A collection of letters wrapped in compassion, Kai Cheng Thom—a trans Asian Canadian woman—writes from the heart to embrace every human as sacred beings. In spite of the pain she has dealt with in her life, in spite of all the hateful people in this world, she writes with hope and sincerity. She writes to trans women, sex workers and their patrons, herself, among others to remind them (and the readers) of the love and beauty that exist in this world. Especially in a world that’s weighed down by hurt and grief, Thom’s words are more needed than ever for us to take a moment to reflect.

I also appreciated that, between each letter, she invited the reader to practice an act of self-love and self-reflection. For example: “Write a letter of forgiveness to someone. That someone can be yourself.”

I read this collection and listened to the audiobook simultaneously, and I found that hearing Thom reading each letter herself left a greater impression on me.