The Miseducation of Cameron Post: a novel by Emily M. Danforth

Cameron Post is an orphan; her parents were killed in a car accident when she was 12.  When she heard the news, Cam was on a sleepover with her best friend, Irene.  Just the day before, the girls were in the barn at Irene's ranch, kissing, a memory that leaves Cam with an almost overwhelming sense of guilt.  The novel serves as Cameron's journal of discovery; through it she speaks of her struggles to come to terms with her sexuality and her unconventional values in the highly conservative atmosphere of Miles City, Montana, where to survive means to blend in.   The tension of suppressing her identity as a lesbian runs through the first half of the book.  Eventually, Cam develops an intimate relationship with a popular and beautiful cowgirl, only to have her trust and love betrayed in humiliating fashion. Her aunt sends her to God's Promise, a residential center for re-educating teens exhibiting deviant behavior.  There, Cam discovers friendship, support and the ability to deal with her parents' death.  The book delves into complex, sensitive subjects in the stunning yet at time suffocating atmosphere of rural Montana.   While occasionally unsettling, as the voice of the much wiser narrator at the end is the same one giving a realtime account of the sexual awakening of a 12-year-old, the novel is a worthwhile read.  Recommended