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

Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publishing Date: February 7th, 2012
Genre: YA Contemporary, GLBT
Pages: 480 pgs
ISBN: 9780062020567

My Rating: 5 stars


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.

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.

My Review:
Wow is all I really have to say about this book. Since I saw this book on The Story Siren's In My Mailbox vlog, I knew I had to have it. For some reason I am attracted to GLBT literature. I just can't imagine struggling to tell someone an integral part of yourself and worrying if that person will accept you or not. I have never had to go through that and I can only imagine the struggles that the GLBT community has to go through on a regular basis.
This book didn't let me down. It follows the life of Cameron Post, a young lesbian teen whose parents die when she is a girl. She struggles with hiding this part of herself and worrying what people will think of her. It turns out her worry was for good reason because when her aunt and grandmother find out that Cameron has been having relations with another girl, they send her to a school that specializes in "straightening out" teens.
I can not even fathom why there are even places like this that exist, but I know that they do. I say let people love who they want to love. I know that some religions frown upon this but honestly, there are worse things in life than two people loving each other who are of the same sex. Some of the world's worst attrocities have been committed by straight people so I do not understand the mentality that homosexuality is sinful. That is just my personal opinion and I hope I do not open a can of worms with this review.
The one thing that bothered me a bit about this novel is the way that it ended. It is a monster of a book, which I enjoy, but at the end I just wanted to know what happens after the book ends. I don't want to give anything away so I won't tell you how it ends but when you read it you will know exactly what I am talking about.
This book is not for people who are plot-driven when they read a book. The primary focus of this novel is character development and it works quite well for this book. Danforth is a great writer and I look forward to reading more from her. Overall I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.