#1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, And Boston Globe Bestseller One of the most acclaimed books of our time: an unforgettable memoir about a young woman who, kept out of school, leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University Extraordinary . . . an act of courage and self-invention. The New York Times Named One Of The Ten Best Books Of The Year By The New York Times Book Review One Of President Barack Obama'S Favorite Books Of The Year Bill Gates'S Holiday Reading List Finalist: National Book Critics Circle's Award In Autobiography and John Leonard Prize For Best First Book Pen/Jean Stein Book Award Los Angeles Times Book Prize Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she'd traveled too far, if there was still a way home.