Wondrous Transformations

272 pp., 6.125 x 9.25, 11 halftones, notes, bibl., index

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4696-7485-8
Published: September 2023
E-book EPUB ISBN: 978-1-4696-7486-5
Published: September 2023

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Harry Benjamin (1885–1986), a German-born endocrinologist, was a pivotal figure in the development of transgender medicine. He was physician to transgender pioneers such as Christine Jorgensen, the 1950s "Ex-GI" turned "Blonde Beauty" media sensation, and in turn, she and other collaborators helped to shape Benjamin's influential 1966 book, The Transsexual Phenomenon. Alison Li's much-needed biography of Benjamin chronicles his passion for hormones and his lifelong interest in sexology.

Drawing from extensive research in archival documents, secondary sources, and interviews, Li tells the story of Benjamin's early ventures in gerontology and his later work with over a thousand transgender patients. Benjamin's contributions to treatment, education, research, and networking helped to create the institutional foundations of transgender medicine. Moreover, they set the stage for a radical reconsideration of gender identity, challenging us to reflect upon what it is to be male or female and to envision moving beyond these long-held categories.

About the Author

Alison Li is a historian of science and medicine who writes about hormones, medical research, and the culture in which they are shaped. She is coeditor of Women, Health, and Nation: Canada and the United States since 1945.
For more information about Alison Li, visit the Author Page.

Reviews

"A smart and highly readable contribution to transgender studies."—Publishers Weekly

"Wondrous Transformations excels at painting a vibrant portrait of Benjamin . . . . Li's engaging prose harnesses the affordances allowed in biography to craft an engrossing narrative . . . . She has done an admirable job in bringing the two halves of Benjamin’s career together, and her work is a great service to the fields of trans history and the history of hormones."—The Watermark

"This thoughtful, thoroughly researched history provides a foundation and a lens through which to better understand contemporary issues of gender identity . . . . Recommended."—CHOICE

"Skilfully composed as a scholarly trade book, Wondrous Transformations will be an important book for historians of medicine,

usable in university courses, but also accessible to a wide non-specialist audience interested in the transgender revolution."—Social History of Medicine

“A commendable, extensively researched, long-overdue examination. . . . Li convincingly demonstrates that historical biography reveals more than just an individual life, but instead, helps humanize larger phenomena”—H-Sci-Med-Tech

“Through the career of [Harry Benjamin], Li provides us with a wonderful survey of 20th-century sexology. . . . Li provides the much anticipated full appraisal of [Benjamin’s] many contributions to gerontology, sexology, and endocrinology.”—Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide