“When you write, you are alone. It can be a bit of a shock later to discover that…” — Tara Westover

My family was, I think, a bit more radical than most Mormons, especially on the question of gender. So in my mind, growing up, there wasn't ever any question of what my future would look like. I would get married when I was 17 or 18. And I would be given some corner of the farm, and my husband would put a house on it, and we would have kids.

It's very difficult to continue to believe in yourself and that you're a good person when the people who know you best don't.

I have a theory that all abuse, no matter what kind of abuse it is, is foremost an assault on the mind.

When I came to Cambridge, I was involved in the ward for a little bit, but I did have a very gradual process of trying to work out what I thought a good life consisted of.