Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth

134 reviews

sammykat's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Loved this book but found it so difficult to read. Not because of the writing, which perfectly evoked the time and space, but the content, which showed how little has changed since the time the book is set. In the book, Cameron

a closeted lesbian, is struggling to come to terms with her sexuality in a very Christian small town, and is ultimately sent to conversion camp. This is strangely familiar to current UK politics, where conversion therapy is a big talking point in current (2023) politics

Additionally the other hurdles she faces and the impact on her life made for hard reading- I had to put the book down many times, but I also kept coming back.
The characters are interesting, and the way the story is told, with Caneron in the centre and others passing by her with time and location is interesting. It really helps to get you into her head. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

ember_is_gay's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

i have been wanting to read this for ages and it did not disappoint. it was so beautifully written and really raw, which i appreciated for such a serious topic. i so easily got lost in the book and could see the whole story playing out as I read (i have not seen the movie). the first part with cameron growing up was like i was reading a real life account of someones childhood from their perspective. the rawness of the second part where cameron is at God's Promise was again as if someone was talking about their personal experience of conversion camp. 
as queer people today, we should read books like this to understand our community's history (and present; conversion camps and therapies are still rife). there are moments where the camp appears fun and lighthearted but the seriousness of what those kids are going through hits out of nowhere and bought me to tears. cameron and her friends have to make the most of their situation to survive and that is made clear. they dont have any other options as they are being torn down and made to hate themselves. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Emotional abuse, Outing, Self harm, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexism, and Car accident

smisaacs's review

challenging emotional slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.5

This was a solid 10/10 until the end. I HATED THE END. It offers absolutely no resolution. I don't get it. The rest of the book was written so beautifully. I really felt like she represented the experience of living in a midwestern small town perfectly. It was so true to life. But then the ending was so unsatisfactory. It's really a shame because her writing was captivating otherwise. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

m0_x13's review against another edition

challenging reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Death of parent, Car accident, and Sexual content

Minor: Sexual assault, Transphobia, and Cancer

veskumelooni's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Self harm

a_win_in_clear_rain's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

Very slow-paced book, I had trouble getting through it, especially at first. But I’m really glad I did; I feel like I learned and so much and felt what the characters felt. Incredible writing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Drug use, and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, Car accident, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Self harm, and Sexism

Minor: Medical content, Physical abuse, Blood, Bullying, Pedophilia, and Suicide attempt

yolie's review

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

It took me quite a while to get through this book. The first half of the book is dedicated to setting the slow-paced life in Montana Cameron finds herself trapped in. 

Grieving, lonely, curious and troublesome we spend the Summer with Cameron as she explores her sexuality, much to the chagrin of her conservative and religious family and community. 

While this book could have gone so many directions with this story, it was a Bildungsroman that stayed true to the genre. Despite the circumstances she later finds herself in, surprisingly, Cameron is finally able to define for herself her identity and who she is without the judgment from her community and family.

I wish the book tied up certain storylines and situations better, although the ending tried to be hopefully and reflective of the journey Cameron had been on/ was still going on, I wish it explored the “what happens next” further.

I can’t say I enjoyed reading, but more like I didn’t mind reading it to pass the time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Outing, and Homophobia

Moderate: Gaslighting, Addiction, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Minor: Alcohol, Cancer, and Car accident

bowtiequeer's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

Moderate: Death of parent

stierwood's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Thank gd for this book. It’d been a long time since a book was a full 5 stars from me. This book reminded me what good YA feels like: sharp yet entertaining prose, the humor there, the arc strong, the metaphors intricate and visual. It’s got found family, too. This’ll probably actually be the new go-to when I recommend my friends a YA read. Just painful (but not only!) and perfect. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Cursing, Mental illness, Misogyny, Bullying, Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Chronic illness, Grief, Lesbophobia, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Medical content, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

lavenderviolin's review

emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Homophobia, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts