The Miseducation of Cameron Post

A very worthwhile Read!

I was slightly hesitant to read The Miseducation of Cameron Post. The synopsis sounded like a cliche "orphaned girl, likes girls, gets sent to anti-gay school, learns hard lessons" tragedy. I had gotten a little dismayed that so many of the LGBT young adult novels that I've read have been very doom and gloom and didn't really want to read another downer (can't there be a happy ending and maybe a less tragic love story for these protagonists?). Having heard some of the horrific stories of ex-gay/de-gaying camps, I was really concerned this would be a focal point for the book and I really wasn't interested in that storyline.

I needed a long book to listen to on a long drive so I decided to go for it since the duration would be just about perfect for the whole trip.

It took me a little while to really get a feeling for the flow and structure of the book but the story was certainly engaging from the start. The language used was really fantastic and largely felt authentic, though there were moments that didn't feel quite right, but they were few and far between.

I was pleasantly surprised that there was a lot of time spent learning about Cameron and watching her her loves (or lusts) develop over the years and it wasn't largely about her experiences at "God's Promise" (and these experiences were far from the physically abusive scenarios that are sometimes connected to ex-gay camps). Some of the story lines I'd wish had been expanded upon but it was a really nice listen (and I ultimately actually got the book to read a second time).

Beth Laufer did a nice job telling this story--her timber and tone were so pleasant to listen to and the various characters were voiced really nicely.

I was not in love with the ending of the book--it just felt like the author rudely left me hanging, but it wasn't so offensive that it ruined the book for me. I still really enjoyed the book, though it wasn't one of the books that left me thinking about it for days, weeks, and months afterward (if I could have given 3.5 stars, that would probably be more accurate of a rating).

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The story was good but the narrator wasn't

I really liked this story overall but the ending felt unresolved and left me rather unfulfilled. Also, I didn't care for the narrator. The personality of the narrator and the "voice" of Cameron just didn't seem to match to me. Normally, with a good narrator, you'd swear they were the author with the way that they just become the voice of the character(s) but in this case it was like you just pulled a random stranger off the street to read it to you.

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I just couldn't stand the narration

I can't even review the story because I just can't stand the narration. The story may be wonderful, but I won't know until I get it in book or kindle form. Just can't listen to the audible version one more minute. The narrator has a prominent accent, I guess New York or Long Island, and it is so distracting and doesn't fit at all for a young girl from Montana. Her inflections are off and it's so awful to listen to that I absolutely can't finish the book. Her voice and accent just doesn't fit the story and is terribly distracting.

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Loved this book

Where does The Miseducation of Cameron Post rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

up in the 10%

Any additional comments?

This novel's language and story is brought to life by this narrator. I throughly enjoy the performance and story. Lesbian novels that are well written are hard to come by, i look forward to more of this genre from audible in the future.

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Part 3 Needed More Work

What did you like best about The Miseducation of Cameron Post? What did you like least?

I loved Cameron's relationships with the girls in her life, and the development she showed in those relationships. However, the character of Cameron herself never truly developed in her emotional or intellectual capacity. Or, at least, the audience never really gets to see/hear that development, which is weird because it's told in a first-person perspective. Cameron never changes in the book. She is the same person at the start of the story as she is in the end. There is more development and change in the peripheral character of Jamie than there is in Cameron.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator was difficult to listen to at times, because I didn't feel she captured the essence of the character of Cameron. Also, the emphasis she put on words like "just" and "maybe" was terribly grating. And, since I'm from eastern Montana, it was really irritating to hear her mispronounce town names. Forsyth=FOUR-SCYTHE. Kearney=CARN-EE. Probably the most irritating part of the narration was that characters were practically indecipherable. Lydia was supposed to have an English accent, which was largely absent from the reading, and when she did try to have the accent, it was truly awful.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes, so long as we actually saw some emotional development in Cameron, and as long as part 3 was speeded up a bit.

Any additional comments?

I love great descriptions, and Danforth did an amazing job with the descriptions of the Montana landscape and weather. Montana became its own character in the story, and I loved that. However, this same fascination with description was also Danforth's Achilles Heel. There was a part wherein Cameron is imagining what it will be like when a character receives a phone call. The various descriptions of places and scenarios in which he receives this phone call is described in excruciating detail and for far too long, particularly when it serves absolutely no purpose. I was literally yelling at my car radio to STFU.

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An LGBT Youth Experience

I was wary to begin a book that I had heard was largely about conversion therapy, because the topic often grows too bleak for me to be able to stomach, but God’s Promise (the conversion camp) was never too over the top. In a way, the subtle, repetitive method the adults used on Cameron and her peers was unsettling in itself and eerily familiar to me and my fundamentalist upbringing.

The adults here weren’t villainous, they believed what they were doing was right, even when confronted with evidence that they were causing harm, and it was that horrifyingly, realistic portrayal of the youth camp and Cameron’s refusal to be brainwashed by the place that truly sold me on the story.

God’s Promise, however, was only half of what this novel had to offer. The majority of it was simply a nostalgic 90s, slice of life piece that gave us a glimpse into the life of a lesbian teen trying to figure herself out through the various crushes and romances she had with other girls. Cameron’s voice was strong and her comments were a mix of witty and bratty, that I personally found endearing.

*Spoiler Warning*
The ending of this book was largely open ended, but it gave closure to the inner struggles that Cameron had dealt with since her parents death. So, even if she did end up back at God’s Promise, I think it was clear that she was at peace with her sexuality.

It would have been nice to end the story with a few lines about the closing down of God’s Promise, or something of the likes, to give the reader more closure as to the fate of future LGBT youth, but I enjoyed it for what it was.

I want more!

This book took my breath away. The writing was fun, detailed and descriptive; the story intense; and the narration superb! I do not believe for a minute that conversation therapy is needed for LGBT people, in fact, I find it harmful: the destruction of the human spirit to fit into another's mold.
Cameron Post is a young girl, orphaned by a horrendous accident, who falls under the guardianship of her uber-Christian, conservative aunt. When she is discovered to having a blossoming relationship with another adolescent girl, she is sent to God's Promise (yes, full blown conversion therapy under the guise of religion) to recover from her "sinful" ways.
I want to know more... what happened to Cameron after the brilliant last chapter? Where is she today? Has she accepted herself as one who does not need salvation (I don't think any of us really do) but one who is already whole and perfect just as she is.... it's not who you love, but how you love!

I felt like it was missing something

I was sucked in and obsessed with this story from the first chapter, I couldn’t get enough of it. However, I felt somethings were missing like the ending was extremely unfulfilling, lacked character development it felt like and some plot holes here and there. Otherwise, I still enjoyed it. I thought it had an accurate depictions of teenage sexuality and fluidity. It felt like real life and I enjoyed that

WLW must read

I loved how the author wrote about Cameron Post. I was able to recollect some of my feelings I had as a teenager while listening to this story.

Great Read!

This book was relatable and showed the insights of a coming of age teen. The performance was great aswell