Saturday, April 14, 2012

Review of The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth

Title: The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Author: Emily M. Danforth
Published by: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 480
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover
Rating: ★★★★★

Summary from Goodreads: 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.

Unbelievable poignant and beautifully written.  The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a novel that will stick with you long after you've finished reading it.

I'm having a hard time finding the words to do this novel justice.  It's pure and completely real.  The characters are your everyday friends.  They are the people you see at the grocery store and the ones you see driving down main street.  Cameron is a young girl who may start off questioning her sexuality but soon realizes that there is no question, she's attracted to girls.  The story tracks Cameron's life from her first kiss, to the death of her parents, her first love, to her extremely religious Aunt finding out about her sexual preference.  Soon she is sent to a religious school to be "fixed." 

There are definitely ups and downs to Cameron's life and friends come and go.  Cameron is a person who stays true to herself, which I really admire.  She is often confused and hasn't dealt with the guilt of her parent's death, but still lives her life.  There are people in Cameron's life who I think are amazing people and I can't wait for you to meet them.  There are also some people who I think need to be given a good slap upside the head or worse.  I'm not much for intolerance or ignorance so there were parts of this novel that were simply hard to digest. 

This novel brought out the full spectrum of emotions.  There are times when you are laughing and smiling and others when you feel downright confused and upset.  It really gives testament to Emily M. Danforth's ability as an author to bring your emotions into overdrive and have you not only read about but actually experience the range of feelings this story will bring out. 

Emily M. Danforth graces us with an outstanding debut and I eagerly anticipate what she will come up with next.

1 comment:

  1. I think this one looks so good! I haven't seen much of it around but now I'm really interested. I love when I feel so many different emotions while reading. It's so awesome!

    ReplyDelete

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