The Miseducation of Cameron Post
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
My rating - 4/5
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"The Miseducation of Cameron Post" is definitely a must-read. I constantly found myself captivated by Emily Danforth's use of language. The author delineates every single emotion I thought were impossible to put down in words. Therefore, being engaged with the story was not a difficult task, despite its length.
In addition, the main protagonist is one of the most likable, fleshed-out characters I've encountered that isn't entirely a good person. There are multiple points in the novel where Cameron says or acts innapropriately. But each time, there is a reason why it is brought up. And Cameron, eventually, learns to reflect on her behavior. This is not explicitly stated, but can be inferred when (view spoiler)[she feels bad about her attitude towards Ruth. (hide spoiler)] Cameron's character is unbashedly queer, which is a huge plus. The author doesn't avoid words like "lesbian" and "gay" and has Cameron never apologize for her queerness. It's a breath of fresh air, since many LGBTQ+ YA books focus on self-doubt and hatred - which is equally important. Though, a lighthearted an embracing "genre" within LGBTQ+ YA literature is always refreshing.
Unfortunately, I did have to collar my rating.
Firstly, Cameron was strangely calm for someone in a cult-like conversion therapy center. Even before she arrived, she treated it as if it would be some kind of vacation. The only instance of her opposition was when (view spoiler)[she lashed out at Ruth. (hide spoiler)] I can make an attempt at explaining this, through the viewpoint of an aspiring author. Perhaps she really did treat it like a vacation because she felt unsafe at her own home, where the Pastor and her own family members seemed to resent her, where (view spoiler)[her best friend (and crush) told on her, even blaming her. (hide spoiler)] She could feel betrayed, and thus, feel relieved she was being sent away. But if this was the case, I wish the author could have made it slightly clearer.
Additionally, Jamie was not a likeable character to me. I think this is mostly due to his language, which leads me to a secondary point. The author's use of slurs, especially the D-slur, was somewaht unecessary, at least to a certain degree. Especially when it was Jamie saying it, I could see howthe word would negatively impact and even trigger readers. In Emily Danforth's defense, this novel was set at a point in history where the word and other slurs were used on the daily. Still, there were points in the story where a different word would have easily sufficed. On the same topic, Jamie was absolutely forgiven too easily, and too quickly. He had no character redemption arc, rather, one day Cameron decided things were back to normal: pre-Prom and pre-everything-hurtful-Jamie-had-said-to-her. (view spoiler)[He even kissed her not once, but three times - excluding the times they made out in her room. It could be argued that Cameron allowed him to do so, but after specifying that she was a lesbian, Jamie brushed it aside entirely, reinforcing the "I could fix that" trope. (hide spoiler)]
Laslty, I didn't particularly enjoy the way the book ended. Do correct me if I'm wrong, but (view spoiler)[Cameron's intetntions to speak to her parents was not commonly brought up throughout the book. However, she mentioned wanting to for the longest time. Also, whether or not Cameron, Adam, and Jane successfully made it out was ambiguous - (hide spoiler)] which I believe was the author's intention, but was anticlimactic, considering everything we've learned and experienced with said characters.
But in the end, this novel is undoubtedly a new favorite of mine. As I mentioned earlier, the length of the novel may be intimidating, but it was so worth the time. "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" has opened my eyes to YA queer literature and inspired me to do some writing myself.
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