Review: The Miseducation of Cameron Post by emily m. danforth

"So when Grandma met us on the front steps in her purple housecoat, and hugged a stiff Mr. Klauson beneath the orange glow of the porch light, the millers swooping around their awkward embrace, and then sat me on the couch, and gave me the mug of now lukewarm, too-sweet tea she had been drinking, and wrapped my hands in hers and told me that she was just sitting down to watch TV when the doorbell rang, and it was a state trooper, and there had been an accident, and Mom and Dad, my Mom and dad, had died, the first thing I thought, the very first thing, was: She doesn't know about Irene and me at all. Nobody knows."

There are a lot of reasons readers read.

They read because they look to be entertained. Because they look for escapism. Readers read in order to better align with the world and to better understand it. They read because there is a human instinct in us all to learn and listen and allow others to be heard - because we know, overall, that others have voices as well.

There are a lot of reasons writer write.

They write because the people they seek to entertain the most are themselves. Because it's their own escapism, although sometimes it's because it's their job. Writer write in order to better align with the world and explain their understanding of it, or somebody else's understanding of it through the lens of a character. They write because there is a human instinct in us all to learn and listen and be heard - because we know, overall, that there are just some messages best passed on through literature.

When these motivations line up, something interesting happens: best case, it becomes a best-seller. Well-known. Fades after a few years, but always sort of known as a "good book". When they don't line up . . . well.

That leads to banned book - and all of a sudden, they shoot past bestsellers and are known, almost forever, as being banned.

Today, I want to discuss The Miseducation of Cameron Post by emily m. danforth.

***

I'm going to have to start by explaining that this book, in the last few months, has developed some history. I don't want to bore you with the whole story, because it's really a roller coaster ride and it's just too long to go into. Besides that, I actually talked about it before. The only update you need is that the Cape Henlopen School Board decided to remove the WHOLE LIST in order to quell discontent, but that's another story for later. Now, I'll be the first to admit that you don't need to know the motivation behind this to enjoy the review, but I did want to bring attention to the reasons why. Moving right along.

Oh, and one more thing: I will refrain from spoilers in the majority of this review, but I will loosely refer to some of the plot, especially the plot mentioned explicitly on the back cover. So, y'know, consider yourself warned?

***

Here's a big shock: I was led to this, once again, by the Diversity in YA tumblr. I get all my good reads from them, to be honest.

As I mentioned before, I was dragged into this because of the news surrounding it. It's no secret on this blog that I happen to be a woman who is part of the LGBT community; I call myself bisexual homoromantic, although I associate better with the label "lesbian" these days. Anyhow, when this book got banned by the Cape Henlopen School Board for "swear words", I decided that I needed to get my hands on the book at some point. I picked it up from my local book store at the end of July, after a two week wait! The wait was worth it though - it took me about a week to read it, mostly because I didn't really get into it until halfway through. Even so, I think it could easily be read in a few days (although not 24 hours - you'd have to be really hardcore to do that. Although, I read half of it in a day, so eh? Mileage).

***

The book is told in first-person perspective from the view of the main character, Cameron Post, from her time before the summer of middle school to the summer after her sophomore year of high school. It spans the ages 12 to 16/17 (I assume? It wasn't clear near the end) and starts at the first day or so where Cam begins to realize that maybe she's not so straight. It's told in past tense, so the voice we hear is the voice of a distant Cameron in the future, but that doesn't take away from the storytelling.

She has a wonderful voice, which can be both very introspective and very descriptive of the action around her. Many of my favorite parts were when she talked about her personal thoughts in regards to her actions, which allowed readers a glimpse into her mind. For a book like this, I think it's imperative to do that; because this comes off strongly as an "issue" book*, it's really important to make sure the character is relatable and fully developed (spell check, I refuse to believe that "relatable" isn't a word. Stop feeding me these lies)!


*I know that there may be some people who take issue with me calling it - well - an "issue" book. The reason I label it as such is because without the issue, Cam's homosexuality in a conservative and Christian area, there would be no story; the story hinges on that fact. Of course, that's not to say that every instance of homosexuality makes a book an "issue" book either - my rule of thumb is that if it can work without the issue, then it's not an issue book. Again, I hope that doesn't offend anybody.
***

As I mentioned before, I'm going to talk about some elements in plot. There's only one clarifier that I'll throw in, but I'm going to mostly stick to what you can learn from the back cover and expound on that. Okay? Okay.

First off: dead parents in a car crash. Cliche? In most circumstances, yes, but danforth is careful to make it hinge together just right, so props to her!

Second - and this is the clarifier - no, the main character doesn't participate in a move. The blurb says ". . . Cam is forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother", but really, they move in with her. It really bothers me that the blurb doesn't say that; it's misleading. I kept reading and thinking, "So when the heck does she move?" (PS: Spell-check, calm down, "intentioned" is TOTALLY a word, you dip.)

Next point is about Coley Taylor. Coley Taylor, a cowgirl who becomes a very close friend to Cam, becomes the impetus for many of the book's events, especially in the second half. Now, anybody who's come within ten feet of an LGBT romance is going to know: yes, she becomes a "love interest" of sorts. And this is part of the plot that I do want to go into some detail on, so I will spoil, so CAREFUL:

...but yes, there is a sex scene. Of sorts. It's not explicit, and it's not even super sexy, but there is one in there. And to make the spoilers worse, um, there's actually two. It's complicated though. Shh.

