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Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'
Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese-American by Laura Gao
2 reviews
marmaladereads's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I really loved this sweet coming of age tale of Laura Gao, a queer woman born in Wuhan, China and raised in Texas, before attending UPenn and settling in San Francisco. Being a blend of cultures, languages, and heritages, Laura struggled with finding a place where she belonged - too Americanized for her relatives back in Wuhan, too Chinese for her Texas middle school and high school, too "white washed" among other Asians at UPenn.
There are also some really emotional and difficult moments as she faces anti-Chinese racism during Covid (especially being from Wuhan), deals with coming out, and has a messy relationship with her father.
Having a similar immigrant story (although of a different race and culture) I really related to Laura's feelings of constantly seeking a home and never finding the perfect place. All of this is spread across beautifully drawn pages that really convey the different feelings, places, and cultures that make up the mosaic of who she is.
"Every time I struggled to fit into the world around me, I thought if I flew far away enough, like Chang'e, the perfect home would magically appear. But when your roots are tangled up across so many places, that perfect place may not exist."
There are also some really emotional and difficult moments as she faces anti-Chinese racism during Covid (especially being from Wuhan), deals with coming out, and has a messy relationship with her father.
Having a similar immigrant story (although of a different race and culture) I really related to Laura's feelings of constantly seeking a home and never finding the perfect place. All of this is spread across beautifully drawn pages that really convey the different feelings, places, and cultures that make up the mosaic of who she is.
"Every time I struggled to fit into the world around me, I thought if I flew far away enough, like Chang'e, the perfect home would magically appear. But when your roots are tangled up across so many places, that perfect place may not exist."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Xenophobia, and Racial slurs
Minor: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Cancer
Occasional racist and homophobic slurs appear on the pageswong3290's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, and Emotional abuse
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