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ENTRY TYPE: new
WORK TITLE: Kirby’s Lessons for Falling (in Love)
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BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.lauragao.com/
CITY: San Francisco
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COUNTRY: United States
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PERSONAL
Born in Wuhan, China.
EDUCATION:Graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2018.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Comic artist and professor. Twitter, product manager, 2018-20.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
[OPEN NEW]
Laura Gao is an artist and illustrator who became a published author after their web comic went viral on Twitter. They were working for Twitter at the time, but they swear that had nothing to do with their success. Gao was born in Wuhan, China, and the comic was written in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people were blaming China and especially Wuhan for the virus. Gao used their ability as an illustrator to provide a much broader and more positive view of Wuhan. They then expanded the comic into their debut book, a graphic memoir.
Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American is about Gao’s own journey, a journey of being born in China, moving to Texas when they were four-years-old, and then going to college in Pennsylvania and to work in San Francisco. It is also about their journey of coming out as queer and of becoming comfortable as a Chinese American, of being both Wuhanese and American. As they said in an interview with Geeks Out, they had to learn to “reckon with and love my entire identity.”
A reviewer in Kirkus Reviews called the book a “nuanced representation of being Asian and transnational in the contemporary U.S.” They praised the illustrations as “dynamic, clean, and energetic.” A writer in Publishers Weekly agreed, describing the book as a “multidimensional, thoroughly entertaining account of growing into queer Asian American identity.” They praised the memoir as a “fresh, frank, and tender debut.”
Gao followed that up with their fiction debut, Kirby’s Lessons for Falling (in Love). The graphic novel’s protagonist, Kirby, is a top rock climber at her high school and hopes to use that as a springboard to college, but a broken arm forces her to find a different outlet. She decides to join the newspaper club where she helps with a love column that uses astrology. Kirby is not so sure about that, but she is interested in the column’s author, Bex. When that blossoms into romance, Kirby has to wrestle with her queer identity and how her Chinese church community will react.
A reviewer in Publishers Weekly appreciated how Gao handles both the romantic subplot and Kirby’s relationship with her church community, writing that Gao “approaches this conflict with care.” The result is a “soaring addition to queer graphic novel canon.” A contributor in Kirkus Reviews agreed, lauding the graphic novel as a “refreshingly raw and vulnerable exploration of grief and hope.” They especially enjoyed Gao’s artwork, writing that the “bold lines and pops of salmon” create “strong emotional moments” and “fresh, compelling visuals.”
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BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2022, review of Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American; January 15, 2025, review of Kirby’s Lessons for Falling (in Love).
Publishers Weekly, January 10, 2022, review of Messy Roots, p. 64; December 16, 2024, review of Kirby’s Lessons for Falling (in Love), p. 64
ONLINE
American Booksellers Association website, https://www.bookweb.org/ (July, 2022), author interview.
Geeks Out, https://www.geeksout.org/ (May 11, 2022), Michele Kirichanskaya, author interview.
Laura Gao website, https://www.lauragao.com/ (July 14, 2025).
NPR, https://www.npr.org/ (April 24, 2022), Malaka Gharib, “The Pandemic Inspires a Cartoonist to Explore Their Wuhanese Roots and Queer Identity,” author interview.
Visualist, https://www.visualistapp.com/ (September 1, 2023), Cherie Yang, author interview.
Laura Gao
creator. writer. bread lover. and everything in between.
Hey ✌️
Laura Gao is an award-winning author-illustrator, comics professor, and living proof that doodling in class can indeed get you somewhere in life (take that, Mrs. Dutton).
Their bestselling graphic memoir, Messy Roots, debuted on the Indies Bestsellers List in 2022. Their newest book, Kirby's Lessons on Falling (In Love), is out now!
Laura is agented by Brenda Bowen at The Book Group.
Laura Gao
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Japanese soccer player with the Japanese name 高 宇洋, see Takahiro Ko.
