Review: The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
Young Adult/ Contemporary (LGBT)
Hardcover, 480 pages.
Published Feb. 7th, 2012 by Balzer + Bray
Source: Gifted an ARC

When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief she’ll never have to tell them that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl.

But that relief soon turns to heartbreak, as Cam is forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and not making waves, and Cam becomes an expert at this—especially at avoiding any questions about her sexuality.

Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. To Cam’s surprise, she and Coley become best friends—while Cam secretly dreams of something more. Just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, her secret is exposed. Ultrareligious Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to “fix” her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self—even if she’s not quite sure who that is.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a stunning and unforgettable literary debut about discovering who you are and finding the courage to live life according to your own rules.

This book was quietly beautiful.  It had many passages that really moved me, words that really stuck in my head and felt so very perfect.  It was slower paced but never boring.  I found myself captivated by Cameron Post and her life as it felt so very similar to my own as a teenager.  I didn't struggle with the same issues she did exactly but I still felt such a strong connection to so much in this book it took me back to my teenage years more then probably any other contemporary I've read.  One reason is that this book takes in Miles City Montana and while I grew up in Sturgis South Dakota (a small town as well) I did spend many weekends and most summers in Sheridan Wyoming which is quite close to Miles City.  We shopped in Billings (those from Miles City did as well) and we just lived similar lives.  Lots of cowboys, lots of super religious people, lots of parties and smoking of weed (yes, there's lots of marijuana smoking in this book) and all those little things just brought me closer to Cameron and her life.  I also had a very close friend who liked girls and struggled with the things that Cameron did.  As her close friend it was so hard to watch her go through everything, to be ridiculed and put down and told it's a sickness and she needs to be strong in her faith and overcome it.  I spent so many nights with her trying to convince her that nothing was wrong with her and once she was 18 she could get out of there and she would see that she's not the only one in the world and that others will accept her.  


Another thing that I loved was that this takes place in the early 90's.  I was a teenager in the 90's as well so the pop culture references, the music, the movies, the words, every little thing, that was me, that was my life as a teen.  I remember watching Beaches over and over with my friend and crying and crying.  I remember listening to the music Cameron listened to.  All these things aren't that important to the story, but for those of us that lived through that, it's just a big bonus and made the book that much better for me.


This isn't a book for everyone.  It has a strong LGBT theme.  There's drug use (just marijuana) and drinking.  There's cursing.  There's sex (no description really, you just know what happens).  Personally none of this bothered me which is strange since I usually dislike much of any of that and all of it is actually quite present in the book.  Maybe it was because I was transported to being a teen and this book felt as accurate and authentic as it gets.  


I very highly recommend this book and if you're concerned about getting it for your child or your classroom give it a read first.  It's one I really feel should be in classrooms as there are so many teens that could really benefit from it, but I can also see that it is probably a book that will enrage some parents.  It's definitely a high school and older kind of book.


Please, please give this book a chance.  It makes me tear up to think about it, but this was a book I really could have used as a teenager.  Whether a person is LGBT, it doesn't really matter.  There's so much to connect with in this book for any teenager. 


I give this one 5/5 stars, how could I not?  It's perfect!