WVU faculty and staff bring their expertise to the conversation about Tara Westover’s bestselling book “Educated: A Memoir,” in a wide-ranging panel discussion about “American Mythologies” Thursday (Oct. 24) at 7 p.m. in the Mountainlair Ballrooms.
“Educated” has sparked conversations across campus about some of the underlying themes of the book, which include the challenges of first-generation students, patriarchy and violence, the distrust of government, the militia movement and the importance of place.
Niara Campbell, program coordinator for Rise WVU, will speak about equity in higher education and the challenges students face.
Charlotte Hoelke, assistant director, Women’s Resource Center and clinical assistant professor LGBTQ+ Center, will talk about settler relationships to the land in the book, and how their identities and stories intertwine with gendered and tragic myths of Indigenous people.
Lynne Stahl, humanities librarian, WVU Libraries, will speak about gender, race, social mobility and the relationship of all three to the ideology of American individualism.
John Temple, professor, Reed College of Media, is the author of "Up in Arms: How the Bundy Family Hijacked Public Lands, Outfoxed the Federal Government, and Ignited America's Patriot Militia Movement.” He will talk about what he learned from spending a lot of time with people in the patriot movement and how those takeaways intersect with Westover’s experience.
The Campus Read is a project of the WVU Humanities Center. The event is open to the public.