The fact that Tara uses her old journals when writing her memoir really helps the reader understand how she feels in the story. At first view, it might seem like these entries are irrelevant because Tara was masking the truth. However, when you take the time to think about each entry, they are the exact opposite of irrelevant. For example, when she writes “I decide that if I had asked differently, been more calm, he would have stopped” (Westover 195), she is hiding from the truth. Since she has been hurt so much, she grew a shield around herself for protection. She is so used to live like…