I have spent so much time running away from my looming grief, sprinting toward a purely joyful existence with intrepid speed. What distinguishes their writing, Instagram affirmations and essays alike, is their honesty and humility. When abuse has been enacted in romantic, platonic or familial relationships, it can feel either risky or ‘boring’ to experience true love in comparison with previous toxic relationships.

Mimi Zhu is that one stranger who you woke up to in your living room from the party the night before. Zhu’s candid storytelling, both/ands and all, underscores an uncomfortable but deeply human truth: Healing from abuse is a complicated, nonlinear process. What makes Zhu’s work so special is that they learned to stop fearing love, not by following constructs and norms, but by destroying them.When I finally grieved my relationship with X, I was able to acknowledge that my capacity for tenderness did not die along with our union; I just needed to be redirected toward myself. In this essay collection, Mimi Zhu reflects on their healing journey as a survivor of intimate partner violence. We don’t know what will make us happy, and even when we discover it, half the time we’re too afraid of what will happen if it doesn’t work out to even try. In sharing their own intimate encounters with oppression, healing, joy and community, Mimi invites readers all over the world to reflect deeply on their own experiences, with the intention of acting as a guide to undoing the hurt or uncertainty within them.

In sharing their own intimate encounters with oppression, healing, joy and community, Mimi invites readers all over the world to reflect deeply on their own experiences, with the intention of acting as a guide to undoing the hurt or uncertainty within them. Be Not Afraid of Love is a stunning collection of interconnected essays and affirmations that follow Mimi Zhu's journey toward embodying and re-learning love after a violent relationship. See, our purpose on this earth is to love and be loved, to let people in, to engage in conversations and commitments and entanglements and love, most importantly, love. With over 6 million of the world’s best eBooks to choose from, Kobo offers you a whole world of reading.When I looked back at the tiny speck of me, I saw with widened eyes my deep neglected grief and my flowing sadness: the only thing I distanced myself from was me. this was everything i’ve needed since i was a teenager, and i am so grateful to Mimi Zhu for their willingness to share their brilliance and vulnerability with us.