Educated: A Memoir Summary and Analysis

Section Three Summary: College 101 (Chapters 17–23)

Tara begins her first semester at BYU. Although nearly all her classmates are also observant Mormons, Tara finds it very difficult to relate to their more mainstream lifestyles and withdraws socially. She finds her schoolwork extremely difficult and is ashamed of her ignorance, but once she learns how to study for exams her grades improve enough to earn her a half-tuition scholarship for the next semester.

While she is home for summer break, Tara’s parents force her to work at the junkyard against her wishes. She begins to date Charles, a friend from her community theater days. Over the following months, Charles grows concerned about Tara’s home life, especially after he witnesses Shawn attacking her. Unable to admit that there is a problem, Tara picks fights with Charles until he breaks up with her.

Back at BYU, Tara learns about the civil rights movement for the first time and grapples with how her worldview has been shaped by white supremacy. She begins to open up to her church’s bishop about her family life. When Tara is 19, she develops severe pain from an infected tooth and is unable to pay for a dentist. Tara’s parents offer to lend her the money if she commits to returning to work at Gene’s junkyard, an arrangement that Tara is unable to accept. Tara goes to the friendly bishop for guidance, and he encourages her to apply for federal grant money. Although Tara has spent her life afraid of the federal government, she is desperate enough that she ultimately applies for the grant. To her surprise, she receives much more money than she needs to cover her dental costs, allowing her to feel independent for the first time.

Section Three Analysis: College 101 (Chapters 17–23)

Tara begins this section feeling shame about both her academic ignorance and her family. When she raises her hand in her Western Civ class to ask what the word “Holocaust” means and her professor and classmates are horrified, Tara reacts by withdrawing into herself and refusing to ask for the help she needs. By her second year at BYU, however, she comes to understand that ignorance is something she can fix. When she learns about the civil rights movement for the first time, for example, she is not filled with shame, but instead is inspired to productively reexamine her understanding of race in America. Her shame about her family proves much more durable and ends up costing her her relationship with Charles.

Applying for and receiving federal grant money is a major turning point for Tara. Although her parents offer Tara the money for a root canal, she finds herself unable to accept their stipulation that she commit to working in Gene’s junkyard. This is the first time she prioritizes her physical safety over her parents’ wishes. Her acceptance of the grant money separates her even further from Gene, who had always tried to instill in her a fear of centralized government.