It is said that there may be a million young people in Japan who harm themselves. To make this book Atsushi Okada photographed about 50 young women from all over Japan who responded to an open call to visit his studio in Tokyo, most of them repeat self-harmers. Though his subjects all mutilate themselves in some way, the portraits are meant as a larger comment on contemporary life. Okada shot everyone against a plain white background, which allows the power of his subjects to come through more clearly. The women are posed differently, but Okada always creates an intimate connection with the viewer: sometimes they look directly into the camera, sometimes they are nude, and sometimes we can only see their scarred arms. I am is nothing if not a striking work.