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strawbself's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
this book took me 18 days to read, the longest a book has taken me in awhile. but it doesn't translate to the book being boring or poorly executed, the opposite actually. i loved this book. emily m. danforth's writing style is vivid, beautiful, encompassing, and has a way of crawling under your skin and settling there without you even realizing. i think i took my time with this read because it was melancholic and nostalgic and slightly triggering for me at times. despite the fact i have never attended conversion therapy (thank fucking god it's been illegal in california since 2013) i was raised in a small, religious town known for it's agricultural abundance (the location of the headquarters of sun-maid raisins and miles of grapevines. i always saw the grapes drying on brown papers next to their vines in the summers). indoctrinated from birth and sent on countless youth retreats and religious summer camps that were supposed to bring me "closer to god," not only could i clearly picture all of the settings, the people, and the interactions cameron came into contact with, but i could understand and feel everything cameron felt. for those reasons and more, this book is really personal to me. i needed to take my time to process the events, especially the traumatic ones, and to work through my overwhelming feelings of anger and deeply rooted sadness. my heart is cracked right in half for the lgbtq+ youth we have lost and continue to lose to abuses such as conversion therapy. i feel physically sick when i think about how many lgbtq+ people have been and continue to be manipulated into believing they are unwell and unnatural, fucked up in some way just for being themselves. no one should live their life hating themself, believing they have to hate themself, and being encouraged by nearly everyone around them to hate themself. it isn't a fair nor healthy nor sustainable way to live. my heart aches for the homeless lgbtq+ youth across the country and the world, displaced by others' hate and fear. i was that youth, i miraculously survived but the pain will inform who i am for the rest of my life.
cameron post is a story of grief, uncertainty, and unthinkable resilience. it moved me, caused me to meditate on my own past, my own queer coming-of-age with all its traumatic events and found family, and that's why i know it will stay with me for a long time.
cameron post is a story of grief, uncertainty, and unthinkable resilience. it moved me, caused me to meditate on my own past, my own queer coming-of-age with all its traumatic events and found family, and that's why i know it will stay with me for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Self harm
clem's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Homophobia
Moderate: Death
asteriisk's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, and Self harm
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