The Miseducation of Cameron Post

If you were to lay out a visual storyboard for The Miseducation of Cameron Post, it would be filled with lomographic photography--retro lighting, wide-open vistas, saturated colors, and quirky, sometimes blurry exposures that provide quick snapshots of the many small pleasures of childhood. This coming of age novel, which is written more like adult literary fiction than typical YA, beautifully captures the sun-drenched mood of summer as we meet Cameron, a young girl living in a small town in eas [...]

This was a book that I *wanted* to like far more than I actually did. I'm a bookseller and I was hoping that this might be the contemporary title to hand to girls instead of (or in addition to) My Most Excellent Year or Will Grayson, Will Grayson, both of which are wonderful novels that feature boys who come out. ***************Spoiler Warning*********************One summer day, Cameron and her best friend Irene stave off boredom by shoplifting and making out with each other; later that night, C [...]

4 StarsOverview: “Maybe I still haven't become me. I don't know how you tell for sure when you finally have.”You ever read a book that just feels too real?Like everything starts fine, but then the narrative starts vocalizing feelings you’ve tried to place before? And before you know it you’re completely immersed and trying to understand why your chest aches? That was this book for me. It’s gorgeously written, and parts of this hit me hard. Aside: As powerful as this story is, it can be [...]

Despite a fictional work, it felt like I was reading a memoir or at least a diary of Danforth using the name Cameron Post. Because it was so REAL and OBVIOUS to me! What with the fact in the author's note: "She lives with her wife bla bla bla". So don't blame me for my assuming. I like almost everything about this book even though in some parts I got bored because I was just too tired to read ( I was so busy lately). The beginning already caught my attention. Man, how could you handle such a ter [...]

Rating: 4.5 StarsI rarely come across books that I cannot review; that leave me speechless, both in mind and body. Kristin Cashore's Fire is a novel I've re-read numerous times, but I can never - never - convey the depth of emotion that novel inspires in me, despite the fact that I can quote from it. Within the past month, however, I've been lucky enough to read two remarkable LGBT novels for teens, both of which have left me spell-bound and speechless. And, truly, I have tried, time and time ag [...]

DNF - pg 212The Miseducation of Cameron Post starts by painting a beautiful picture of rural Montana and childhood, but is too long a novel in my opinion. My interest at the start quickly waned as the story became dragged out by periods of extremely slow pacing towards the middle. Eventually, I no longer wished to spend any more time with Cameron and her troubles.

I feel like I've been waiting for this book for forever and it is finally, finally, finally here and it was perfect.(view spoiler)[Cameron Post is a teenager growing up in a small town in Montana in the early 90s. Her parents die in a car crash the summer she's 12, right after she shares a kiss with her best friend. Her aunt Ruth, an evangelical Christian, moves in as Cam's guardian. Fast forward to her high school years and Cam is desperately in love with Coley Taylor, a beautiful, "straight" g [...]

Even though she's a lesbian, I probably wouldn't have wanted to be friends with Cameron Post in real life. Not like I give friendship preference to homosexuals, but seriously - she does weed and she shoplifts. Keep in mind that the thought of getting a tattoo scares me.I sympathized with her quickly, though. When her parents die in a car accident, Cameron's first thought isn't horror, or denial, or anger. It's relief. Relief that they would never know she had just kissed a girl a few hours earli [...]

4.5 Stars.Original review posted here.As young adult readers, it’s somewhat rare for us to run into a book that’s more than 400 pages long, and when we do, I feel like those books fall into one of three categories. There are those lengthy YA books that are so engrossing and quick paced that you just gobble them up without ever noticing the length (see Grave Mercy), there are those that you feel could have had 100+ pages cut and have been better for it (see Partials), and then, there are thos [...]

This is hard to rate. I was going to go for two stars but I did think it was more an "ok". So three stars it is. Kind of a long (compared to other YA novels I've read) so it got a bit slow at times although I did generally enjoy reading about Cameron. Her parents are killed (not a spoiler) in a car accident and her evangelical Christian aunt comes to raise her. Let's just say that Cameron being a lesbian does not go over well. Not my favorite ending. I wanted more. Maybe there will be a sequel?

Wowwhat a pleasant surprise this was. I saw this in the Teen New Books section of the library, figured, if nothing else, it would serve as a palate-cleanser, a fluffy coming of age story. Turns out, The Miseducation of Cameron Post resonates much more deeply than the typical YA novel, filled with pitch perfect detail and honesty, devoid of condescension: a book to be shared by all. Weighing in at 460+ pages, it's really two books in one. The first half is a pretty-straightforward girl-discovers- [...]

This is by far the best book I have ever read on Christianity and homosexuality. I was thoroughly impressed with how the author handled this very touchy subject. There is no moral of the story crammed down your throat, no secret agenda. It's a story of a girl dealing with the loss of her parents while on the brink of womanhood, and it is told beautifully, honestly, and lovingly. One of the aspects of The Miseducation of Cameron Post that I have to comment on is the writing style. It is a lot mor [...]

MY RATING IS MORE LIKE A 3.5!When I first picked this book up I was so super duper pumped. I couldn't wait to read it! The cover is beautiful, the synopsis sounds interesting and exciting, and I'd heard such great things! In a lot of ways, I'd say it lived up to most of the hype: it was a very real portrait of a person, a realistic vision of a character and her journey. BUT, BUT, BUT:Oh my god did it drag out. Holy moly wowza pants. This book is 470 pages NEARLY 500 PAGES FOR A CONTEMPORARY. In [...]

