Written by Sharaya O., the same Californian who writes Word of the Day, Self Harm is a zine about NSSI, which is "Non-suicidal self-injury." Trigger warning right now for those who have trauma around a person cutting themselves, or in other ways injuring themselves.

Sharaya starts off on page 1 describing her experiences in 8th grade, cutting herself as a means to feel some sort of control in her life. She asks that you listen to her story in a non-judgmental way, which is the perfect mindset as she herself does a fantastic job of describing the very real emotions surrounding this topic without either lamenting or romanticizing the events. As someone who grew up doing the exact same thing, I related to a lot of this, and appreciated that this zine doesn't come off as a lecture, nor does it try to make her past seem cool or mysterious. She simply tells her story.

An unexpected highlight is when she interviews her dad on the topic. "When did you find out I was cutting, what advice would you give other parents?" and so on.

She also cites a number of helpful resources for people struggling with this issue.

If you are a current or former cutter, you'll relate to a lot of this. If you are worried someone you know might be harming themselves, this is a great way to open up dialog about it.

Author: Sharaya O.
Publisher: self-published
Page Count: 16pp
Size: 5.5 x 8.5
Notes: saddle-stitched, b/w & color
Date of Publication: March 2023