Reviews with content warning for Cancer - Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese-American

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Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese-American by Laura Gao

18 reviews

lilybearillini3's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

I was adopted from China as a baby, so I relate to a lot of the struggles Laura shares in her book. My roots aren't as strong in my Chinese heritage, but they are there. I loved this book and appreciate Laura sharing her story. It's hard to explain that in-between feeling between two cultures. It's hard to discover who you are at a young age, and for many of us, we aren't there yet. This is a story of love, family, friendship, finding yourself, and not forgetting where you came from.

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readalongwithnat's review against another edition

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5.0

I’m not crying you’re crying

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calamitywindpetal's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

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dananana's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective

4.0

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shays's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

3.75

Messy Roots is a timely coming-of-age graphic memoir of a queer Chinese American caught between the various aspects of their identity in the crucible of a pandemic.

Full review: https://shayshortt.com/2023/01/24/messy-roots/

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robinks's review

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challenging funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.75

There was so much of Laura’s story that resonated with me and my memories. It was also so powerful to read about the experience of a Wuhanese American in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent racism. My only critique is that the chapters were not in chronological order, so I had to pause each time to place it temporally with the previous chapters.

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pey333's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

4.5

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gothmiku's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.5

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zoiejanelle's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

5.0

i wept. this is a phenomenal memoir that perfectly captures the sense of longing many of us have experienced throughout our lives. though i can’t at all relate to being an immigrant (or having a cultural identity crisis) i strongly related to laura’s family dynamics and her struggle to understand and label who she is. laura’s artwork and cultural references throughout the book were light-hearted and fun, but her voice carried an emotional depth that really cut me to my core. definitely a read i’ll recommend to all graphic novel lovers and gen-z kids.

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

Messy Roots focussed on the author’s exploration of and coming to terms with her identity as Chinese-American and as a queer woman. I’ve read about these topics in the graphic memoir format before so content wise this book didn’t offer me anything new. But the storytelling was very well done. I especially liked the artwork and the way Chinese mythology and cultural touchstones were incorporated into the text. The author’s Wuhan origins added a layer of complexity, and brought her extra unjustified discrimination, following the outbreak of the Covid pandemic.

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