This contextual note is provided by a UofA Graduate Student, Dana Blair to aid in situating Educated in the culture of the Mormon church. It, like all readings suggestions, is not endorsed by the U of A or the Department of English, but is provided for your reading by Dana.
Book context: This text is taken from Educated, the memoir of Tara Westover. According to Tara, her father lived with an undiagnosed, untreated mental condition. As his condition worsened, so did his general paranoia and mistrust of the government, causing him to withdraw his children from school, keep his family away from traditional doctors and hospitals, and hyperfocus on “prepping” for a looming worldwide disaster. Tara's father justified many of his extreme actions through his own unorthodox personal interpretation of scripture and of religious doctrine. For example, one day he interpreted a verse from the Bible to mean that he should only allow his family either butter or honey– not both. After deciding on honey as the acceptable food, he stockpiled 50 gallons of honey and purged his house of milk products. Tara's mother sustained a severe head injury in a car accident and self-treated her wounds at home, resulting in her own altered mental state. Tara's home life was further complicated by an older brother who emotionally and physically abused his younger siblings. Tara's memoir describes the contrast between her home life and her life after leaving home and the personal and familial dissonance that arose as she found her own perspective.
Chapter context: In the selected chapters, Tara is leaving home and community for the first time to attend Brigham Young University. Most of the other students are fellow members of her religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons). Tara is confronted with the stark difference between the way she has been taught religion at home, as interpreted/created by her father, and the way other members of her church live the religion. College introduces Tara to other new concepts that are common knowledge to her peers, such as the Holocaust, essay writing, and psychology.
Important Cultural Note: It is important to note that, while her father claims to practice Mormonism, her father's interpretation of their religion and his resulting actions are not the same as the doctrine and beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons). Even some of the teachings Tara remembers learning in Sunday school do not align with the doctrine of the church, indicating that either her memories of church and home are merging over the years, or that others in her congregation with views similar to her father were teaching their own interpretation or beliefs as church doctrine. For accurate information regarding Latter-Day Saint beliefs, see https://www.comeuntochrist.org/beliefs . I'm also happy to answer questions or speak to ways my experience as a Latter-Day Saint differs from Tara's own experience: Dana Blair dthaymor@uark.edu .