The Miseducation of Cameron Post
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| Author | Emily M. Danforth |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young adult, bildungsroman |
| Publisher | Balzer + Bray |
Publication date | February 2012 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 470 pp. |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-202056-7 |
The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a coming-of-age teen novel by Emily M. Danforth published in 2012. The novel's protagonist is Cameron Post, a 12-year-old Montana girl who is discovering her own homosexuality. After her parents die in a car crash, she is sent to live with her conservative aunt. She develops a relationship with her best friend and is sent to a "de-gaying" camp.
According to author Emily Danforth, the novel was influenced by the 2005 Zach Stark controversy, where teenager Zach Stark was sent to a de-gaying camp run by Love In Action after coming out to his parents.[1] The story is set in the author's hometown, Miles City, Montana in the 1990s.[2]
Plot
The Miseducation of Cameron Post tells the story of Cameron Post, a 12-year-old Montana girl whose parents die in a car crash just as she is discovering her own homosexuality. Her conservative aunt Ruth and paternal grandmother come to live with her in Miles City, Montana. She develops a relationship with her friend, Coley Taylor, and is eventually outed. Cameron is then sent to Promise, a camp that practices "conversion therapy" and promises to teach her "appropriate gender roles." The remainder of the book explores Cameron's experience at the camp, friends she makes there and her defiance to be "re-educated".
Reception
The Miseducation of Cameron Post received mostly positive reviews praising Danforth's writing. Susan Carpenter of the Los Angeles Times called Danforth a "talented wordsmith" with "impeccable phrasing but emotional and visual clarity, drilling down into individual moments and dwelling there in slow motion to help readers experience Cameron's hopes and fears."[2] Teen novelist Malinda Lo wrote that Danforth's writing style in Miseducation was "multilayered in the best way, with a gradual, deliberate accretion of details that creates a resonant whole."[3] A School Library Journal review offered praise for the writing and sense of place that Miseducation evoked while also criticizing the pacing and length of the novel.[4]
References
- ↑ Sittenfeld, Curtis (February 8, 2012). "The Best Novel About a "De-Gaying Camp" Ever Written". Slate.
- 1 2 Carpenter, Susan (February 5, 2012). "Not Just for Kids: 'The Miseducation of Cameron Post'". Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ Lo, Malinda (February 7, 2012). "'Miseducation': A Cowgirl Coming-Out Story For Teens". NPR.
- ↑ "The Miseducation of Cameron Post". School Library Journal. October 10, 2012.
External links
- The Miseducation of Cameron Post on Danforth's website
- Excerpt of The Miseducation Of Cameron Post
- Deleted scene from The Miseducation of Cameron Post