Attacks on the freedom to learn, teach, and write are happening all across our country—from bans on books to legislative disputes over what topics can be taught in classrooms. PEN America is battling these forces of repression, fighting against bills that would explicitly ban works that shine a light on the history of our country. 

Attacks on free expression and educational autonomy are dangerous. I know this from my own experiences. I was raised in the mountains of Idaho by survivalist parents, who kept me out of school because they did not want me exposed to books or ideas that they considered immoral. The result was that I was seventeen years old before I set foot in a classroom. In my memoir, Educated, I wrote about the consequences of not having access to other points of view besides those of my own family—to other minds, histories, and experiences. 

I became a PEN America Trustee because I believe in the freedom to learn, live, and write. Your gift to PEN America is a clear call to defend free expression and the freedom to learn. 

Thank you for your generosity, 




Tara Westover

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