the three books on the top shelf of my end of year list are not fiction. (whaat!) in a plot twist, I have chosen three memoirs as my favorite books of the past year – in no particular order, they are EDUCATED by Tara Westover, SMALL FRY by Lisa Brennan-Jobs and BECOMING by Michelle Obama.
let us begin with EDUCATED, the extraordinary story of Tara Westover, who now only thirty-two, who, while you were buttering your baked one, or dipping it in some ketchup, grew up on a potato farm in Idaho. her parents were survivalists, ready to go at any time with their “head for the hills” bags, should a catastrophe hit. Tara never attended formalized schooling until 17 and never received professional medical care, except for home remedies. Westover’s book is an interesting study of what does educated mean (the book title a direct irony of this).
it is a brave book about an unconventional upbringing. Bill Gates recently interviewed Tara and you can watch it here. Tara interview
SMALL FRY is the story from Lisa Brennan-Jobs, the sometimes estranged daughter of Apple founder, Steve Jobs. Lisa’s book is a reveal of her childhood, her girlhood struggles and the final acceptance that she may never be the apple of her father’s eye.
it too is a brave book and not intended to expose the flaws of Jobs, but in the true story of her childhood, does do just that. more with Lisa here Lisa interview
the highly publicized memoir from former first lady, Michelle Obama, BECOMING, will inspire you. from disciplined piano lessons to the halls of Princeton, to her journey to the White House, Mrs. Obama bravely reveals her fears and uncertainty during each stage of her ordinary girlhood to her extraordinary adulthood. catch more of her story on her extended tour book tour
all three books are written with spectacular precision, and although the circumstances and outcomes are not the same for all of us, the emotions and thought processes are similar. the lessons from Tara, Lisa and Mrs. Obama are to always hold individual values close, follow what we believe in, and always, always be brave when struggle meets us down the path.
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