When it comes to author Tara Westover’s upcoming Turlock appearance, if you don’t already have a ticket, you won’t be able to be in the room where it happens. But you could be in the room adjacent to the room where it happens.
The Library Presents series is bringing Westover to town on April 16 for a discussion at the Carnegie Arts Center about her best-selling book “Educated.” Tickets have quickly sold out, prompting organizers to offer an alternative for those still wanting to attend.
The Friends of the Turlock Public Library, which oversees The Library Presents, is opening a secondary room at the Carnegie with 100 seats. Attendees in this area will be able to watch and hear Westover’s presentation through a live video and audio feed and will still have the opportunity to have their book signed by Westover. Tickets for this area are $10.
Westover was born in Idaho to a father opposed to public education, she never attended school. An older brother taught her to read, and after that her education was erratic and haphazard, with most of her days spent working in her father’s junkyard or stewing herbs for her mother. The first time she stepped foot in a classroom, she was 17 years old and suddenly a new world opened up to her.
For the next decade she pursued her education relentlessly. She graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University in 2008 and subsequently won a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. She received a masters in Philosophy from Trinity College, Cambridge in 2009 and in 2014 was awarded a doctorate in history.
In 2018, she published her memoir, “Educated,” exploring her struggle to reconcile her desire for education and autonomy with her desire to be loyal to her family. “Educated” was an instant commercial and critical success, debuting at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and remaining on the list for more than two years. It was also a finalist for a number of national awards, including the L.A. Times book Prize, the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. The New York Times named “Educated” one of the 10 Best Books of 2018, and the American Booksellers Association voted it the Nonfiction Book of the Year.
To date, “Educated” has sold more than 8 million copies and has been translated into 45 languages. President Barack Obama included “Educated” on his annual reading list, calling it "remarkable," and Bill Gates listed it as one of his favorite books of the year, saying, "It's even better than you've heard.” For her staggering impact, TIME Magazine named Westover one of the 100 most influential people of 2018.
The event is from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. April 16. Tickets for the annex room are $10 and are available at https://friends-of-the-turlock-library.ticketleap.com/the-library-presents-meet-tara-westover/.
