Starred review from January 10, 2022
In this fresh, frank, and tender debut, author-illustrator Gao offers a compellingly layered graphic memoir, which navigates recollections of an early-aughts adolescence as well as Covid-19-era anti-Asian racism. When her parents, who had earlier moved to the U.S. for graduate school, bring Gao from Wuhan, China, to Coppell, Tex., four-year-old Gao struggles to assimilate. But amid familiar incidences such as the “lunchbox moment,” the narrative delicately highlights myriad Asian diasporic experiences that Gao encounters over the years while expertly peppering frames with humor and pop cultural allusions. Video game quest sequences and references to High School Musical and “H&M&M” further conjure not-so-distant decades past, while snacks such as White Rabbit candy and Haw Flakes evoke many an Asian childhood. Interspersed Chinese vocabulary, themes of China’s modernization paralleling personal change, and a folkloric Moon Rabbit motif add structure as Gao grapples with self-discovery—particularly a burgeoning awareness of queerness. Colorist Weiwei Xu adds atmosphere to Gao’s fluid, expressive cartoons, employing vivid reds, oranges, and yellows, and cooler-toned washes. A multidimensional, thoroughly entertaining account of growing into queer Asian American identity. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 14–up. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group. (Mar.)■

January 1, 2022
Grades 9-12 In this beautifully illustrated graphic memoir, debut author/artist Gao does an excellent job of representing the complexity and challenges that came with growing up as young Chinese immigrant in a small, predominately white town in Texas. It begins with Gao's carefree early childhood in Wuhan, China, which consisted of listening to folktales told by her grandmother, eating delicious Wuhanese dishes made by her grandfather, and playing outside with her cousins for hours. After this, the story addresses themes similar to other recent coming-of-age memoirs focusing on the immigrant experience in this country, such as acceptance, anti-immigrant hate, racial discrimination, family expectations, and cultural and social adaptation. Beyond Gao's circumstances as an immigrant, her depiction of her experiences as an athlete, daughter, sister, and a young woman wrestling with her identity and sexuality will resonate with a wide range of young adult readers. Overall, this heartfelt and relatable graphic memoir will appeal to readers interested in learning about just how messy and complex life can be for young immigrants growing up in the U.S.

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Starred review from March 1, 2022

Gr 7 Up-In this poignant memoir, Gao conveys her love for her home country and her journey as an immigrant. Born in Wuhan, China, young Yuyang grows up surrounded by rice paddies, riding water buffalo with her mischievous cousins under the watchful eyes of her grandparents. But soon she joins her parents, who are attending graduate school in the United States, and she finds herself in a frightening, overstimulating world. Her teachers and classmates can't pronounce her name, and she drops her Chinese name for "Laura," after then-First Lady Laura Bush. Gao describes the American public school system, where she felt desperate to fit in and become the star basketball player; the University of Pennsylvania, where she was able to carve out her identity; and life as a young professional in San Francisco before circling back to Wuhan today and the specter of the COVID pandemic. Her voice is grounded yet humorous; she illustrates a more nuanced Wuhan than the one depicted in current media, while conveying the difficulty of being a part of American society yet never feeling truly at home. Underpinning her external struggles is Gao's deeper understanding of herself as she reckons with her sexual identity, eventually coming out as queer. Depicting her hometown in thick, organic brushstrokes and a warm palette, she evokes a sense of peace and beauty and a longing to return to her origins. For scenes in America, Gao relies on a muddy palette that suggests the challenges of fitting into an uncomfortable environment. VERDICT 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.-Elise Martinez

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Starred review from March 1, 2022
In this graphic memoir, debut author Gao wrestles with questions about her evolving sense of identity while navigating the frequently choppy waters of growing up. From her early childhood in Wuhan, China, to her years in Texas and later San Francisco, Gao's memories spring to life: adapting to life in the U.S., struggling with being stereotyped as a math whiz, journeying back to China with her family, dealing with anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic, and eventually developing a crush on her first girlfriend. Whether satisfying her craving for White Rabbit Candy (a Chinese confection), reflecting on the Moon Maiden folktale, or imagining a video-game avatar for herself, Gao personalizes her experiences with insight and humor. Through sketched line drawings rendered with often comic expressions and complemented by warm reds and yellows, this book delivers a coming-of-age story that tackles themes of immigration, assimilation, racism, sexuality, and self-identity. An affecting and candid depiction of the universal search for one's place in the world. Jerry Dear

