With Messy Roots, Laura Gao has crafted an engaging, relatable, and at times, laugh-out-loud funny graphic novel detailing her own experiences immigrating from Wuhan, China to Texas at an early age. This timely and important read follows the author from childhood to young adulthood as she navigates the complex dynamics of both her cultural identity and sexuality.
“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.”—Malaka Gharib, author of I Was Their American Dream
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.
Laura Gao is a comic artist and bread lover currently living in San Francisco. Her debut graphic novel, Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American, received several starred reviews. Laura’s art career began by doodling on Pokémon cards and has since blossomed to be featured on NPR, HuffPost, and, most notably, her parents’ fridge. She is a proud queer Asian American immigrant and strives to inspire others to live unapologetically loud. Laura’s pronouns are she/they. Say hello and send her bakery recommendations at lauragao.com.
Laura Gao is a comic artist and bread lover currently living in San Francisco. Her debut graphic novel, Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American, received several starred reviews. Laura’s art career began by doodling on Pokémon cards and has since blossomed to be featured on NPR, HuffPost, and, most notably, her parents’ fridge. She is a proud queer Asian American immigrant and strives to inspire others to live unapologetically loud. Laura’s pronouns are she/they. Say hello and send her bakery recommendations at lauragao.com.
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