Sadly really disappointed with this one. Don’t get me wrong I didn’t hate it, just think it could have been so much more with a ruddy good edit. Cameron Post is a young girl who on the day of her parents death is kissing another girl. From here we follow her growing up hiding her sexuality from her religious aunt who becomes parent by proxy and initially herself. Until, as we learn from the blurb, eventually the truth is discovered and she is sent off to be ‘cured/saved’ in a religious s [...]

This book was awful. If the author had cut out fully half of the rambling, going-nowhere storylines and spent that energy developing the characters more, it would have been much better.After all the hype and good reviews, I was really very hopeful that this would be a good one, but I found myself struggling through a few chapters a night, hoping it would get better - but it never did. The poor main character had all the makings of a classic heroine, but never got there. The text was littered wit [...]

I think there comes a point in this book at which you ask yourself if it's truly worth it to read it and for me it was ‘no, thank you.’I heard this book has been turned into a movie and I prefer waiting to watch it because I truly hope I won't have to deal with the same biphobic comments there were every two pages.It's not even just about these comments, the story had barely started 130 pages into it, these first pages were boring, and when you're book is nearly 500 pages long, you cannot af [...]

This coming-of-age story has been on TBR for a long time now. I'm so glad I finally got to read it. RTC.

Grandma stooped over with a yellow rag, sprinkling out the cleanser, that chemical-mint smell puffing around us, her son dead and her daughter-in-law dead and her only grandchild a now-orphaned shoplifter, a girl who kissed girls, and she didn't even know, and now she was cleaning up my vomit, feeling even worse because of me: That's what made me cry.I was terrified to read this book. For everything I'd been told about its spot-on characterizations and descriptions of the teenage condition, for [...]

This was such a good, realistic story. I loved the backdrop of Montana and the coming of ageness was wonderful. This story spans from cam's childhood to her being 17/18 and those are my favorite coming of age stories. I thought the way the author portrayed the conversion camp was really interesting, but also really scary to see how it changed these characters. Cam's character development was really nice and felt really natural. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants more lgbtq+ness in their read [...]

4 stars. The Miseducation of Cameron Post is an incredible coming-of-age which I'm really glad to have read. Danforth's characterization is consistent and multidimensional. Cameron is a believable protagonist, unsure of herself but wanting to be. Her internal voice is very strong.This strength of characterization applies across the board. The antagonists are as believable and complex as they are terrifying. I feel as if I know Aunt Ruth, and she terrifies me with her odd blend of well-intentione [...]

THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST couldn’t have come at a better time. In a modern world where the topic of homosexuality is so frustratingly politicized, Cameron’s story is a welcome respite. With crisp, relatable prose, unique characters that burrow themselves in your mind, and character ambiguity that marks only the most brilliant and realistic novels, THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST shapes up to be one of the best YA debuts, if not one of the best books, of 2012.There are so many things [...]

I read, with great patience, a quarter through this before putting the book away. It will remain unfinished. This book is dull. The attempt at a sensitive and ruminative coming of age story just feels plodding and tedious.

Let me be clear - I think that The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a fantastic book. It's engaging, the characters have true depth, and Cameron, while frequently irritating is most often endearing.One thing is clear, though - this is a book where no one is right and no one is wrong. Well, except perhaps Lydia, but that's an aside.The book follows Cameron through three phases of her pubescent life - just before Junior High, her freshman year and summer, and her sophomore year. Each phase is subst [...]

I reviewed this on the lesbrary and almost forgot about it!

I could not have loved this book more!

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 reas [...]

Young adult fiction is an audience category that encompasses many genres. However, one thing that’s somewhat rare to find is literary fiction for young adults, which is undoubtedly what The Miseducation of Cameron Post is. And considering the years the author has spent in academia—both an MFA and PhD in creative writing—it isn’t surprising that Danforth’s novel fits into this designator. This is a slow-moving, character-driven coming of age story, one that focuses less on plot and more [...]

It’s so difficult for me to describe this book. It’s such an amazing novel and it resonated with me so deeply, all I want to do is shout about its perfection and shove it into everyone’s face! But I’ll do my best to do better justice to this book and convincing you to read it. It’s about Cameron Post, a young girl living in Miles City, Montana. When Cameron is 12, her parents die in a car crash. Her first response is relief: her parents will never know she kissed her best friend, Irene [...]

★ 2016 AtY Reading Challenge ★: A book with a first name in the title.*3.5 stars*It's kind of hard to explain the plot of this book without spoilers. The death of Cameron's parents in something that happens pretty much in the first chapter and it was mentioned multiple times but I didn't feel it was the most important thing. The book is more about Cameron's adventures in discovering who she is.Cameron was definitely my favorite character: I loved her sense of humor and her overall personalit [...]

Danforth has a beautiful grasp of adolescent self-discovery and weaves that with ostracizing and frightening influences. She's got such perspective on the myriad human vulnerabilities. She doesn't deal in absolutes and leaves much room for interpretation. So impressed. So teary eyed. I've learned so much. Reading this was quite a humbling experience.Something about young Cameron Post's experience at a camp designed to help her "pray away the gay" really struck a chord with me--- that the methods [...]