Sign in with Facebook
JanB's Reviews > Educated
Educated
by
by
JanB's review
bookshelves: netgalley
Jan 05, 2018
bookshelves: netgalley
Read 2 times. Last read February 19, 2018 to March 9, 2018.
I have mixed feelings. The first half of the book had inconsistencies that left me with more questions than answers, and there is some controversy with family members who have come forward saying there are inaccuracies. A memoir is the telling of events from the perspective of the author. It's her story to tell. I hope she wrote the book in good faith, and this is her perception of the truth as she remembers it. Perhaps her interpretation of some of the events are different than her siblings. It happens.
The second half of the book is not only about her education, it's a horrific description of the physical abuse she suffered from one of her brothers. She writes with clarity the emotional devastation and consequences of the abuse and the pain of her parent's disbelief and lack of support. I wish the author the best and hope she and her family can get the help they need and find a way to heal.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3
*Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review
Thanks to my fellow traveling sisters for another great discussion:
The second half of the book is not only about her education, it's a horrific description of the physical abuse she suffered from one of her brothers. She writes with clarity the emotional devastation and consequences of the abuse and the pain of her parent's disbelief and lack of support. I wish the author the best and hope she and her family can get the help they need and find a way to heal.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3
*Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review
Thanks to my fellow traveling sisters for another great discussion:
Sign into ŷ to see if any of your friends have read
Educated.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
Comments Showing 1-50 of 57 (57 new)
message 1:
by
Marialyce
(new)
-
rated it 2 stars
Mar 10, 2018 01:46PM
Nicely done review, Jan. We are of one mind about this book.
reply
|
flag
Marialyce wrote: "Nicely done review, Jan. We are of one mind about this book."Marialyce, thanks for being my buddy in the outlier club 😊 Whew...I struggled with this review, thinking about it for days, typing and deleting....glad thats done!
Bottom line always is the thing that matters is how you feel about a book, not anyone else. 👍
Jan, I appreciate your thoughts as always. We didn’t agree on this one but as Marialyce pointed out above , it’s how we feel that’s important, even when we don’t agree . Thoughtful review!
Marialyce wrote: "Bottom line always is the thing that matters is how you feel about a book, not anyone else. 👍"Marialyce, exactly, this site is for how we like/feel about a book. We aren't professional critics 😉😊
Angela M wrote: "Jan, I appreciate your thoughts as always. We didn’t agree on this one but as Marialyce pointed out above , it’s how we feel that’s important, even when we don’t agree . Thoughtful review!"Angela, thank you for your kind words, even though we disagreed. It's uncomfortable in the outlier club and I appreciate your understanding and support!
Excellent review, Jan. I have a feeling that the discrepancies and inconsistencies would hamper my enjoyment, too. I do understand that when people have experienced the kind of trauma this family lived through, any narration is going to be warped by many factors, and in many ways. I'm just not sure that I want to read an entire book from one person's perspective of a huge, combustive situation.
Jaline wrote: "Excellent review, Jan. I have a feeling that the discrepancies and inconsistencies would hamper my enjoyment, too. I do understand that when people have experienced the kind of trauma this family l..."Thanks Jaline! Your last sentence says it all and sums up my feelings too.
Sorry to hear it wasn’t a great read, Jan. I read several high reviews of this one initially, which is on my TBR list, but am starting to read many more reviews that question the validity of the story, which makes me skeptical as well. Hope your next read is better!
Brandice wrote: "Sorry to hear it wasn’t a great read, Jan. I read several high reviews of this one initially, which is on my TBR list, but am starting to read many more reviews that question the validity of the st..."Thanks Brandice, I had read glowing reviews too, but obviously I'm with the outliers. I don't even think the first half was particularly well-written. It doesn't mean I don't have sympathy for the abuse she suffered...but the rest...well, I had lots of questions.
I do have this one to read Jan but unsure if I will actually read it or not. Nice review!
Norma wrote: "I do have this one to read Jan but unsure if I will actually read it or not. Nice review!"Thanks Norma, the reviews are quite mixed and I'm one of the outliers...so you might love it! I had my skeptical hat on, lol
Oh, dear! I was looking forward to this, but being of like mind, I’m thinking I might should pass.
Oh, sorry you didn’t like it more!
Great review, Jan! I think I'm going to skip this one.
Dana wrote: "Oh, dear! I was looking forward to this, but being of like mind, I’m thinking I might should pass."Dana, Sorry, just not a fan, but I'm the minority so you might want to give it a try!
Karen wrote: "Oh, sorry you didn’t like it more!"Thanks Karen, me too! ☹️
Michelle wrote: "Great review, Jan! I think I'm going to skip this one."Thanks Michele, I hate discouraging readers - I'm just one opinion. Maybe you'd love it? 😬
Uh oh.... wonder how I'm going to feel about it!
Holly wrote: "Uh oh.... wonder how I'm going to feel about it!"Holly, I'm definitely interested in your thoughts. I wish you could have read it with us - interesting discussion!
This one is popping up all over my feeds. Great review - yours is the first that is mixed so appreciate the honesty.
Jen wrote: "This one is popping up all over my feeds. Great review - yours is the first that is mixed so appreciate the honesty."Jen, It's definitely been wildly popular and getting a lot of press and buzz. I wish I had liked it more.
I’m enjoying your point of view on this one, Jan. I winced a bit with the comparison to "The Glass Castle", which for me is a truly moving and in many ways relatable story. Just that makes me a tad antagonistic going in, lol!
DeB wrote: "I’m enjoying your point of view on this one, Jan. I winced a bit with the comparison to "The Glass Castle", which for me is a truly moving and in many ways relatable story. Just that makes me a tad..."DeB, I wish publishers would stop with the comparisons. It sets up unrealistic expectations, and this is no Glass castle. If you decide to read it I will be interested in your thoughts.
