This post written by editor Charity West.
Tara Westover knew her family was different from other families in her community because she and her siblings do not attend school.
Raised in Idaho in a large, Mormon fundamentalist family Tara spends her days working in her father’s junkyard, or helping her mother make essential oils and tinctures, rather than in a classroom like other children her age. However, when an older brother leaves home to attend college, he opens her eyes to the possibility of life outside the confines of her abusive and dysfunctional family. She teaches herself enough to pass the ACT test and be accepted to Brigham Young University where she quickly realizes how little she truly knows.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although the subject matter was difficult at times, Westover uses such eloquent prose that it elevates a dark story to a thing of beauty. It is easy to connect with her love of words. She also does a beautiful job of sharing her journey and growth as she transitions from the fundamental belief that her father is the all-knowing and wise family leader, to the realization that he is flawed and most likely suffering from mental illness. She comes to understand that she can love him while excluding his overbearing dogma from affecting her own mental well-being.
Memoir is not the same as an autobiography, which spans the author’s entire life. Memoir focuses on a narrow time frame surrounded by a theme. Westover does this successfully by using a short story format for each chapter, so she is able to focus on her theme of education and closely examine what has happened to her and make sense of it without being deterred by a larger narrative.
Westover goes out of her way to ensure that her memories are truthful, going above and beyond to keep the truth contract between the writer and the reader. She does this by utilizing footnotes to point out instances where she may be uncertain about an event and had two of her brothers read her account and share their remembrances of the event. She has also changed most (but not all) of the family members’ names, pointing out that although she no longer has a relationship with most of them, they are still the people she grew up loving—and continues to love—while understanding the need to exclude them from her life.
If you are contemplating writing your own memoir, you might want to explore using the short story format for your chapters. It could be just what you need to help you narrow your focus while emphasizing your theme and exploring your truth.