Tara's family, and particularly her father, wanted nothing to do with the government or any establishment that might possibly be affiliated with. They birthed their children at home and did not report it or get them birth certificates unless they had to for some reason. They homeschooled which mostly seemed to consist of teaching them the basics of reading and math and then putting them to work helping the family to prepare for the end of days that they believed were coming.
As Tara grew, her father seemed to become more erratic and one of her older brothers is becoming more violent. Tara realizes she needs to get out but with no formal education and no government records of existing, it will not be easy. She receives help from many different sources, although not all of it does she feel she can trust based on her upbringing, but through it she goes to college and studies all over from Harvard to Oxford. Her only problem is that the more she travels and learns, the further she departs from her family's teachings and their idea for how she should behave and live her life. Finally, it comes that she must make a choice between the person she has become and the person her family wants her to be.
This was a hard read. It's an autobiography but still, you want those that are awful (and there are several that are truly awful people) to face some sort of justice for what they put her through but the real world doesn't work like that and they not only survive, but thrive. However, so does Tara. She has to make hard choices but she realizes that being true to who she has become and wants to be is important and it's hard to do anything but want to hug her for her courage.
Page count: 336p/4,422p ytd/315,327p lifetime
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