Laura Gao
高宇洋
Laura Gao standing in front of a wooden background
Laura Gao in 2021
Born Wuhan, Hubei, China
Alma mater University of Pennsylvania
Occupations
WriterIllustrator
Known for
Messy Roots (creator)
The Wuhan I Know (creator)
Website www.lauragao.com
Laura Gao (Chinese: 高宇洋; pinyin: Gāo Yǔyáng[1]) is a Chinese-American comics artist. Gao became famous when she released a short comic called "The Wuhan I Know" in response to the growing sinophobia due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The comic was later used as the basis for her graphic memoir called Messy Roots, released in March 2022.
Life and career
Gao was born as Gao Yuyang,[2] in Wuhan, China. While her parents moved to the United States to study, she stayed at Wuhan with her grandparents until she was four years old, after which her parents were able to earn enough money to bring the rest of the family to the US.[3] Gao received the English name "Laura" in honor of Laura Bush.[4]
Gao grew up in Coppell, Texas,[5] and later moved to Philadelphia to study at the University of Pennsylvania, where she attended business school. After graduating, she was hired by Twitter as a product manager and moved to San Francisco.[3]
"The Wuhan I Know"
Gao had planned to visit her family in Wuhan early 2020, but cancelled the trip when her family told her about the spread of COVID-19 in the region.[6] During that time, Gao noticed more people become aware of the city, mostly in a negative way, resulting in many people calling the new virus the "Wuhan virus".[7] Wanting to show the positive aspects of the city and its culture, Gao published a comic called "The Wuhan I Know" in March 2020, which highlights the city's "history, architecture and economy", as well as some of the street foods.[6]
The comic quickly went viral,[8][9] with people all around the world contacting Gao to show their appreciation.[6] Following the release of the comic, an animation by Twitter's creative team was created based on Gao's comic,[8][7] and in July 2020, it was announced that HarperCollins had acquired the rights to two books by her: one memoir called Messy Roots[9] and another nonfiction book about her life as a product manager, an artist and being queer.[10][9] After receiving the offer for her books, Gao decided to leave her position at Twitter to focus on her work as an artist.[10]
Works
The Wuhan I Know (comic)
Messy Roots (graphics novel)
Kirby’s Lessons for Falling (in love) (novel)
The pandemic inspired a cartoonist to explore their Wuhanese roots and queer identity
April 24, 20228:41 AM ET
Malaka Gharib headshot
Malaka Gharib
Laura Gao
Laura Gao
In the early months of the pandemic, Wuhanese American illustrator and writer Laura Gao drew a life-changing comic.
Gao, who goes by the pronouns they/them and she/her, wrote and drew "The Wuhan I Know," a cartoon about the Chinese city behind the coronavirus headlines. They wanted people to know that Wuhan, where they were born, is home to a rich culture, a caring people and great breakfast noodles – not just the starting point for a global pandemic.
The comic went viral on Twitter and was covered by multiple news outlets, including NPR, sparking the interest of an agent and eventually landing them a book deal. Fast forward two years, and Gao is the author of a hilarious and heartfelt new book, Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American.
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Gao expands the pandemic cartoon into a full-on exploration of their Wuhanese American identity – growing up in a mostly white town in Texas with Chinese immigrant parents, struggling to fit in at school and re-visiting Wuhan as a teen for the first time since leaving for America at age 4. In the process, Gao unpacks another important aspect of their identity – their queerness.
'The Wuhan I Know': A Comic About The City Behind The Coronavirus Headlines
Goats and Soda
'The Wuhan I Know': A Comic About The City Behind The Coronavirus Headlines
As serious as the themes are, Gao's delivery can be charming and laugh-out-loud funny. In one scene, Gao is in the bathroom, trying to shave off the thick black hair of their eyebrows to look more like the other girls at school. All of a sudden, little brother Jerry calls out. Gao messes up the shave, swings open the bathroom door and fumes: "WHAT THE FUDGE DO YOU WANT, JERRY?" Jerry, cute and innocent, replies: "Mom says we're going to the library!"
