GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Tara Westover was 17 years old when she first stepped into a classroom.
Born in Idaho to parents who opposed public education, Westover was only taught to read so she could participate in her family’s morning scripture study, never touching a history or geography book.
“My dad was worried that ideas could be dangerous, so it was better not to get exposed to them at all,” she recalled.
When an older brother exposed her to subjects like music and math, she developed a hunger for learning. She secretly taught herself high school courses like algebra at night and, having never taken a standardized test, took the ACT and scored well enough to earn an academic scholarship to college.
After later earning her doctorate in history, Westover went on to write a book about her journey through education and the impact it had on her relationship with her family.
The author discussed her award-winning memoir, “Educated,” during a broadcasted interview on Jan. 11, as part of Calvin University’s January Series. The annual, popular lecture series runs through Tuesday, Jan. 26.
This year’s 15 speakers are scheduled to talk about issues like future of the Supreme Court, climate change, global trade, civil discourse, racial tensions and economic uncertainty.
Around 4,500 listeners tuned into Westover’s virtual conversation with Karen Saupe, the chair of Calvin’s English Department. When asked what it was like to suddenly enter a college classroom after never having a formal education, Westover described her experience in one word: Panic.
“I’d put on (my college application) that I had been homeschooled to a rigorous standard and I remember that was the phrase that was not true, so I kind of had fibbed my way in and then once I was there, I would go to classes and I just didn’t know what they were talking about,” she said.
Westover recalled a moment during an introductory history course when a professor mentioned the Holocaust, and she raised her hand to ask what it was because she had never heard of it. The class was shocked and thought she was making a bad joke, Westover said.
“It was stressful, it was just a mess,” she said. “I was trying to catch up on history, how exams worked because the only test I’d ever taken was the ACT, so that was a rough transition.”
But Westover said the stressful parts of her education soon passed, reminding student listeners that while school is stressful, it is temporary.
“It’s worth thinking about your life as a story,” she said. “There’s going to be parts of it that are sad and there’s some parts of it that are stressful and there’s going to be parts of it that you’re doing well and that’s good. It’s good that your life has shape, it’s good that you have that you have these changes.”
“I try to remember whenever I’m in a moment of a real struggle that this is a moment. It isn’t forever. It’s not permanent. It’s part of the story.”
Westover shared that her parents were very skeptical of institutions in society. She and her six siblings never went to the doctor’s office, and Westover didn’t get a birth certificate until she was 9 years old.
But despite her irregular upbringing, Westover said there were some things her parents taught her that carried on into her college education.
“I grew up reading the Book of Mormon and the Bible, and that’s not the worst thing in the world to grow up on,” she said.
”Those are difficult texts. They’re opaque, they don’t yield easily. I could myself lucky that I grew up reading that because now I’m used to reading things that I don’t fully understand, I’m comfortable with it. I’ll just keep reading it, or read it again.”
Looking back at the way she was raised, Westover said she still struggles with forgiveness of her parents, who looked away from her allegations of abuse by her brother and raised her in an unsafe environment. Her relationship with her parents has been estranged since writing the memoir, she said.
“It took me a really long time to just accept that I’m not willing to do what I have to do to be a part of that family,” she said.
“It’s brought me peace to accept the fact that I don’t get to control other people’s behavior. I don’t get to decide whether my dad will will believe me about my brother’s abuse, I don’t get to change my brother being violent, I don’t actually get to control other people’s behavior.”
Westover went on to debut at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list for her memoir and has remained there for more than two years. She was also named one of the most influential people of 2018 by TIME Magazine for her staggering impact.
Two other New York Times bestselling authors, Matt de la Pena and Bruce Feiler, were also part of this year’s January Series lineup.
RELATED: New York Times best-selling authors to headline Calvin University’s virtual January Series
De la Pena spoke on Thursday, Jan. 7, about the power of story and why everyone’s story matters. He is the author of seven young adult novels, including “Mexican White Boy” and “We were Here,” and five picture books.
Feiler is a six-time New York Times bestseller and author of “Life is in the Transitions” and “Mastering Change at Any Age.” He will share his life story and those of hundreds of others he has gathered in his book during his lecture Thursday, Jan. 21.
See the full list of speakers here.
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