Description
What is the difference between men and women? 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.
Product Details
| Publisher | Celadon Books |
| Publish Date | February 04, 2025 |
| Pages | 256 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Hardback |
| EAN/UPC | 9781250261885 |
| Dimensions | 9.6 X 6.5 X 0.8 inches | 1.0 pounds |
About the Author
Reviews
"With its frank depiction of marriage and parenthood after transition, She's Not There mapped what was, for many, uncharted territory. Cleavage picks up the story with confidence, clarity, and perspective....[it's] I Feel Bad About My Neck for sexagenarian trans people and, really, anyone who wants to know how it feels to live many lives."
—The New York Times
"Boylan has a unique perspective, having navigated the world in two genders, and she augments her own experience with a big-picture examination of what it means to be who you are."
—The New York Times Book Review, 20 Books Coming in February
“With Cleavage, her new memoir-in-essays, she examines the growing gender divide at this critical juncture in the U.S. [reflecting] on the differences between manhood and womanhood as she has experienced them since her transition in 2000, as well as the experiences of those who exist outside the binary, in hopes of narrowing the gap between us all.”
—TIME
"Cleavage poses a range of questions, including how gender affects our body image, relationships and our sense of self. Throughout its pages, Boylan also considers her own journey as a writer, activist, spouse and parent in the present day, and the prevailing power of love."
—People Magazine
"Jenny's honest, intense lived experience gives us a compassionate prism through which to see this changing world."
—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Boylan writes with great humor, wisdom, and warmth about what it means to be human—at different ages, and in different genders—in this confounding world. Compulsively readable and often outright hilarious, this book is a treasure.”
—Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers and I Have Some Questions for You
“For those who have never felt at home at home—and that’s a lot of us these days—Jenny Finney Boylan’s story is a story of faith, hope, and, above all, love.”
—Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street
"Once again, the legendary Jenny Finney Boylan serves up a memoir for the ages with a hard-won tale about women and men and the nexus between parenting a child self into her true form, then having to apply that wisdom as a parent to an offspring. As with all her books, it’s unforgettable. Buy this book!”
—Mary Karr, author of The Liars’ Club, Cherry, and Lit
"Boylan is an accomplished and playful writer, adept at handling serious subjects with a light but poignant touch… Readers will be equal parts entertained and edified.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"[T]his luminous memoir-in-stories… is always erudite, enlightening, and thought-provoking. Love is never far from her consciousness. She concludes that with a little luck, love might prevail, and readers will hope so, too."
—Booklist, Starred Review
"An exploration of gender that effectively balances pathos and humor."
—Kirkus
“Jennifer Finney Boylan’s latest memoir-in-essays, Cleavage, is a sometimes funny, sometimes elegiac, meditation on gender, parenthood and coming to terms with herself.”
—BookPage
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