Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding

by Maia Kobabe, Sarah Peitzmeier PhD, Maia Kobabe (Illustrator)

Overview

A graphic guide to chest binding with real-life stories and research-backed advice from bestselling Gender Queer author MAIA KOBABE and University of Michigan professor SARAH PEITZMEIER.

Breathe arose from the need for a resource for folks considering chest binding as gender-affirming care. Dr. Peitzmeier interviewed twenty-five people of different ages and backgrounds about their journeys with binding, and then she and Kobabe combined excerpts from those interviews with evidence-based resources on binding into this extremely accessible guide. 

Breathe is both a practical resource for trans and nonbinary folks and an engaging and perspective-broadening read for anyone interested in what it means to be on a journey of expressing one’s gender in ways that are joyful, healthy, and affirming.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593855836
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/07/2024
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.38(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Maia Kobabe (e/em/eir) is the author and illustrator of the award-winning and bestselling Gender Queer: A Memoir, the most banned book in America in 2021 and 2022. E and eir work have been featured in Time, NPR, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and many other outlets.

Sarah Peitzmeier (she/her), PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing and School of Public Health. Her mixed methods research focuses on the epidemiology and prevention of gender-based violence, as well as LGBTQ+ health and HIV. She has received funding for her research from the NIH, CDC, and Canadian Institutes of Health Research and is best known for her research to understand, screen for, and intervene to prevent intimate partner violence in transgender populations, as well as her work around the health impacts of chest binding in transmasculine individuals. Her ongoing work includes intervention development studies to prevent campus sexual assault against transgender undergraduates and cisgender women undergraduates. She received her PhD from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2017.

Editorial Reviews

★ "A short but powerful, important work. A unique, thoughtful, and evidence-based book perfect for individuals of any age considering binding or for readers interested in understanding the practice more thoroughly."—Booklist, starred review

★ "This is an essential purchase for all secondary and public library collections as it provides health information in a readily accessible manner that is otherwise difficult to find in science-based ­resources."—SLJ, starred review

"Practical, well-researched, and inclusive, this book is a breath of fresh air for readers looking to make informed, destigmatized, health-conscious decisions, and avoid the dangerous binding practices that occur due to an absence of information and surplus of judgment."—BCCB

From the Publisher

2024-02-03
Stories and information about chest binding from university researcher Peitzmeier and award-winning author/illustrator Kobabe, who's known for Gender Queer: A Memoir (2019).

Through anonymized, illustrated interviews, female-assigned people of various ages, races, and genders share their experiences with chest binding. Within these meaningful personal stories, they touch upon issues of mental health and describe how binding has made them feel more at ease in their bodies, as well as some of the physical issues that can arise when binding. The authors approach the topic from a harm-reduction standpoint, providing advice on ways to minimize these problems without giving up binding entirely. This book is a valuable resource for people who bind or want to bind, and the stories are full of snippets of wisdom, such as never to use ACE bandages or plastic wrap. Unfortunately, the last third of the book, which is dedicated to offering direct advice, does not thoroughly compile the information discussed earlier in the stories: The content is excellent, but the presentation is disorganized, with self-reflection worksheets, brief tips, advice in comic format, data, and simple physical exercises all thrown together, making the book difficult to use as a reference work. For example, Kobabe and Peitzmeier suggest choosing a binding method that is “kinder to your body” or trying a different style of binder, but readers must rely on self-reflection or comb through the interviews to determine exactly how to follow this advice.

A realistic, affirming guide to binding. (Graphic nonfiction. 14-adult)

Kirkus Reviews