If you loved Tara Westover's an isolated upbringing, the pursuit of education, and the tension between family loyalty and independence, start here.
A good next read doesn't have to repeat the same plot. These suggestions follow different connections to Educated; use the explanation beside each pick to find the experience you want more of.
Reading note: this list may include trauma, abuse, or other emotionally difficult material. Check individual content notes before choosing.
Walls also writes about growing up in an unstable family and building an independent adult life. The connection is the complicated mixture of affection, neglect and resilience rather than an identical upbringing.
For another memoir about education and identity, follow Obama from her Chicago childhood into public life. The circumstances are different, but both books explore the work of defining a life beyond early expectations.
For a more psychologically focused memoir about rebuilding a life after trauma, Eger combines her experiences as a Holocaust survivor with reflections from her later work as a therapist.
Start with the connection you want to keep: an isolated upbringing, the pursuit of education, and the tension between family loyalty and independence. Read the reasons above rather than treating the first suggestion as a universal best match. A change of tone or pacing can make a book feel very different even when the themes overlap.
This is a read-alike list, rather than a reading order for Educated. Some suggestions begin their own series. Check the linked book information for the appropriate starting volume and whether the series is complete.
We selected these books by comparing their subjects and approaches using author and publisher descriptions. Each suggestion links to book details; the comparison is our editorial judgment.
Read the author and publisher descriptions behind these editorial suggestions.
James Clear
3 books to explore
Yuval Noah Harari
3 books to explore
Stephen R. Covey
3 books to exploreMichelle Obama
3 books to explore