I will start my review of Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding with I am a cisgender female who has never experienced the body dysmorphia the people interviewed in this book have experienced/are experiencing. I understand disliking one’s body and the emotional results that can create, as I have had my own issues with body love, but I cannot understand the depth that impact can take on one when it is not only not “right” by not only “looking wrong”, but also is the wrong gender or no gender at all.
This is less of a “how to” book and more of a “workbook” to help you organize thoughts and find a starting point for your journey to safe and healthy binding. As a cisgender person, I was not the main/targeted audience for Maia Kobabe and Dr. Sarah Peitzmeiers’ (and others) book, but it was an interesting introduction to what a family/friend/coworker/person in your life might be experiencing, what is happening with them. Some of the information seems logical (binding can have serious consequences to your physical health), but other parts might be less so.
Four people who bind give us a piece of their stories. Each one is a different age, stage of their self-discovery, size and race. The rest of the information comes from the creators research and experiences as well. This is a unique book that I enjoyed, but was not OMG favorite of all time, as again, I am not really the intended audience. However, this feels as if it would be a great book for the adults with trans children/teens, pediatricians/teen healthcare givers and therapists as well as the person dealing with the issues included.
The only real drawback for me are the illustrations with their mostly all blue color. This was distracting for me. The graphic novel format helps make things accessible to multiple readers, but also this can make things crowded. Yet, I do prefer having the visual as it showed me what they were talking about, such as the tape one person uses so they can be on the beach still binding, but safely and be “society modest” (my words not theirs).
Also, due to the weight of the subject, I highly recommend taking your time reading. Around 100 pages took me several days to read just because I wanted to digest the information for a better understanding. Things are not “in depth” but they are not shying away from things. I appreciated that the authors mentioned the health risks, while leaning towards acknowledging the mental health benefit. This made me feel they were not just “preaching the one way” but showing there are multiple levels to explore. This, for me as someone who is a caregiver, made me feel comfortable to read so if the occasion happens, I can have a slightly better footing, and feel good about recommending.
Available in hardcover and paper editions.