Laura Gao
Laura Gao
Gao, 25, talks to NPR about how the book helped them "come into" their Asianness, why their parents have not read the book and their favorite aspect of Wuhanese culture. (Full disclosure, I wrote a blurb in praise of Gao's book – I loved it!) This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
You and your family immigrated from Wuhan to the States when you were 4. The next time you returned to Wuhan, you were 14, and then again a couple of times in your 20s. What have those trips been like?
Each time I visited, I realized that not only was I changing, but the city was, too.
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When I first went back at 14, there were things I didn't understand anymore, like some words in Mandarin. My family said I was quieter, not the talkative little kid they remembered. People would point out that I dressed like an American. So immediately it just felt like I was being othered in this place that I used to call home.
Laura Gao
Laura Gao
When I went during college, I saw that a lot of the alleyways I used to go to for street food had been torn down and new storefronts had been built in their place. Old farmland where my dad's side of the family used to live had been bought out to make way for suburbs. And they were building a railway through the countryside.
I can't expect Wuhan to always be the same. I had to start to appreciate Wuhan for what it was now becoming. And Wuhan had to appreciate me for what I was becoming, too.
And what were you becoming?
I was becoming this bridge between multiple cultures and worlds. That was something I was insecure about growing up. I thought I had to be either one or the other – Wuhanese or American – in order to truly fit into one place.
Growing up in Coppell, Texas, where it was predominantly white, I didn't want to share things that my family would do that I thought were Asian. I didn't want my dates to come to my house and see the stinky tofu in the fridge or my grandparents doing tai chi.
On the flip side, when I went to college at the University of Pennsylvania and met Asians who came from places in the U.S. that were predominantly Asian, I felt like they were the "real" Asians. One Asian friend from California was talking about how big boba [bubble tea] culture was there. And I was like: Wow, I've never actually had boba! That made me feel like I wasn't Asian enough to be around them.
Laura Gao
Laura Gao
So what changed?
At Penn, I met other Asian kids and made friends with them. One of my best friends at Penn, for example, was a Korean girl who went to international school in Shanghai. They had such different backgrounds and journeys into understanding their own identities. No one deserves to be judged for where they're at because everyone has a differing experience.
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It made me accept who I am, where I grew up and what I learned. I was coming into my Asianness.
And what does "coming into" your Asianness mean to you?
It's when I finally felt comfortable with who I was as an Asian American. It was when — if an Asian topic came up [in conversation] or I was around non-Asians or even Asians! – I didn't feel the need to explain myself.
In your book you also explore your queer identity.
As I was writing these stories of finding myself and being proud of myself, I realized it became impossible to decouple that Asianness from the queerness. So much of who I am today stems from me taking pride in who I love.
Laura Gao
Laura Gao
You came out to your parents before the book published.
I came out to my parents at the beginning of 2021 once I realized that the book was going to come out. Either they were going to find out from me — or from a Barnes & Noble. They didn't take it well, as I expected, and they're still trying to come around to it today. So they haven't read the book.
Has your family in China read the book?
It's not published in Mandarin, so they've not read it. I'm not sure if it will [ever be published in China] because of censorship laws that China has around LGBTQ content. China is a conservative society, and historically, gender roles have been traditional. The younger generation, however, is a lot more accepting. Some cities like Chengdu have a thriving underground LGBTQ scene.
I do hope that my family can one day read it so that they can have a better understanding of me.
What would you like people to know about Wuhanese people?
Wuhanese people care about you as if you're family. A few decades ago, Wuhan was mainly farmland. Even though it's a city now, people still act like it's a village of people helping each other out. During the pandemic lockdown in Wuhan, community volunteers bought groceries in bulk to share with my grandparents, who are in their 80s and don't know how to order food online. This is what I absolutely love about the people.
