"A soaring addition to queer graphic novel canon." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A refreshingly raw and vulnerable exploration of grief and hope." — Kirkus Reviews
“I’m once again blown away by Laura Gao’s ability to make me relate to someone completely different from myself. Get ready to experience the epic highs and lows of high school rock climbing.” — Sonora Reyes, National Book Award finalist and bestselling author of The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School
PRAISE FOR MESSY ROOTS by LAURA GAO:
“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 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
"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 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
"Messy Roots is about the hardship of identity and the beautiful but messy journey to find it." — Aminder Dhaliwal, author of Cyclopedia Exotica
"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
"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
2024-12-14
“Queen of Balance” Kirby Tan knows what to do on the rock-climbing wall, but she struggles with navigating the rest of her life.
After sophomore Kirby, a champion climber, injures her wrist in a fall at an invitational, she’s unable to climb for at least two months. In need of an extracurricular, she joins the newspaper club in hopes of bringing up her dismal English grade. Kirby teams up with Bex Santos to write an astrology-themed column to help their fellow students find love. Kirby isn’t sure she believes in the premise behind “Ask the Universe,” but she gets swept up in the adventure of guiding their classmates toward the romance they desire. In between matching others, Chinese American Kirby deals with her growing attraction to Bex, who’s Latine, and what that might mean for her relationships with her family and her church. Missing rock climbing, combined with grieving her father, who died eight years ago, and worrying about her immigrant grandfather’s worsening health, leaves Kirby feeling on edge and readers filled with empathy for her. Gao’s predominantly black-and-white illustrations feature bold lines and pops of salmon that emphasize strong emotional moments. The panels vary in shape, layout, and perspective, creating fresh, compelling visuals for this work that’s filled with powerful images of struggle but also of joy.
A refreshingly raw and vulnerable exploration of grief and hope.(Graphic fiction. 13-18)
★ 12/16/2024
High school sophomore Kirby Tan is a skilled competitive climber, an activity she picked up from her late thrill-seeking father. When her dynamic move at the Texas Youth Fall Invitational goes awry, Kirby must participate in another extracurricular while she waits for her broken arm to heal. It turns out the newspaper club needs a coeditor for its anonymous, horoscope-inspired romance advice column “Ask the Universe,” and Kirby needs to boost her English grade if she wants to get into Bellevue University and join its prestigious climbing team. An initial clash with fiery, crystal-carrying coeditor Bex Santos requires churchgoing Kirby to make amends, which she manages with a strategically placed flyer that results in the first “Ask the Universe” request. Romance soon sparks between the coeditors, forcing Kirby to confront her guilt surrounding her queer identity; though her local Chinese church offers vital support, some members have begun espousing homophobic rhetoric. Using soft brushstrokes and a limited color palette, Gao (Messy Roots) approaches this conflict with care, delicately balancing the pros and cons of Kirby’s close-knit Christian immigrant community in Texas with the personal agency and meaning-making that astrology and tarot can afford in this soaring addition to queer graphic novel canon. Ages 14–up. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group. (Mar.)
02/01/2025
Gr 8 Up—After talented rock climber Kirby Tan is injured from a fall that prevents her from participating in the rest of the climbing season, she begrudgingly joins the newspaper club to help raise her low grade in English class. Kirby is partnered with Bex Santos, an enthusiastic and chaotic writer whose astrology-inspired relationship column needs help getting off the ground. While initially skeptical about the project, Kirby is drawn into the drama of matchmaking and begins to fall for Bex along the way. This coming-of-age graphic novel tackles the complexities of identity, religion, and family relationships while capturing a lovely romance that persists despite the protagonists' insecurities. The art, featuring grays, pinks, purples, and blues, contains well-developed and creative panels that are occasionally mixed with drawings that look hurried and less defined. Kirby is Chinese American, her best friend Eric is Korean American, and Bex is Latinx. Gao, the author of Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American, returns fully with another story focusing on the intersection of queer, Asian American, and Christian identities. VERDICT This exploration on identity, religion, and relationships highlights the courage it takes to leap, especially when it means being willing to fall.—Emily Yates
