Mended is a collection of essays inspired by kintsugi, the Japanese art of beautiful repair. Kintsugi is based on the idea that broken things can be repaired in a way that makes them even more beautiful and valuable than they were before. I've been broken. I know what it's like to feel shame at my weakness, to starve myself to be worthy, and to want to sleep forever. If I had to guess, I'd say you might be a bit broken too. But being broken is not the worst thing. We can be mended. Our cracks can become beautiful. We can be even better than new.