoir captures moments of sadness, resilience, and the challenge of confronting intense personal loss.
If you enjoy Tara Westover’s honest exploration of self-discovery and personal freedom, you might appreciate Glennon Doyle. Doyle is an author who writes candidly about her own journey toward authenticity.
In her memoir, “Untamed,” Doyle shares her story of breaking free from social expectations and rediscovering herself. She depicts openly the challenges she faces in marriage, motherhood, and societal pressures, emphasizing the courage needed to follow an inner voice.
Her reflections are sincere, powerful, and thought-provoking, especially regarding her efforts to build a life true to herself.
For readers seeking narratives of transformation and personal growth, Glennon Doyle’s writings provide an authentic look into one woman’s quest for a genuine life.
Trevor Noah is a comedian and writer known for his memoir “Born a Crime.” This book takes readers back to Noah’s childhood in apartheid South Africa, where being born to a black mother and a white father was literally a crime.
He uses humor, honesty, and sharp insight to portray life under a brutal system of racial segregation. Noah shares vivid stories from his youth, about navigating different cultures, neighborhoods, and languages to find his place.
Readers who appreciated Tara Westover’s “Educated” will find “Born a Crime” equally thoughtful and inspiring. Noah’s tale offers a unique perspective on identity, family dynamics, and resilience against difficult odds.
Sue Monk Kidd is a powerful voice in contemporary literature, known for her vivid storytelling and profound exploration of personal growth.
Her book, “The Invention of Wings,” tells the powerful story of Sarah Grimké, a young woman from a privileged Charleston family who longs for freedom from societal constraints, and Hetty “Handful” Grimké, an enslaved girl yearning for liberty.
Set in early 19th-century America, it follows their intertwined lives over several decades, illuminating the harsh realities of slavery, friendship, and individual courage.
If you’re drawn to Tara Westover’s honest portrayal of challenging family ties and the search for self-identity in “Educated,” Sue Monk Kidd’s thoughtful narrative and richly developed characters in “The Invention of Wings” may resonate deeply with you.
Books by Maya Angelou can resonate deeply with readers who enjoyed Tara Westover’s “Educated.” Angelou writes with honesty and warmth about her childhood experiences in the memoir “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”
She describes growing up in the American South, touching on the pains and joys of her early years, including living in her grandmother’s small rural town in Arkansas and later moving to California. Angelou openly explores complex themes of race, identity, trauma, and resilience.
Her voice comes through vividly, pulling the reader into her world from page one.
If you enjoy Tara Westover’s powerful storytelling and focus on family relationships, you might also appreciate Kristin Hannah’s novels. Hannah writes emotional narratives that center around resilience, family ties, and personal growth.
Her novel “The Nightingale” explores the lives of two sisters during World War II in Nazi-occupied France. It portrays the challenges they face, the tough decisions they must make, and how their courage shapes their family’s legacy.
This novel offers an affecting portrayal of women’s strength in difficult times and the complexity of sibling bonds, combined with vivid historical elements.
Books by Michelle Obama offer personal depth and honest storytelling readers of Tara Westover might appreciate. In her memoir “Becoming,” Michelle Obama reflects on growing up in a modest Chicago neighborhood.
She describes the strong influence of her family, the challenges she navigated as a black woman attending an Ivy League university, and eventually becoming First Lady.
Obama’s journey highlights themes of identity, resilience, and the power of education, echoing the spirit readers found appealing in “Educated” by Westover.
Books by Brené Brown appeal to readers who enjoyed Tara Westover’s focus on vulnerability, authenticity, and confronting personal struggles. One standout title is “Daring Greatly,” which challenges readers to see vulnerability not as a sign of weakness but as courage.
Brown shares engaging stories and thoughtful research that reveal how embracing vulnerability can transform relationships, parenting, and professional lives.
Her approachable style and heartfelt insights allow readers to relate genuinely to their own experiences while discovering greater self-awareness and connection.
If Tara Westover’s memoir “Educated” resonated with you, Brown’s exploration of emotional honesty and personal growth could become a meaningful next read.
Hillary Rodham Clinton is a well-known political figure and author whose memoir, “Living History,” candidly explores her life from childhood through her years in the White House.
Readers who appreciated Tara Westover’s “Educated” might connect with Clinton’s journey from a middle-class upbringing to becoming an influential public voice.
This memoir provides a textured portrait of key experiences, sharing openly the struggles of balancing public and private life while facing intense scrutiny.
Clinton discusses moments of personal challenge, resilience, and self-discovery as she navigates family, career, and political pressures.
Her narrative gives a behind-the-scenes look at historic events and personal crossroads, making it an engaging read for anyone drawn to thoughtful memoirs.
Sherman Alexie is an American writer known for exploring stories about identity, family, and what it means to grow up between two worlds.
If you connected with Tara Westover’s memoir “Educated,” Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” could speak to you in a similar way. The novel introduces Junior, a teen from the Spokane Indian Reservation.
He decides to leave his reservation school and attend a high school in a mostly white town nearby. Told with honesty, humor, and illustrations, the story captures Junior’s experiences as he navigates a path between loyalty to his community and pursuing opportunities elsewhere.
Alexie’s straightforward style helps readers feel what it’s like to step into unknown territory in search of belonging and identity.