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 1, 2022
In this graphic memoir, debut author Gao wrestles with questions about her evolving sense of identity while navigating the frequently choppy waters of growing up. From her early childhood in Wuhan, China, to her years in Texas and later San Francisco, Gao's memories spring to life: adapting to life in the U.S., struggling with being stereotyped as a math whiz, journeying back to China with her family, dealing with anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic, and eventually developing a crush on her first girlfriend. Whether satisfying her craving for White Rabbit Candy (a Chinese confection), reflecting on the Moon Maiden folktale, or imagining a video-game avatar for herself, Gao personalizes her experiences with insight and humor. Through sketched line drawings rendered with often comic expressions and complemented by warm reds and yellows, this book delivers a coming-of-age story that tackles themes of immigration, assimilation, racism, sexuality, and self-identity. An affecting and candid depiction of the universal search for one's place in the world. Jerry Dear

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2022
In this graphic memoir, debut author Gao wrestles with questions about her evolving sense of identity while navigating the frequently choppy waters of growing up. From her early childhood in Wuhan, China, to her years in Texas and later San Francisco, Gao's memories spring to life: adapting to life in the U.S., struggling with being stereotyped as a math whiz, journeying back to China with her family, dealing with anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic, and eventually developing a crush on her first girlfriend. Whether satisfying her craving for White Rabbit Candy (a Chinese confection), reflecting on the Moon Maiden folktale, or imagining a video-game avatar for herself, Gao personalizes her experiences with insight and humor. Through sketched line drawings rendered with often comic expressions and complemented by warm reds and yellows, this book delivers a coming-of-age story that tackles themes of immigration, assimilation, racism, sexuality, and self-identity. An affecting and candid depiction of the universal search for one's place in the world.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

"In this fresh, frank, and tender debut, author-illustrator Gao offers a compellingly layered graphic memoir.... A multidimensional, thoroughly entertaining account of growing into queer Asian American identity." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"In this poignant memoir, Gao ­conveys her love for her home country and her journey as an immigrant. Her voice is grounded yet humorous; she illustrates a more ­nuanced Wuhan than the one depicted in current media, while conveying the difficulty of being a part of American society yet never feeling truly at home. 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." — School Library Journal (starred review)

"Gao personalizes her experiences with insight and humor. This book delivers a coming-of-age story that tackles themes of immigration, assimilation, racism, sexuality, and self-identity. An affecting and candid depiction of the universal search for one's place in the world." — Horn Book (starred review)

"The narrative overlays immigrant community dynamics with the intersections of race, ethnicity, and gender in young adults' identity development while drawing on Chinese cultural icons old and new, such as White Rabbit candies.... A nuanced representation of being Asian and transnational in the contemporary U.S." — Kirkus Reviews

"In this beautifully illustrated graphic memoir, debut author/artist Gao does an excellent job of representing the complexity and challenges that came with growing up as young Chinese immigrant... [H]eartfelt and relatable." — Booklist

"Messy Roots is a laugh-out-loud, heartfelt and deeply engaging story of their journey to find themself—as an American, as the daughter of Chinese immigrants, as a queer person and as a Wuhanese American in the middle of a pandemic. Through hilarious inner dialogue, videogaming references and fun explainers, Gao effortlessly brings readers into their world." — Malaka Gharib, author of I Was Their American Dream

"Messy Roots is funny, intimate, absorbing, and deeply moving. What a gift to have this peek into Laura Gao's memories, in all their sweetness and complexity." — Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Kate in Waiting

"Finding ourselves can be messy, but Laura Gao tells her story of self-discovery with honest and vulnerable beauty." — Mike Curato, Lambda Award-winning author of Flamer

"Messy Roots surprised me in all the best ways. It's a book that will stay with you for a long time to come." — Tillie Walden, author of On a Sunbeam

"Hilarious, heartfelt, and beautifully illustrated, Messy Roots deserves to join the Chinese American canon right next to Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese." — R.F. Kuang, author of The Poppy War

"Messy Roots is about the hardship of identity and the beautiful but messy journey to find it." — Aminder Dhaliwal, author of Cyclopedia Exotica