Minor spoilers over - but now I want to get into some major ones. Yes, they are plot-related. Yes, this is my (sort of) last part of the review. BEWARE.

***
***

They send her to a f*cking rehabilitation center for gays.

...that whole part of the book makes me very, VERY glad that I live in this day and age.

First off, I just want to clear up the myth for anybody that doesn't know, but the whole "convert somebody to hetero" thing? IT DOESN'T WORK. It's a repression of somebody's being that ends up becoming demeaning, self-hate causing, and even self-harm causing. I'll get to that in a moment.

I am sincerely lucky. I am lucky to be blessed with parents who, while maybe not completely understanding of my situation, are still okay with me being who I am. I have never had to hide from them the fact that I was gay/bi/whatever-the-hell-I-am, and that's very good. I know others haven't had the chances; my first girlfriend, even, couldn't tell her mom she was a lesbian for fear she'd be kicked out. It sucks, I know. But I'm very lucky I haven't been there, and very thankful.

What makes it even worse in my eyes is that Cameron Post goes to a Christian institution, not because it's Christian, but because it truly takes a religious standpoint on an issue and then hammers it like it's word of God. Wait, maybe that's the point. Crap. EITHER WAY, it leaves no leeway. Religion is a very, very sensitive topic, and to use it as a way to make people change is very potent. It's not so bad with people who need the motivation of some God or something to motivate their actions, but it can be incredibly damaging for those who are told that they are sinners for things they cannot help. I've heard the horror stories, I won't get into them.

Anyways, but that was horrifying, and a lot of what was discussed in that part of the book was fucked up. I won't even hide that. It was fucked. Up. I mean, it's emotional abuse, right? All privacy was denied. You were left in a dorm with a roommate of the same-sex with a desk and bed. You couldn't even decorate your room without permission. And then you spend the rest of the time in classes or in a one-on-one session discussing the "root" of your "sin". It's like a really fucked-up version of counselling. That's bound to mess with somebody.

And SPEAKING of messing with somebody, here's the most horrific part of it, and that's this: at some point during this latter half, one of the side characters has an emotional breakdown. I hesitate to call it mental, even if that's what it was, but I digress. Point being: this character breaks down, flips his shit, it's a big deal.

And then he goes to the hospital.

Why?

HE MUTILATED HIS GENITALS AND POURED BLEACH ON THEM.

I know what you're thinking: either "Oh god, that's horrible!" or "Really? Like that's real". But it is. That's what happens when you're made to repress a part of yourself and think that a natural part of you is sinful. There are people who off themselves because of it. Hell, there are people who disown children because of it! It's bloody, and it's scary, and it's gross. But it's real. Oh, god, is it real.

The second part of this book is definitely scary, although that's by my standards, so take it with a grain of salt.

But that doesn't mean it's not real.

***
***

Oooh geeze. Let's wrap it up.

Use of Voice: 9/10. What, you say I changed my point system? Well I say SHH. Anyways, wonderful voice, even if difficult to follow sometimes. Overall, really really good. (Yeah, I'm tired as crap. I slept 2 1/2 hours the night before I drafted this. UGH.)

Style: 7/10. Room for improvement? A bit ramblely, although I have no room to talk. Still good though, better than average. (Spell check, shut up. I can type what I want, even if it's "rambley".)

Plot: 10/10. For being so real about it all.

Readability: 7/10. Again, I had to slog through it at first, but then it picked up and I was like "WHOO".

Banned Book: 10/10. What, you say I just added a random category? What do you mean? Oh, the banned book thing. Well that may be becaUSE BANNED BOOKS ARE AWESOME.

Averaged: 8.6/10. Yeah, that sounds about right.

OVERALL...read it. Just read it, okay? I don't care if you're gay, straight, bi, trans*, whatever. This is a must-read, NO MATTER YOUR AGE...I say that to all you freshman. YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION TO READ THIS BOOK.

***

And now, with the review over, I can type the rant that I've been wanting to go on ever since the school board decided to get rid of the entire school list for incoming freshmen. Please keep in mind that I have spoken to them before via email and was very polite, professional, and on-topic about the issue at hand. I got one response to that email, which I really appreciate. However, that was a good two months ago, and that was before the list was taken away. With that in mind.

Cape Henlopen School Board?

...you disgust me.

When I read The Miseducation of Cameron Post, I went into it with an open mind and an even more open heart. I knew what I read would hit at a deep part of me, the part that is very scared and vulnerable about my sexuality. I live in the closet; I'm open to family and a few friends. When I move to university (in a few days - aaah!), I will begin to live openly about my sexuality because I am sick of being afraid. I know what it's like to question and wrestle with sexuality. I'm still wrestling now.

With that in mind, I read The Miseducation of Cameron Post. I read all of it. Every last bit.

...and you guys have some major fucked-up shit going on in your part of the neighborhood if you think that this is an inappropriate book for freshmen.

