Scan barcode
A review by beesneysbooks
Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese-American by Laura Gao
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
A friend of mine started talking about graphic novels and it made me want to start looking into them more. That, plus my 2024 goals of reading books by diverse authors intentionally & reading more non-fiction… this book was a perfect start to that.
I wasnt expecting to get emotional over a place I’ve never been or a family I don’t know, but the way Laura described Wuhan and her family had me feeling like I was part of it all. It also got me thinking about the places I grew up and how those places may not seem glorious to others but they mean so much to me because of the experiences i’ve had there.
I will be looking more into Wuhan so I can work to erase any negative connotations I have gained as an American in a post-COVID world because, like Laura said, I was unaware of this place before COVID and my knowledge is limited. I want to learn more.
I wasnt expecting to get emotional over a place I’ve never been or a family I don’t know, but the way Laura described Wuhan and her family had me feeling like I was part of it all. It also got me thinking about the places I grew up and how those places may not seem glorious to others but they mean so much to me because of the experiences i’ve had there.
I will be looking more into Wuhan so I can work to erase any negative connotations I have gained as an American in a post-COVID world because, like Laura said, I was unaware of this place before COVID and my knowledge is limited. I want to learn more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, Cancer, Deportation, and Racial slurs