Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us

PEN America president and former NYT columnist Boylan’s (Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs) collection of essays alternate through memories before, during, and after her gender transition. The childhood stories, excerpts from her marriage, and stories of her children showcase the everyday-ness of her life, but peppered within these relatable moments are profound observations about gender, identity, tolerance, and hope. When Boylan transitioned in 2000, the rhetoric and vitriol against trans people was less politically organized than it is now, and the change in tolerance between then and today creates reflective space for gratitude and forgiveness within her own narrative. She writes about high school friendships, the loss of her singing voice, penis envy, her non-tenured academic career, J.K. Rowling, reconstructive surgery, TERFs (trans-exclusionary radical feminists), and the difference between private and privacy. There’s loss here, but also profound courage and fortitude. For every person who dismisses Boylan and her choices, there is another, stronger, ally who emerges to support her.