Fantastic review, Jan. It just never ceases to amaze me how we have such different reactions to books. I bought her story hook, line, and sinker. I have been compulsively watching her interviews. What I find interesting is that she can’t divorce herself from her parents (and probably Shawn either) completely, but such are the ties that bind. Sorry it wasn’t a good read for you. Believe me, I’m usually the outlier so I know how you feel!
Debbie wrote: "Fantastic review, Jan. It just never ceases to amaze me how we have such different reactions to books. I bought her story hook, line, and sinker. I have been compulsively watching her interviews. W..."Debbie, I wrote a very long review detailing exactly what didn't add up for me then hit delete! lol. It may very well have happened exactly as she wrote it but I needed to know more of the how and why for some of them. And then there's her brother's review on Amazon, a brother that escaped and is also educated.
I agree, she needs years of therapy and I truly hope she's getting it.
Elyse wrote: "GREAT Jan!!"Thanks Elyse, I just read your excellent, well-thought out review and left you a comment!
I wasn't aware (other than what she says in the book) that others have come forward with inaccuracies. I hope too that she wrote it in good faith and according to her memories. I never felt she was embellishing the truth, but you never know.
Jenna wrote: "I wasn't aware (other than what she says in the book) that others have come forward with inaccuracies. I hope too that she wrote it in good faith and according to her memories. I never felt she was..."Jenna, one of her siblings refutes much of what she says (one that escaped and is highly educated). But as I said family memories can be interpreted and remembered very differently among siblings. In any case, she clearly was abused and had a highly dysfunctional childhood yet was able to pull herself out. Very commendable!
I agree, Jan -- very commendable no matter what the case. It's been proven that we rarely remember things exactly as they were and our memories change each time we "remember" them, so I'm not surprised that there are some inconsistencies. I just hope that she did write the truth according to what she remembered and didn't just try to sell a book. Either way, like you said, it's clear she was abused and she's to be commended for what she's done with her life.
Unfortunately I caved into peer pressure to red this one, but I am thinking of DNF as I am definitely in the outer club with it - struggling!
Jenna wrote: "I agree, Jan -- very commendable no matter what the case. It's been proven that we rarely remember things exactly as they were and our memories change each time we "remember" them, so I'm not surpr..."Jenna, my feelings exactly. I am the youngest of 4 and my memories are far different than those of my siblings. As a nurse, some of the medical aspects of the story I know are inaccurate (you wouldn't be released from the hospital if brains were leaking out?!) But I can't fault her for that, especially given the dysfunction and abuse.
Heidi wrote: "Unfortunately I caved into peer pressure to red this one, but I am thinking of DNF as I am definitely in the outer club with it - struggling!"Heidi, if you are struggling it's probably best to DNF. Books rarely get better if they aren't to your taste to begin with. Hope your next book is better!
Great review, Jan! I had issues with the book as well. It is so hard to rate a memoir. I remind people, I am rating the book and not the life experiences. I got a lot of flack for my review but I stand by it. We are all not going to love the same book and as you pointed out, two people can view the same event differently.
Debra wrote: "Great review, Jan! I had issues with the book as well. It is so hard to rate a memoir. I remind people, I am rating the book and not the life experiences. I got a lot of flack for my review but I s..."Debra, I just read your excellent review - we agree 100%. It's shameful you got flack for your review. This is an opinion site, and all opinions are valid. I still stand my mine too regardless of all the love and praise heaped upon it.
Fantastic review, Jan! I've seen a lot of mixed feelings about this one, sorry to see you landed among those that didn't enjoy it.
Melissa, thanks. iI’s certainly gotten a lot of buzz and I’m glad I read it. I liked it, didn’t love it, so it wasn’t a complete loss :)
I DNF'd. :( Thanks for giving me courage to do so ;)
Great review Jan B !! Although I enjoyed it more than you, I loved reading your thoughts 😍
Jayme wrote: "Great observations!"Thanks so much Jayme!
Megan wrote: "Great review Jan B !! Although I enjoyed it more than you, I loved reading your thoughts 😍"
Thanks so much Megan, I enjoyed reading your review too!
Heidi wrote: "I DNF'd. :( Thanks for giving me courage to do so ;)"
Heidi, I hope you've moved on to a fabulous read 😊
You & I are in the same camp on this one.
Kelli wrote: "You & I are in the same camp on this one."Kelli, yes, we are. It's always good to know it's not just me!
I'm left with lots of questions too Jan!
DeAnn wrote: "I'm left with lots of questions too Jan!"Thanks DeAnn. This book was so hyped but failed with me for those reasons.
Straight away after reading the book online I did see some of the siblings comments, I was drawn to look straight away. Well reviwed, Jan even though I liked it more.
Suzanne wrote: "Straight away after reading the book online I did see some of the siblings comments, I was drawn to look straight away. Well reviwed, Jan even though I liked it more."I had some serious questions that I didn't think were properly addressed, and given that some siblings (who have no skin in the game) denied much of it, makes me wonder? I wish she had filled the gaps for my skeptical brain.
Yes - so thought provoking! I was very late to the party on this one, but very glad to have read it, even to hear about the Universities mentioned, the geography and the locations described. It showed me a lot about America, and I was happy about this because I definitely plan on busting one day!
Suzanne wrote: "Yes - so thought provoking! I was very late to the party on this one, but very glad to have read it, even to hear about the Universities mentioned, the geography and the locations described. It sho..."It is! I think it makes for an excellent discussion book. I love that it gave you a picture of America...or at least parts of it. Hopefully not the unsavory parts lol
I felt the same as you Jan. I never wrote a review but your thoughts speak very much of what I’d have said. I do remember feeling very bad about not liking this memoir. Excellent review!