How 3 Women From Wuhan Cope With COVID-19: Rap, Poetry And Mooncakes
Goats and Soda
How 3 Women From Wuhan Cope With COVID-19: Rap, Poetry And Mooncakes
It's been over two years since the pandemic started. What do people say to you now when they find out you're from Wuhan?
There's usually an awkward silence. But sometimes they'll ask: Is your family OK? And I'll tell them, yeah, the city has stopped the lockdown, so they're good. So that's fairly sweet.
So tell me about these breakfast noodles.
They're called re gan mian in Mandarin — hot and dry noodles in sesame paste. There's just something about breakfast in the Wuhanese culture that people really love. In fact, the best Wuhanese street foods are breakfast foods.
Laura Gao
Laura Gao
My mom would make this for us in Texas. She couldn't often find the sesame paste at the local grocery stores. So she would have to make her own concoction with peanut butter and sesame oil to try to replicate it.
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Growing up, we would have breakfast together as a family and eat it. Even Jerry. But he always had to have an American breakfast on the side – a bowl of cereal.
07
2022
Indies Introduce
An Indies Introduce Q&A With Laura Gao
Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version
Laura Gao is the author of Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American, a Winter/Spring 2022 Indies Introduce young adult selection.Laura Gao, author of Messy Roots
Laura Gao is a 25-year-old queer artist, author, and bread lover. Originally from Wuhan, China, Gao immigrated to a small town in Texas when she was four. Gao's art career began by doodling on Pokémon cards and has since blossomed to be featured on NPR, the MOCA in NYC, and most notably, her parents’ fridge. Gao graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2018. She worked at Twitter as a Product Manager until 2020, when her webcomic, "The Wuhan I Know", went viral on Twitter and ignited her art career. She swears on Jack Dorsey's beard she did not pull any strings to go viral, and wishes people would stop asking her for tips. Besides drawing and complaining about early-onset back pain, Gao enjoys living nomadically and biking around the world, designing apps for non-profits, bakery-hunting, and watching SNL.
“Laura’s roots are very tangled, “ said Shirley Mullin of Kids Ink Children’s Bookstore in Indianapolis, Indiana. “She was left in Wuhan, China, right after she was born when her parents immigrated to the United States. Four years later when her parents returned, she, of course, did not know them. And moving with them to Texas, Laura not only had to become acquainted with her parents but also a new school and learning English. Reading this very touching graphic memoir, one hopes for a sequel to learn more about where Laura has planted her roots.”
Here, Mullin and Gao talk about crafting a graphic memoir.
Shirley Mullin: Why did you decide to write a memoir and why in graphic form?
Laura Gao: Messy Roots started out as a viral comic I created called The Wuhan I Know, which highlighted the beautiful things I loved about my hometown and shared my own experience with racism growing up and at the start of the pandemic. I received a note from an Asian-American mother who said her young daughters were inspired by the comic and asked if I was planning on writing more.
And that’s how Messy Roots began.
I knew from the beginning I wanted Messy Roots to magically transport the reader into my shoes as they undergo the same identity-seeking journey I did. From squirming in embarrassment as the entire school mocks the Asian mathlete, to staring in awe at the beautiful Wuhan skyline reflected on the Yangtze river the first time I went back to my hometown, to my internal battle with identity portrayed by the white rabbit from Chinese candies and folklore. Comics enable me to marry my storytelling with my art to give readers the full, immersive experience.
SM: Is there anything in Messy Roots that you now wish you had not included?
LG: Since most of my editing was cutting out a bunch of scenes, nothing specific comes to mind. One thing I’m still grappling with as a bilingual author-illustrator is how to best represent non-English languages in a way that pays them equal respect with English. It gets even messier when dealing with different dialects, such as my representation of Wuhanese Mandarin in the book. Wuhanese doesn’t follow the same tones and phonetic pinyin spelling as standard Mandarin, so deciding when to use what while minimizing reader confusion was a challenge.
