Reviews tagging Racial slurs

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

14 reviews

anna_wa's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Homophobia

miayukino's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective tense fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Homophobia

zoiejanelle's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Cancer, and Xenophobia

Minor: Outing, Homophobia, and Sexual content

theoceanrose's review against another edition

emotional funny medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs

antonique_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs

purplepenning's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Fatphobia, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia

Minor: Alcohol and Sexism

swong3290's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, and Emotional abuse

daycia's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia

krys_kilz's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

This was intimate and moving graphic memoir of growing up caught between cultures, languages, and homes. I loved how Gao included linguistic components (similar to Harmony Becker's Himawari House) and Chinese folklore. Gao also did not shy away from difficult conversations such as assimilation and the safety sought in fitting in, amplified anti-Asian racism and xenophobia in the context of Covid-19, and the pressure to succeed within many immigrant families. Overall, this was an important read and I'm glad it exists in the world!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Cancer and Xenophobia

Minor: Body shaming and Fatphobia

cozybec's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

This is an absolutely stunning graphic novel about the real story of Laura Gao and how she grew up walking the line between her Chinese heritage and her American upbringing. I absolutely adored the art, each story packed such a punch, and the inclusion of covid broke my heart. A must read for anyone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs

Moderate: Cancer