Maybe I still haven’t become me. I don’t know how you tell for sure when you finally have.

Emily M.Danforth

‘The Miseducation of Cameron Post’ by Emily M. Danforth explores the journey of a young girl,
Cameron, as she navigates her sexuality in a conservative, unfriendly environment. It is a
coming-of-age novel that talks about learning more about yourself and your identity and coming
to terms with it.
In the early 1990s in a small town in Montana, Cameron discovers and explores her attraction to
girls while simultaneously dealing with the recent loss of her parents and her Christian aunt’s rigid
expectations. The first half of the book details her early teenagehood, as she rents queer
movies, secretly writes letters to a friend, and gets into a relationship. It also deals with the
strong feelings of guilt Cameron begins to feel which stay with her for the course of the story. It
shows the lengths she has to go to hide her sexuality and the consequences when the truth
comes out.

You can’t catch somebody doing something when they’re not hiding.

Emily M.Danforth

The second half of the book tackles the heavy topic of conversion therapy. After being outed by
a classmate, Cameron is sent to God’s Promise, a conversion therapy programme, for nearly an
entire year. She meets some new people—Jane, an out-and-proud lesbian with a wooden leg;
Adam, a third-gender Native American; Mark, a boy so determined to “change” his sexuality that
he goes to terrifying extremes, and several others. This part of the story sheds light on the
horrors of conversion therapy and shows the lasting impact it has on a teenager’s psyche.
Despite her unwillingness to change, Cameron starts getting influenced by the programme, and
details her warring with herself as she tries to understand who she really is.

When you’re surrounded by a bunch of mostly strangers experiencing the same thing, unable to call home, tethered to routine on ranchland miles away from anybody who might have known you before, might have been able to recognize the real you if you told them you couldn’t remember who she was, it’s not really like being real at all. It’s plastic living. It’s living in a diorama. It’s living the life of one of those prehistoric insects encased in amber: suspended, frozen, dead but not, you don’t know for sure.

Emily M.Danforth

At its core, The Miseducation of Cameron Post is about discovering yourself. It focuses strongly
on the concept of understanding your identity and who you are intrinsically. It shows how
Cameron thinks, which is just like any other teenager. She loves movies and uses them as a
form of escapism. She likes to swim, run, and play sports. She breaks some rules, shoplifts,
trespasses on private property. She kisses girls.
Everyone can find some part of themselves in Cameron, and as she starts to learn who she is,
you start learning who you are, too. It’s a lovely read for anyone, regardless of whether or not
they identify as LGBTQ+.

Written By Nandinee
Designed By Nikita

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