I wish I wrote about these nuances and tradeoffs made in an author’s note at the end. But at the same time, I wish I didn’t always have to explain myself.
SM: Anything in your life you now wish you had included?
LG: I would expand more on my friendship with Sree, my art friend in high school, because she was one of my strongest relationships with another Asian kid in Coppell, and taught me so much about how to stick up for myself. I also would include more scenes of solidarity against anti-Asian racism during the pandemic, such as the protests that spread around the world, or Bill and I delivering free groceries to elderly Asians in San Francisco.
SM: What was the reaction of your parents and Jerry to your book?
LG: Jerry and I share the same humor and brain cell, so he found it hilarious that the world will know about our sibling shenanigans. He wants everyone to know “his version will be 10x better and instead of the chunky cinnamon roll I drew him as as a baby, he’d be a hotter version of baby Batman.”
My parents were less enthused, partly because they’re hoping this is “just a phase” and I’ll return to a corporate job soon, and partly because they haven’t come around to my queerness yet. Regardless, my family back in China are proud, especially my grandparents who chirped excitedly over our video chat that they never thought their long lineage of farmers would ever have a published author!
SM: Have you visited Wuhan since the pandemic? Are your family members in China aware of how some of the American public blame China for the virus? If so, what do you say to them and what do you say to Americans who are misinformed and/or rude?
LG: Unfortunately not, since China has been incredibly strict about entry. My family members are aware, sometimes even more vigilantly than I am, since their news channels report a lot on the anti-Asian waves happening globally. They often send me worried WeChat messages every time they learn of another attack against an Asian in the U.S. I hope Americans who are misinformed or rude remember that not one single person “caused” this, and that hating someone is a reflection of your own character.
Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese-American by Laura Gao (Balzer + Bray, 9780063067769 / 9780063067776, Paperback/Hardcover, Young Adult Graphic Memoir, $14.99/$22.99) On Sale: 3/8/2022.
Interview with Creator Laura Gao
By: Michele Kirichanskaya
May 11, 2022
Laura Gao is a 25-year-old queer artist, author, and bread lover. Originally from Wuhan, China, Gao immigrated to a small town in Texas when she was four. Gao’s art career began by doodling on Pokémon cards and has since blossomed to be featured on NPR, the MOCA in NYC, and most notably, her parents’ fridge. Her debut graphic memoir, MESSY ROOTS, was published on March 8, 2022 with HarperCollins.
Gao graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2018. She worked at Twitter as a Product Manager until 2020, when her webcomic, “The Wuhan I Know“, went viral on Twitter and ignited her art career. She swears on Jack Dorsey’s beard she did not pull any strings to go viral, and wishes people would stop asking her for tips. Besides drawing and complaining about early-onset back pain, Gao enjoys living nomadically and biking around the world, designing apps for nonprofits, bakery-hunting, and watching SNL. Laura’s pronouns are she/her and they/them.
I had the opportunity to interview Laura, which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT. Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Thank you for having me! I am a queer artist and author of the upcoming graphic memoir, Messy Roots. I was born in Wuhan, China and then immigrated to a small town in Texas where I grew up. I’ve been drawing ever since I was a toddler doodling (and probably slobbering) on Pokemon cards, but I didn’t start pursuing it professionally until 2020 when a comic of mine went viral and got me a book deal.
What can you tell us about your debut graphic novel, Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American? Where did the inspiration for this story come from?
Messy Roots is about my self-discovery journey as a queer, Chinese American teenager stuck between cultures, homes, and expectations of “who I should be” instead of “who I want to be”. It explores my differing experiences between Wuhan, where I was born and visited later on, Texas, where I grew up and experienced the most amount of racism and homophobia, and college and San Francisco, where I had to reckon with and love my entire identity.
