Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese-American is a graphic novel and memoir written and illustrated by Laura Gao, with coloring by Weiwei Xu. It was published on March 8, 2022, by HarperCollins. It originates from the comic "The Wuhan I Know," which describes the author's relationship to the city of Wuhan.
Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese-American
Gao was born in the city of Wuhan, but moved to Coppell, Texas at the age of 4.[1] In 2021, while working for Twitter in the product development field, Gao decided to write and publish a short comic talking about life in Wuhan as a response to the beginning to the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted the city's lockdown, and the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings.[2][3] After she posted her comic on Twitter, media outlets began covering it,[1] with the numbers of "likes" and retweets the comic received surpassing one thousand.[4] Later, a literary agent contacted her, and she decided to write a graphic novel expanding the original comic and detailing her life.[1]
Creation and conceptionedit
To portray a lack of comfort in the United States, Gao uses duller colors, while in the sections in Wuhan she uses lighter colors.[5] To emphasize certain portions, the comic uses the color red.[6]
Some portions of the book detail Gao's LGBTQ identity. She revealed her orientation to her parents before she published the final graphic novel. According to Gao, the book will not likely be for sale in Mainland China due to the LGBTQ themes.[1]
Receptionedit
Kirkus Reviews commented on the novel's intersection of Gao's different identities, and called the author's retelling of the tale of Chang'e the "[m]ost compelling" section of the novel. They concluded by praising the Gao's illustrations and Xu's coloring, and called Messy Roots "[a] nuanced representation of being Asian and transnational in the contemporary U.S."[6] For the School Library Journal, Elise Martinez said: "A tender story of self-acceptance that lifts the story of Wuhan beyond COVID and shines light on a region with a rich culture and history."[5]
Publishers Weekly gave Messy Roots a starred review and opened by saying Gao's debut graphic novel is "fresh, frank, and tender". They praised the book's narrative, noting the various parallels between China's culture and history and the author as a queerChinese American. They concluded by calling the book "[a] multidimensional, thoroughly entertaining account of growing into queer Asian American identity."[7] Jerry Dear, reviewing for The Horn Book, commented on how "Gao personalizes her experiences with insight and humor", and said Messy Roots is a "candid depiction of the universal search for one’s place in the world."[8]
Referencesedit
^ abcdGharib, Malaka (2022-04-24). "The pandemic inspired a cartoonist to explore their Wuhanese roots and queer identity". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
^Juhasz, Aubri (2020-04-04). "'The Wuhan I Know': A Comic About The City Behind The Coronavirus Headlines". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
^Enjeti, Anjali (March 6, 2022). "From Wuhan to America: A Cartoonist's Story". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
^Avila, Arielle (2020-04-29). "Laura Gao's 'The Wuhan I Know' Comic Dispels Misconceptions About Her Hometown". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
^ abMartinez, Elise (March 1, 2022). "Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese-American". School Library Journal. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
messy, roots, graphic, memoir, wuhanese, american, graphic, novel, memoir, written, illustrated, laura, with, coloring, weiwei, published, march, 2022, harpercollins, originates, from, comic, wuhan, know, which, describes, author, relationship, city, wuhan, gr. Messy Roots A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American is a graphic novel and memoir written and illustrated by Laura Gao with coloring by Weiwei Xu It was published on March 8 2022 by HarperCollins It originates from the comic The Wuhan I Know which describes the author s relationship to the city of Wuhan Messy Roots A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese AmericanAuthorLaura GaoIllustratorLaura GaoWeiwei Xu colorist CountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishGenreGraphic novel MemoirPublisherHarperCollinsPublication dateMarch 8 2022Pages272ISBN978 0 06 306777 6 Contents 1 Background 2 Creation and conception 3 Reception 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksBackground editGao was born in the city of Wuhan but moved to Coppell Texas at the age of 4 1 In 2021 while working for Twitter in the product development field Gao decided to write and publish a short comic talking about life in Wuhan as a response to the beginning to the COVID 19 pandemic which prompted the city s lockdown and the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings 2 3 After she posted her comic on Twitter media outlets began covering it 1 with the numbers of likes and retweets the comic received surpassing one thousand 4 Later a literary agent contacted her and she decided to write a graphic novel expanding the original comic and detailing her life 1 Creation and conception editTo portray a lack of comfort in the United States Gao uses duller colors while in the sections in Wuhan she uses lighter colors 5 To emphasize certain portions the comic uses the color red 6 Some portions of the book detail Gao s LGBTQ identity She revealed her orientation to her parents before she published the final graphic novel According to Gao the book will not likely be for sale in Mainland China due to the LGBTQ themes 1 Reception editKirkus Reviews commented on the novel s intersection of Gao s different identities and called the author s retelling of the tale of Chang e the m ost compelling section of the novel They concluded by praising the Gao s illustrations and Xu s coloring and called Messy Roots a nuanced representation of being Asian and transnational in the contemporary U S 6 For the School Library Journal Elise Martinez said A tender story of self acceptance that lifts the story of Wuhan beyond COVID and shines light on a region with a rich culture and history 5 Publishers Weekly gave Messy Roots a starred review and opened by saying Gao s debut graphic novel is fresh frank and tender They praised the book s narrative noting the various parallels between China s culture and history and the author as a queer Chinese American They concluded by calling the book a multidimensional thoroughly entertaining account of growing into queer Asian American identity 7 Jerry Dear reviewing for The Horn Book commented on how Gao personalizes her experiences with insight and humor and said Messy Roots is a candid depiction of the universal search for one s place in the world 8 References edit a b c d Gharib Malaka 2022 04 24 The pandemic inspired a cartoonist to explore their Wuhanese roots and queer identity National Public Radio Retrieved 2022 04 26 Juhasz Aubri 2020 04 04 The Wuhan I Know A Comic About The City Behind The Coronavirus Headlines National Public Radio Retrieved 2022 04 26 Enjeti Anjali March 6 2022 From Wuhan to America A Cartoonist s Story Kirkus Reviews Retrieved March 8 2022 Avila Arielle 2020 04 29 Laura Gao s The Wuhan I Know Comic Dispels Misconceptions About Her Hometown Texas Monthly Retrieved 2022 04 26 a b Martinez Elise March 1 2022 Messy Roots A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American School Library Journal Retrieved March 10 2022 a b Messy Roots Kirkus Reviews Retrieved March 10 2022 Children s Book Review Messy Roots A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American by Laura Gao Publishers Weekly Retrieved March 10 2022 Dear Jerry March 9 2022 Review of Messy Roots A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American The Horn Book Retrieved March 10 2022 Further reading edit Chinese American Artist Draws The Wuhan I Know National Public Radio 2020 04 01 External links editMessy Roots A Graphic Memoir HarperCollins The Wuhan I Know Laura Gao s official website nbsp This article about a graphic novel of the 2020s is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it See guidelines for writing about novels Further suggestions might be found on the article s talk page vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Messy Roots amp oldid 1210239271, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