For one thing, the thing about the "swear words" is total bullshit, and you should know that. Thinking back on it, two weeks later, there were no swear words that stood out in my mind except for maybe one: 'dyke'. It was used in a derogatory manner, but it's also a word that is on the way to being reclaimed by some of the lesbian community. AKA, even that's not so bad. So the jig is up on that, although it has been for a while. Stop pretending that it isn't.

For another thing, I can tell you that there's another non-homophobic reason why you might've taken the book off the list, and that would've been for a fairly violent scene nearing the end of the book. What violence, you ask? The mutilation of one's genitals after a fairly epic emotional breakdown due to the forced repression of a part of one's self, that part namely being homosexuality. I could see that being a reason why one would take the book off the list, and I could imagine that being something to latch onto. "Oh! Yes! The violent scene! Yes, we can't promote this book! People might take razors to their genitalia!"

Sorry, though, that's still bullshit.

The most important thing to remember about that scene is that it's real. I said it up there in the review. It's a very scary thing, but it's also real. Would you deny that there are freshmen, sophomores, even juniors and seniors who self-harm? Would you deny how destructive that is? The character that chooses to harm himself ends up in the hospital for his injuries, and before he even injured himself, he had a meltdown. He had a total breakdown that traumatized himself and the ones around him. And while it's horrible, it's also important, because it just goes to show how terrible these "treatment" options for homosexuality are! Isn't that important? Isn't that something that needs to be heavily acknowledged lest we forget and try to "cure" these people again?!?!

You had no reason and no excuse to get rid of this book. Oh, except for one: "There was homosexuality in it, and you can't expose that sort of thing to children. It ruins them!" Notice how fuckin' bigoted that sounds. Notice how cruel that sounds to the people who are homosexual, bisexual, any-kind-of-not-hetero-sexual.

Look: I know how the myth about "exposing homosexuality to children" goes. Show the children any kind of "this is okay" to homosexuality, and suddenly people are running around kissing the same sex, never getting pregnant, and then the apocalypse happens where we all realize that Jesus meant loving everybody despite differences and we all go to rapture-phase heaven. I get it. Scary as all fuck, the homo will turn us all, dramatic gasp. So I'm sure you think you're doing a good thing by not letting the kids read it.

Except your not.

Because that myth is just that - a myth. It's not rooted in reality at all. Do you want to know what exposure to homosexuality actually does? It shows children that homosexuality is . . . normal. Not strange, not bizarre, not wrong, but normal. It's so, so important, because if you show kids that it's normal, it makes them much more comfortable with sexuality as they grow older. I became an ally to the LGBT community probably in seventh grade, maybe even before that, and I realized I was bisexual/lesbian the summer before my junior year of high school. I was old enough, at that point, to understand that all of it was normal and okay. It didn't need to be strange and foreign because it wasn't. It was a perfectly normal thing that people just didn't understand.

The truth is that by hiding away a normal thing from kids, like homosexuality, you leave them in a fog of ignorance, which quickly leads to fear. Without that exposure, kids like those grow into adults and learn about homosexuality, and they either A) quickly look away, B) attack it with their ignorance, or C) realize that they're part of that group and fall into a type of self-loathing for not being part of the norm. Isolation from a topic creates fear and angst about that topic. I should know. I hate being in ignorance.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is such a great book because it's an honest account and look into the life of a girl who likes girls in the 1990s, and it's written in such a way that the main character's musings align with ours. It's a fantastic introduction in a very vast topic, and it's tackled from so many different angles that it's relatable. Close. It helps to push away that fog and ultimately makes the characters more understandable.

Cape Henlopen School Board, by taking away the permission of these kids to read this book (because you must know, many kids wouldn't read at all if their schools didn't promote it, and there are parents who won't let their kids read books that aren't approved by the school), you've taken away their access to something that can make them better understand the world around them. You've taken away their ability to gain interest and knowledge about an issue that is so, so important in this world. I mean, for god's sake, we're almost halfway there in the United States to having same-sex marriage in each state! Your own state allows it!

...how pathetic is that, when you're banning a book for homosexuality in a state that allows same-sex marriage...with the excuse that "it swore too much"???

School Board, you are not full of educators. You're full of bigots. Educators see the places where learning can be done and reach for those opportunities in order to help teach life lessons to those who need them the most. You . . . you're doing the exact opposite. And I pity every single freshman who now cannot read that book due to your ignorance.

But most of all, I pity your own ignorance.

I pity it.

***

I know it's been a while since I wrote a post, and I am sorry. But I am about to move, so I don't know how long this is going to last. Hopefully I'll get settled and into my classes and things will be more normal, but I can't make any promises. We'll just have to see. I miiiiiiiiiiiight write another post before I leave about the subject of homosexuality again, but I don't know right now.

I do apologize if I offended anybody with my rant, but I feel like every word of that needed to be said. Miseducation is a book I wish I had read when I was a freshman, just because it would've helped me understand more about myself and my sexuality at that time. Perhaps then, I would have a better grip on it now (although then again, I may never have a truly steady grip on my orientation). In any case, I apologize for any offense - I've just been sitting on that rant for far too long.