Messy Roots started out as a viral comic I created called, The Wuhan I Know, which highlighted the beautiful things I loved about my hometown and shared my own experience with racism growing up and at the start of the pandemic. When the comic unexpectedly went viral, I received countless heartwarming notes from people around the world! The one that struck me the most was from an Asian-American mother whose daughters had read and were inspired by the comic, asking if I was planning on writing more.
And that’s how this book began.
How did you find yourself getting into comics? What drew you to the medium?
I didn’t start drawing comics until after graduating college, although I’ve been reading them for as long as I could remember how to read. The most impactful graphic memoir I read, Spinning by Tillie Walden, was pivotal in helping me understand my own LGBTQ identity despite growing up in a conservative place like Walden did. After graduating college, I worked a standard corporate job but kept up drawing after work as a creative outlet. I’ve always loved telling stories, and had taken animation classes in college where I learned my favorite part was the storyboarding, so comics became a natural medium for me to explore.
For Messy Roots, I wanted to magically transport the reader into my shoes as they undergo the same identity-seeking journey I did. From squirming in embarrassment as the entire school mocks the Asian mathlete, to staring in awe at the beautiful Wuhan skyline reflected on the Yangtze river the first time I went back to my hometown, to my internal battle with identity portrayed by the white rabbit from Chinese candies and folklore. Comics enable me to marry my storytelling with my art to give readers the full, immersive experience.
As an artist, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration?
Makoto Shinkai’s works, Weathering With You and Your Name. Tillie Walden. Anime and manga I grew up on, like Yotsuba, Naruto, and Haikyuu. Comedy TV, like SNL, Parks and Recreation, and Sex Education.
In light of the pandemic and this being a memoir, this story seems like a highly intimate and potent project for you. Could you discuss some of the craft elements you utilized when trying to depict the personal?
Talking about personal and sometimes traumatic events is incredibly hard, especially when sharing with millions of strangers! However, in the same way I often cope with bad memories through humor, I balance out the heavier scenes with comedic ones throughout the book. It lets the reader take in all the Big Feelings while also allowing them a break before the next Big Feeling.
I also depicted some intangible feelings through motifs, such as the dream-like scenes with the white rabbit from Chinese candies and folklore that symbolize my internal battle with my Asian American identity, and the moon being hidden by clouds as signs of my closeted feelings.
What are some things you would want readers to take away from Messy Roots?
I hope readers understand that everyone’s search for identity and home is different and complex. And that’s okay!
I just wrote a whole memoir about it, and every day I’m learning new things about myself. However, by letting your voice shine above the doubts, you’ll realize the right people and places will naturally gravitate towards you. No matter how messy your roots are.
What advice might you have to give to other aspiring creators?
Post terrible work!
Yes, you heard right. The quicker you get over your perfectionism, the faster you’ll finish projects, get feedback, improve, and overcome imposter syndrome or “artist stage fright”. I give myself a deadline for when I must post the art, finished or not. Even if it has mistakes, after I post, I realize 99% of people never even notice. Ultimately my goal is to tell a story; I don’t need to be perfect to be impactful.
When I look at “The Wuhan I Know” I see plenty of ways I could’ve improved it, and I’m sure I’ll feel the same about my book when it comes out, but if I kept the comic in my drafts trying to get it perfect, I’d never have published it and gotten the book deal to give me my dream career.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d6fxor32t2liRTWHqCCIzDPgDKRLHb6h/view?usp=sharing
Besides your work as an artist what are some things you would want readers to know about you?
I lived nomadically last year, splitting my time between Taiwan and Europe, and would love to continue exploring the world while drawing and hunting for the best bread. I also build websites and apps for various nonprofits. My bucket list includes biking every major long-distance trail in the world, and starting a media company that only creates queer joy content.
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but wish you were (and the answer to that question)?
What’s your favorite queer ship? Korrasami hands down.
Are there any projects you are working on or thinking about that you are able to discuss?
I’m currently working on my second book, which will be a queer rom-com about astrology throwing a group of teens’ lives into a hot mess!
