That peace did not come easily.  I spent two years enumerating my father’s flaws, constantly updating the tally, as if reciting every resentment, every real and imagined act of cruelty, of neglect, would justify my decision to cut him from my life. Once justified, I thought the strangling guilt would release me and I could catch my breath.  But vindication has no power over guilt.  No amount of anger or rage directed to others can subdue it, because guilt is never about them. Guilt is the fear of one’s own wretchedness. It has nothing to do with other people.

I shed my guilt when I accepted my decision on its own terms, without endlessly prosecuting old grievances, without weighing his sins against mine. Without thinking of my father at all. I learned to accept my decision for my own sake, because of me, not because of him. Because I needed it, not because I deserved it.

“Educated” by Tara Westover

This thought-provoking memoir captivates the readers because of the emotion ingrained in every single paragraph.  It relates the story of an abused daughter in the hands of a religious fanatic family.  Again the Bible is wielded like a weapon to destroy human dignity.  I hope the author succeeds in healing herself as much as she has impressed her audience with her brilliant account.  This snippet catches a glimpse of hope:

“I shed my guilt when I accepted my decision on its own terms, without endlessly prosecuting old grievances, without weighing his sins against mine. Without thinking of my father at all. I learned to accept my decision for my own sake, because of me, not because of him. Because I needed it, not because I deserved it. “