I'm so glad this book exists! Based on a study of over 800 participants who use binding in their everyday lives, this book showcases some personal stories, safety statistics, self care tutorials, and personal questionnaires all centered around binding practices and safety. The main focus of this book is individual safety, both physical and mental. I think this book is excellent for anyone who practices binding as well as anyone who is curious but unsure how to approach the idea. I love that it continually circles back to the idea that binding, and transness in general, shouldn't be about punishing yourself, but about taking care of your body and your mind together. It's an excellent addition to any queer library, especially those of guidance counselors, therapists, and medical staff.
Thank you to NetGalley for th advanced digital copy.

I LOVED every second of this book!! It is filled with so much care,you can tell they truly care about every story they're telling as well as the reader. They have stories from different ages groups from like 19 to over 50! There are interactive activities and exercises at the end so you can continue to grow and use it daily. The art is amazing,they even recommend other books beautifully through art!! I can't stop recommending it to my friends!!

This is probably one of the best books I have come across with chest binding information. A good chunk of the book goes over stories of people who tell their perspective and history with binding. I like that there were people of all different ages and backgrounds. I liked that in one story the person had to go up a size in the binder for it to fit better. Binders do tend to run small and it is best to measure yourself and go up a size if need be for the right fit.

I do wish there were more stories just because this is something rarely talked about, especially the health risks! This book is quite short in length even for it being a graphic novel. Near the end there are some worksheets, stretch exercises and tips for healthy binding. This was super important to have! The book is great for all ages and a good guide for people wanting to bind their chest Overall I really enjoyed this book. As a nonbinary person and someone who works at their LGBT Resource Center on campus, this is going to be an extremely useful resource! I will definitely be grabbing a copy for the center when it is published!

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for this eArc in exchange for an honest review!

I received a ARC of this book from Penguin Group. I really liked this book! I don't think I've seen a lot of resources on binding safely, and this book would be a good resource for people who are new to binding or even parents. I think the graphic novel style of book makes the information easy to digest, and I enjoyed how it blended stories of real people and more practical information like stretches and journal prompts. Great job!

What an amazing resource to have. This was such a good book and I will definitely be purchasing in the future. I do wish there were a few more workbook pages added. I thought that was completely brilliant for others to use.

I loved that the author included a medical professional in the creation/development of this book to make sure that everything was as accurate as possible. This is a great resource for people who are curious about the binding process!

Tremendous resource for anyone who is considering binding or wants to level up their knowledge about different binding techniques. The focus is on different reasons people have for binding (and how those reasons might shift over time), how to make decisions, and best practices for emotional and physical safety. The personal stories covered a beautiful mix of gender expressions, ages, and experiences. Loved the illustrations! This is an affirming resource with practical reflection questions and physical exercises. Grateful it exists!

Thank you Netgalley for giving me an Arc of this graphic novel!

I am not a trans or non-binary individual who uses binders but I wanted to read this story so I could learn about some of the challenges people face when they bind. This graphic guide is a very concise, accessible way to learn about binding for those of us who don't know what it entails. The statistics about the kinds of pain people might face from binding was detailed as were the diagrams presented about the effects of binding on a persons body. I particularly liked the descriptions of exercises people could do to help them breathe easier even when they have binders on.

Overall, I think this is a very important book to have in your collection and I'm planning on buying one for myself when it releases.

I received an ARC from Dutton via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding” is a straightforward, informative guide on chest binding, targeted at trans men, non-binary folks, and anyone else who might be uncomfortable with visible breast tissue. Dr. Sarah Peitzmeier and Maia Kobabe tackle both the mental health benefits and the physical risks associated with binding. The book stands out for its practicality, especially the section on exercises to mitigate binding-related harm.

The content is grounded in real-life experiences, drawing from a study of 25 chest binders and a survey of 1,800 participants. This approach gives the book a solid foundation of relatability, and scientific credibility. The inclusion of stories from diverse individuals adds depth and perspective to the narrative.

A notable aspect is the imagery of bookshelves filled with trans literature, which symbolically represents progress and accessibility of information for today’s youth.

Overall, I give “Breathe” a solid five stars for its direct, well-researched approach to an often overlooked topic. It’s a valuable resource for its intended audience, providing both education and practical advice.

This book made a point, that people prioritize their mental health over physical health, that people think it's worth the pain for the gender euphoria. And I think this is a fantastic resource for trans people to help mitigate injuries that can be caused by binding.

I liked that we learned the specific stories from people who were part of the study, then are given the tracking and journaling activities used by the study. It also includes stretches that can be done to help make binding easier on the body, which was something I had never read or heard about before.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

Maia Kobabe and Dr. Sarah Peitzmeier’s BREATHE: JOURNEYS TO HEALTHY BINDING is an illustrated (guide) for teenage audiences, on how to bind your chest in a safe and healthy way—through stories from doctors and experienced adults.