Finally, what LGBTQ+ books/comics would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
Any book by Tillie Walden, She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, Woman World by Aminder Dhaliwal, Flamer by Mike Curato, and Stone Fruit by Lee Lai.
Laura Gao: Artist & Writer & Bread Lover
A chat about the best bread in San Francisco, going viral on Twitter and going from no-stakes art to full-time art.
Words by
Cherie Yang
Published on
September 1, 2023
Laura sits at the intersection of multiple worlds. Art and math. East and west. Left brain and right brain. Words and graphics.
Laura Gao - artist, writer, bread lover
She first went viral on Twitter over Thanksgiving 2019 with a self-deprecating joke about her role as a product manager at Twitter. (In the aftermath, her mom asked her what a ‘mee-mee’ is.) Fast forward to 2020 and Laura’s Twitter notifications blow up again with her comic, The Wuhan I Know. Laura was born in Wuhan before moving to the States at age 4. During the COVID pandemic, her hometown is thrust into the world’s consciousness in an overwhelmingly negative light. We talk about her main drivers for publishing the comic, and her experiences of day and night (literally) during this period. The comic gains so much traction on Twitter that it’s picked up by NPR and other news outlets, and Laura wins a book deal to turn her comic into a graphic novel.
We dive deep into what the process has taught her about herself, how she works as a creative, why she likes coffeeshops, and about why she wants to bring the value of authenticity to her book and life.
P.S. Fillmore Bakeshop in SF gets Laura’s vote for the best sourdough.
First things first. Tell us about the bread obsession.
It's nothing too sophisticated. I just have always been a huge fan of bread, ever since I realised that it existed beyond sliced bread. Growing up, my family was fairly middle class, and so my mom always got like the sliced bread. I always hated those that were super dry. I think American bread is also pretty bad compared to the rest of the world. And so I always hated bread growing up. Out of all the carbs, why would you choose this really dry flimsy little piece of square? But once I graduated and started making my own money, and realised that bakeries with actual fresh rolls and super puffy, amazing, scrumptious bread existed, Wow! A whole new world opened up to me and my hatred has now turned into an adoration for really good bread. My favourite bakery of all time in the city is called Fillmore Bakeshop. It's in the Japantown/Fillmore area of San Francisco. I highly recommend it. Their sourdough roll is probably the best thing I've ever had.
So now, I’d love to start at the beginning...
I was born in Wuhan. My parents both immigrated to the States for graduate school right after they had me. I was raised by my grandparents in Wuhan up until I was around 4. That's when my parents had saved enough money to bring us over to the States. We lived in Louisiana for a bit, then we moved to Texas for my dad's job. And that's primarily where I grew up. I would consider Texas to be my second home in a way. My parents have the classic immigrant story in that they went from rags to riches. My dad, in particular, came from a family of farmers. Even now, when I go home to Wuhan, the family still lives in the countryside and it's completely different from everything I've experienced over here.
For college, I went to the University of Pennsylvania, which is in Philly. I knew I wanted to leave Texas for a bit and see what else is out there. That was really great. And that's also where I found my love for tech, for design, and for art. I've loved art my entire life. It was then that I was able to combine all of that to get a job at Twitter right after graduation as a product manager. And that's how I ended up in San Francisco.
How did your love for art come about? Do you remember?
"Honestly, I feel like I've been doodling before I even knew how to write."
Honestly, I feel like I've been doodling before I even knew how to write. At a very young age, I remember I would piggyback with my parents to the church every Sunday, but I didn't understand a thing. I was probably incredibly young then, and I always would just be doodling and drawing. My mom was like, “She loves to draw, but she also makes such a fuss at church, we should probably maybe send her to a class when we're at church.”
