Tara Westover

Tara Westover is an esteemed American author. Born in the mountains of rural Idaho, Tara was raised by fundamentalist, survivalist parents and lacked a traditional education. With her parents opposed to mainstream education, Tara received a meagre home-schooled education and left her unconventional life to pursue formal education. After a decade of studying, Tara graduated Magna Cum Laude from Brigham Young University, won a Gates Cambridge Scholarship, and received a Master’s in Philosophy and a PhD in History from Cambridge University. As a figure breaking many boundaries, Tara Westover is an exceptional speaker motivating all audiences with her inspiring story.

The youngest of seven, Tara was raised in rural Idaho by Mormon survivalist parents. With her father opposed to public education and suspicious of the government, Tara lacked a conventional upbringing. Working alongside her mother as a midwife and herbalist and with her siblings in the family junkyard, Tara never experienced life outside of her community. Taught how to read by an older brother, Tara had an unorthodox education at home and only entered mainstream education aged 17, outside of her father’s beliefs.

Tara went on the study History at Brigham Young University, where she learned about slavery and the Holocaust for the first time. With an urge to learn more about the world and a life outside of her own, Tara ventured further into her education. After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Brigham Young University in 2008, Tara won a Gates Cambridge Scholarship and graduated in 2009 with a Master’s in Philosophy from Trinity College. Tara returned to Cambridge University in 2014 and gained a PhD in History.

Reconciling her education after haphazard home-schooling, Tara authored a memoir in 2018, titled Educated. As an instant success, Educated became a New York Times Best Seller for two years and was voted Nonfiction Book of the Year by the American Booksellers Association. Educated also has reached nominations as a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, PEN/Jean Stein Book Award & the National Book Critics Circle Award. The book is a huge success worldwide, translated into 45 languages with over 8 million copies sold to date.

Having received many awards for her memoir, Tara has been named one of the 100 most influential people of 2018 by Time Magazine and acknowledged by Bill Gates for her staggering impact, having left the book listed as one of his favourites of the year. Tara has also been recognised by President Barack Obama after he included Educated on his annual reading list, saying it’s "remarkable".

As an extraordinary storyteller, Tara is an ideal speaker for all audiences and events. With a passion for self-discovery, Tara speaks on equalising, the power of education, feminism, media, and political polarization. Book Tara today to hear her inspirational story and to motivate your audience on new experiences and the changes education can make.