At the Broken Places: A Mother and Trans Son Pick Up the Pieces [Paperback]

In this collaborative memoir, a parent and a transgender son recount wrestling with their differences as Donald Collins undertook medical-treatment options to better align his body with his gender identity.

As a parent, Mary Collins didn’t agree with her trans son’s decision to physically alter his body, although she supported his right to realize himself as a person. Raw and uncensored, each explains her or his emotional mindset at the time: Mary felt she had lost a daughter; Donald activated his “authentic self.” Both battled to assert their rights. A powerful memoir and resource,At the Broken Placesoffers a road map for families in transition.Authors’ Notes

Introductions

Pronouns and Body Parts
SON: Who Wears the Pants?
MOTHER: Mismatch

Endings and Beginnings
MOTHER: Mapping Modern Grief
SON: Birds of Spring

Sharing our Story with Others
SON: Donald Has Something He Would Like to Tell the Class
MOTHER: Disclosure

Rights
MOTHER: Right(s)
SON: Hidden Fees

A Story Exchange
Parent Story Exchange
Transgender Youth and Professionals Story Exchange

Donald’s Reading List

Acknowledgments

Sources

A Note from the Series Editor“[An] affecting joint memoir...The book is an altogether invaluable and accessible addition to the growing body of transgender literature.”
—Booklist

“A practical resource guide for families who have a transgender child in the mix.”
—Bay Area Reporter

“The book is frank, informative, and makes an argument not necessarily for radical acceptance but the simple act of sitting down and having a conversation.”
—Nina MacLaughlin,The Boston Globe

“When one person in the family transitions, everyone transitions.At the Broken Placesis a profoundly vul#,