Synopsis:
What is the difference between men and women? In Cleavage, Jennifer Finney Boylan, bestselling author of She’s Not There and co-author of Mad Honey with Jodi Picoult, examines the divisions—as well as the common ground—between the genders, and reflects on her own experiences, both difficult and joyful, as a transgender American.
Jennifer Finney Boylan’s She’s Not There was the first bestselling work written by a transgender American. Since its publication twenty years ago, she has become the go-to person for insight into the impact of gender on our lives, from the food we eat to the dreams we dream, both for ourselves and for our children. But Cleavage is more than a deep dive into gender identity; it’s also a look at the difference between coming out as trans in 2000—when many people reacted to Boylan’s transition with love—and the present era of blowback and fear.
How does gender affect our sense of self? Our body image? The passage of time? The friends we lose—and keep? Boylan considers her womanhood, reflects on the boys and men who shaped her, and reconceives of herself as a writer, activist, parent, and spouse. With heart-wrenching honesty, she illustrates the feeling of liminality that followed her to adulthood, but demonstrates the redemptive power of love through it all.
With Boylan’s trademark humor and poignancy, Cleavage is a sharp, witty, and captivating look at the triumphs and losses of a life lived in two genders. Cleavage provides hope for a future in which we all have the freedom to live joyfully as men, as women, and in the space between us.
My Edition:
E-ARC provided by Net Galley
My Thoughts:
I went into Cleavage totally blind – my decision to request it on Net Galley was based solely on a combination of the cover, and the title. I didn’t read the synopsis. I honestly assumed it was going to be a scholarly exploration of gender norms. Fair warning, in case you skipped past the synopsis – it is very much not that.
Cleavage may not have been at all what I was expecting (yes, I know, that’s 100% on me), but I was absolutely not disappointed with what it ended up actually being – a funny, moving, and extremely engaging memoir of Jenny Boylan’s life so far. And perhaps most importantly (especially since this isn’t Boylan’s first memoir), Cleavage explores how coming out as trans now is markedly different than it was 25 years ago when she came out.
By her own account, Jenny’s coming out went about as well as anyone could have asked for. Although there were challenges, they weren’t the type that involve rifts in relationships or other worst-case-scenario outcomes. And I think it is always good to read about stories like that. Yes, it is important to highlight the many challenges that trans people face every day (especially here in America where we are regressing on most social- and human rights-based issues at light-speed). But it is also important to highlight how beautiful life can be, and how sometimes we find ourselves in the presence of people who actually embody things like grace and acceptance. And that those people aren’t always the ones we might have expected to see it from.
I guess what I’m saying is that Cleavage provides a look at the nuance and complexity of people that its easy to lose sight of during times like we’re currently living in (in the USA, at least). While I think Cleavage was an important work as it was being written, I think that in light of current events and the current US political climate, Jenny Boylan’s work has become vital. MORE TRANS JOY, PLEASE. Because I’m afraid that joy for a lot of marginalized groups might in short supply for the foreseeable future.
