[4] Although Zhu had been a lifelong writer, they began crafting with words intentionally as a way to heal from a traumatic abusive relationship in their early twenties.
"[5] They explore the intersections of love and fear in their weekly newsletter "Write, to Heal," as well as to a broader audience on their Instagram page.
Be Not Afraid of Love is Zhu's debut non-fiction book, published in August 2022 by Penguin Random House.
The memoir-in-essays explores the intersections of love and fear in self-esteem, friendship, family dynamics, and romantic relationships, and extends out to its effects on society and the greater political realm.
Zhu references Granger E. Westberg’s grief model to resources for mutual aid throughout the text, and draw as much from psychology, Buddhist philosophies, and the teachings of activists like bell hooks and Audre Lorde as they do from their own experiences.