Laura Gao​

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Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American

A TOUR DE FORCE of graphic memoir storytelling about growing up a queer Chinese-American immigrant in Texas.

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 a girl who simply wants to make the basketball team, escape Chinese school, and figure out why girls make her heart flutter.

Publisher:  HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray
Publication Date:  March 8, 2022
ISBN:  9780063067769

""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

Available for order:

BOOKSHOP |  INDIEBOUND  |  B&N 

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Laura Gao is a comic artist and bread lover currently living in San Francisco. Laura’s art career began by doodling on Pokemon 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. ​

https://www.lauragao.com/

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Tags: YA, Contemporary, Graphic Novel, LGBTQIA+, Nonfiction, Sapphic, BIPOC