That experience entered my life again with the book Educated. At first, I found the stories a bit unbelievable and shocking and I was unsure why he liked the book so much. But like every great thing that has come into my life, over time what unfolded, with the turn of each page, was a reading experience, so profound I must share here.
The syntactical and artisanal use of words, reminded me of my favorite chefs use of ingredients. This author’s crafting of language was some of the best I have read. The words were like magical stardust being sprinkled on a page, words I had to stop and reread because the placement and choices were everything I long for in a writer. I had not seen words so perfectly placed together since reading Jazz by Toni Morrison a novel whose metaphorical and musical use of words still pulls at my soul.
The lessons that were unveiled in this book were life changing and consuming. The author never went to school as a kid, but ended up studying and teaching in places like Cambridge and Harvard. This book will make you question what you know about Education, family, fanaticism and life.
If you are looking for a good book to read or listen to…I highly recommend this amazingly well written tale of craziness, metamorphosis and the life altering change that comes from being educated.
To further your reading experiences, I have curated a wakelet of some of her best talks about the book to add to the reading experience. However, this video shot at Cambridge where she interacts with the audience and their questions, is one of the best I have found so I highlight it here. Here thoughts on education that start around the 40 minute mark should be heard by all and I hope you will consider watching.