This book gripped me. Similar to how The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls and If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood by Gregg Olsen had gripped me when I read them.
I thought it was beautiful how Tara was upfront about how things could have been different than she remembered, how her memories are sometimes changed and reconciled.
After finishing the book, i was left wondering about Tara and her life now. I’m sure she is moving on the best she can, <! living a life no where near Buck’s Peak in Idaho, visiting her Aunt every year or so. I wanted to hear about what happened when she finished the book, when the drafts were given to the family, how they reacted.
Since finishing the book, I read the archived blog from her brother Tyler. From there I learned that “Shawn’s” true name was Travis, and then I learned that he passed away in 2024.
Tyler’s blog was difficult for me to read. He was sharing his side of things and how it was for him growing up, all the time not acknowledging that things were very different for his little sister. First she was girl and second there was so much time between their upbringings. He made the point that there were lots of books about world war 2 and even the Diary of Anne Frank, but that was all when he was going through school and Tara was not born yet or extremely young. With the condition of the home, could those books be found? Were they ruined? Covered in mold or mildew and tossed away?
I also wanted to address another poster here on Reddit who did not believe Tara could have studied enough to get the proper score on the ACT which I found shocking.
If you are learning to a test, it’s fairly straightforward to find out what you need to know and make a point to learn it. Tara is also honest about her mother helping her because she wanted to learn. She says in the book that they struggled through, that neither of them knew what they were doing. But there is also research out there or maybe it is anecdotal that children just click with topics we’ve been trying to teach them and that a 7 year old might be given 0 education in math and catch up to his peers who have been doing math since pre-K in a matter of weeks. So I don’t think any of this is a lie.
Tara dedicates the book to Tyler who was an example getting out of Buck’s Peak and going to school. He inspired her drive and allowed her to see it as a possibility for her too and was there for her to call on, as seldomly as that may have happened.
Thank God for all those people looking out for Tara. The Pastor at the church in her school and the professors who saw something special in her and pushed her forward. What a beautiful yet heartbreaking story of one’s life. Thank you for sharing with us, Tara. I hope you are doing okay! !>
by CalicoCatMom41