When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they’ll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl.
But that relief doesn’t last, and Cam is soon forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone (as her grandmother might say), and Cam becomes an expert at both.
Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful, pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. She and Cam forge an unexpected and intense friendship–one that seems to leave room for something more to emerge. But just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, 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 exactly 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.
^ (Book synopsis taken from Goodreads) ^
A remarkable narrative told in sensitive yet bold prose. As we experience Cameron’s story, we are offered an insight into the damage and confusion of conversion therapy for something that should not be confusing (at least, not in this way): love.
We experience with Cameron her childhood crushes, teenage flings, and the scarier intricacies of love. We read about her heart and are reminded of our own. So how, how, is it fair that her love must be a burden rather than a freedom? Not just as a reader, but as a human being, we read with despair about this girl with whom we grow to carry an affection, who is unable to express the most genuine and purest part about herself: that she loves widely and loves deeply. And happens to love girls. When people say, even with the nicest intentions of comfort or hidden condolences, that ‘sexuality doesn’t define who you are’, it rubs me up the wrong way. Of course, sexuality is not wholly who you are. But it is a big part of you. It affects who you love, who your family will be, how you are received in this world. What I think we should be saying instead is that sexuality is seen and acknowledged and treasured, not dismissed, because it does make up who you are. And I think this novel does a good job of not adhering to the clichés by not giving fluffy prose, or an unrealistically happy ending to such a terrible story.
Although probably an odd thing to say, I actually enjoyed how, in some parts, the narration seemed a little dragged out and dull. Because teenage life isn’t just constant excitement and adventure (despite what some YA books may suggest). In those seemingly long-winded sections, there are words of self-reflection that are really quite thought-provoking.
If you want to read a book that will make you feel angry, emotionally shattered, but also somewhat hopeful (the book is not short of acts of juvenile rebellion and youthful antics), this is the one for you.
★★★★★ ‘The Miseducation of Cameron Post’ ★★★★★
The Power of the Printed Word 