Reviews tagging Racism

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

24 reviews

robinks's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexism, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Sexual content and Cancer

anna_wa's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Homophobia

pey333's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Sexual content, Cancer, and 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

gothmiku's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Racism, Cancer, Hate crime, and Homophobia

Minor: Deportation

rather_b_reading's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

This graphic novel was good and I liked seeing Gao's struggles and growth as she came to terms with her many identies and the expectations of others. It was also another interesting look into the American immigration system. 

I felt the story was all over the place with flash backs and forwards. I think making this more clear through the coloring or art style would have helped. 

Overall, a good read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: 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

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia and Racism

Moderate: Cancer and Homophobia

123urmom's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Homophobia

theoceanrose's review against another edition

emotional funny medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs