Published: 2022
Author: Laura Gao
Illustrator: Laura Gao
Genres: Graphic Novels, Memoir, Nonfiction, LGBT, Comics, Queer, Biography, Biography Memoir, China, Contemporary
Audience (Grade Levels): Middle School and High School; Grades 6-12
Number of Stars: 3-Star
Goodreads Link: Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese-American
Triggers: Racism, discrimination, homophobia
Review By: Stacey Seubert
Publisher’s Summary:
After spending her early years in Wuhan, China, riding water buffalos and devouring stinky tofu, Laura immigrates to Texas, where her hometown is as foreign as Mars–at least until 2020, when COVID-19 makes Wuhan a household name. In Messy Roots, Laura illustrates her coming-of-age as the girl who simply wants to make the basketball team, escape Chinese school, and figure out why girls make her heart flutter. Insightful, original, and hilarious, toggling seamlessly between past and present, China and America, Gao’s debut is a tour de force of graphic storytelling.
Review:
I didn’t love this one as much as I thought I was going to. When I first stumbled on this graphic novel and read the summary, I was instantly drawn to the idea about getting the story, from the POV of a Wuhanese American, of what it was like living in America during COVID, but that is actually a miniscule element of the whole story. This is simply Ms. Gao’s memoir, so if you approach it through that lens, you might enjoy it. The drawings are the work of a talented graphic artist. In terms of the writing, though, the story details seemed to jump all over the place, making it a bit challenging to follow. I could see a struggling reader wanting to pick this up thinking it’s an “easier read” because of its format, but then having difficulty because, just as the title suggests, it’s all a bit “messy.”
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- English Language Arts / Media Literacy (Memoir Structure vs. Marketing Expectations): This text serves as a strong case study for older students to examine structural narrative transitions and expectations. Educators can use Gao’s book to discuss how a subtitle or publisher summary can shape a reader’s expectations versus the reality of the text, prompting students to evaluate how nonlinear formatting impacts comprehension.
- Social Studies / Contemporary History (Immigration, Identity, & Cultural Adaptation): The graphic memoir deals heavily with the immigration journey from Wuhan to Texas. It provides a platform to study the socio-cultural realities of navigating foreign landscapes, dealing with the pressure of cultural institutions like Chinese school, and surviving regional isolation as a minority student in the West.
- Social-Emotional Learning (Self-Discovery & Intersectionality): Centering on themes of coming-of-age, athletic aspirations, and exploring queer identity, the book offers useful touchpoints for middle and high school SEL discussions. Students can discuss the anxiety of self-acceptance, figuring out internal romantic feelings, and managing family traditions alongside personal desires.
Diversity & Representation:
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Messy Roots offers crucial, multi-layered representation by placing a queer Wuhanese-American immigrant at the absolute center of a graphic memoir. By dealing directly with cross-cultural navigation, regional discrimination, and the nuances of intersectional identity, it breaks traditional molds and gives a vivid face to the modern Asian-American adolescent experience, helping expand representation in secondary school collections.
Readalikes:
- American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
- Almost American Girl by Robin Ha
- Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