Based on the recent book bans with Kobabe’s most popular novel (an adult memoir, I should note) I do have fears for the reception of this book by particular audiences, especially since this one IS geared towards teens.
However, I can say with certainty for those audiences a few things: this book is appropriate for teens; it does not try to convince teens to be trans; it does not try to convince teens to bind their chests; it does not try to convince teens to get surgery. It simply explains that binding is an option, but if it’s something you want, how it can affect your body if you do it unsafely, and what to do or know to prevent any harm.
People will bind their chests whether or not they have the proper materials or helpful information. I firmly believe having easily understandable and accessible information like this book, will help a lot of people.

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton Books for providing a review copy.

Really excited to read the final version of this one! This arc copy currently is black & white and has some roughness to it. Great base though.

This was a really neat graphic novel idea - part info on binding, safety, and some stretching exercises to safely bind. Other part interviews of folks sharing their experiences with binding, and it's great seeing so much variety in the interviewees.

Looking forward to reading the final product for this one, and if there will be a bit more statistics/data elements included from Sarah Peitzmeler!

Also, as a nonbinary person, it's so awesome reading more about other's experiences with something in my own routine, and validating as heck hearing similar feelings and emotions towards our bodies. Love it!

this slim graphic novel functions as an extension of the educational zine that it's based on, and is a well-informed approach to how young people can learn to bind healthily. the mix of personal narratives from real trans people coupled with medical information and mental health-based exercises is really effective. i did notice a few typos, which i'm sure will be edited in post, but i feel like color or shading added throughout would make the illustrations a lot more compelling.

This is more of an informational handout, complete with worksheets and infographics, rather than a graphic novel or even a collection of stories. There are only a handful of first hand accounts, but largely as a primer to the data analysis of many more stories that we are not actually given from a first hand POV. Definitely useful for those considering binding or navigating binding already. But I suppose from the author of Gender Queer, I expected something more narratively powerful.

This is an informative non-fiction comic/graphic novel and was a delightful quick read. It is full of personal accounts of what it means to be trans-masculine and to use binders as tools to achieve gender euphoria. While the initial data comes from a small sample of queers, this is presented less as a scientific write-up and more as a glimpse into the daily lives of the variety of people presented.

For a non-binary person like myself, it is not only informative but it is also inspiring. I enjoyed how many different body types were included, and that the authors left much of the verbiage as if the person telling the story was speaking normally. I received this as a digital advanced reader copy and cannot wait to see what it looks like all colored in and fully edited.

4.5 stars overall. A delightful, quick read. I significantly enjoyed the message from this short, informative graphic novel. I felt that very important, validating information was conveyed in a safe way for people of all ages to engage with and understand.

Breathe is an informational, creative non-fiction graphic novel based on academic research. The study, and the novel, focus on the practices of individuals who use a binder as a method of gender affirmation and expression. The majority of individuals who use binders are transmasculine folks, though there is representation across all body types, gender identities, and ages. Breathe discusses common approaches to binding, then proceeds to highlight the risks associated with certain practices and the safety steps that should be taken to alleviate those risks.

As this is an early version, there were a few grammatical errors throughout that will be fixed before the actual release. Additionally, I am excited to see what color can add to the graphics. The art is already beautiful and expressive, so I look forward to seeing this be taken to the next level as the graphics are finalized.

I learned a lot, I felt seen and validated as a non-binary person who sometimes binds, and I feel that I could share this as a resource across different social groups, age groups, and identities.

This is a great work for those who want to get familiar with binding. We see the stories of several queer people, of different genders and ages, about how they came to binding. The story of C touched me deeply because of how relatable it was to me.
I believe we need to talk more often about how to use binding safely and how being trans doesn't always mean being in pain.
I especially liked the tips on how to relieve/reduce or even avoid pain in various parts of the body. And the questions at the end made me think for a while

This was such a beautiful and personal graphic novel, with some really important info for queers and questioning folks all around. So looking forward to the fully illustrated version once it comes out.

I thought this was a great way to introduce binding to those who are looking to use binding to help with their gender expression. From the stories that were shared, it is clear that this is a needed resource to help prevent injury and harm from improper binding. I am a firm believer that being able to see yourself and struggles in books is vital and Breathe does such a good job of sharing so many different stories.

Having this book in graphic novel form also makes this incredibly approachable, which is important.

A lovely, digestible for Queer people of all ages in how to take the proper measures when it comes to Chest Binding. We see 5 stories of different queer people and their journeys when it comes to healthy binding. I loved the self reflection portion in the end that invites the reader to write about their own journey, as well as checking their emotions while binding.

This was perfect.