They found this Chinese artist who’d immigrated to Dallas, who apparently was pretty well known when he was in China. He had a studio where parents could send their kids to and so I started learning from that teacher every Sunday. I didn't particularly like it because his style was black and white sketch drawings of still life. If you looked at my journal of doodles from that time, they're all superheroes, bad guys and animals. All super fun stuff. That's when my mom first realised that, not only do I like it, but I had some kind of talent. I did end up quitting that studio, but I started going to art classes at school.
What does drawing mean to you?
"I've always had an aversion to being alone with my thoughts. ... Drawing was a good outlet for when I couldn't put all my thoughts into words."
Drawing has been a huge way of expression throughout my whole life. From the moment I was young, there weren't many outlets for me to express my feelings. My family in particular was fairly stoic. I've always had an aversion to being alone with my thoughts, because I just didn't know what to do with them. Drawing was a good outlet for when I couldn't put all my thoughts into words. Or even if I did, for when I didn't have anyone to express them to. It was great to just have a pencil and paper that I can lay it all on. A lot of my early comics and drawings were pretty biographical. They either depicted something that I wanted to reflect on, or something I want to cherish because it was a great memory.
When did you start drawing comics?
I didn't start drawing comics until college or later, and I remember how I first started. After I graduated, I started work here in SF. There was a period of time in which I felt really disillusioned. I was in a long distance relationship with my then-partner and that really hurt and it was easy to feel lonely as a result. Work was really stressful. I was wondering, 'I love art so much but why am I not doing that in my life.' I decided that every night before I went to bed I’d draw a short thing about that day or a moment in that day, to appreciate my days more.
What was college like for you?
People always joke that artists can't like math, but I love math! In college, I got into the business school. I’ve always loved numbers, stats and analytics but at the time, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I think I changed my major 20 times over those four years, honestly. I remember this one class on mechanical design in which we 3D printed things and we laser cut different objects to create these cool structures. I absolutely loved that. It brought together my love for hands-on learning with my passion for art and design. I did a couple of animation courses too—those are the ones that I pulled the most all-nighters for. But they were really awesome all-nighters. I enjoyed every single minute of them.
Math vs. art. What was it like for you switching between the left and right sides of your brain on an almost daily basis?
If anything, it really helped to have two different things that I was doing every day. When you got tired of one thing, you could easily switch to the next and it will help you balance out your entire life. I think a lot about friends who went to art school who would get so burnt out about art that they couldn't—they didn't—even want to draw another thing.
Did you ever consider studying art instead of business?
For a bit, yeah, but I just knew it wasn't practical. My parents are very classic immigrant parents, and there was no way they would pay for art school.
So, art was always something for you to keep on the side?
I always wanted to keep art as a passion, for sure. It’s been a huge part of my life, but I didn't think it would ever turn into a full time or actual ‘life’ thing that I would do. One, my parents probably wouldn't let me go to art school, but two, I actually wasn't really that confident in my art to be able to get me into art school. I didn't think that I was good enough compared to a lot of my peers. I thought it was just better if I keep it as a passion. But, sometimes, life just surprises you.
I want to talk about your doing art full-time. But first, let’s talk about going viral—not once, but twice...
It was super left field. I saw a joke about it and I just thought it was super funny and I should do it [the meme] for my job. This was definitely something that my dad has said before, about everything that I do. And so I posted it, not thinking that it would ever go viral because my job as a product manager [at Twitter] is fairly niche. But the next thing you know, everyone in the world was liking and retweeting it. I love that everyone also used a format for their own jobs. It's like, no matter who you are, even if you were a hotshot doctor, your dad would still be mad about it. It was really a funny moment with all these strangers on the internet.
How did you end up at Twitter?
In college, I'd been switching between a bunch of majors and had decided to go into finance, because that's what most people in my school did. It was the most acceptable job to my dad. He had this dream that his daughter would become a Wall Street hotshot. Thankfully, I did not go through with that. I ended up realising that it was not for me at all.
In junior year, I went on a trip to San Francisco where we got to meet different companies and alumni in tech. Twitter was one of them. That was my very first time getting introduced to Twitter as a company, and beyond just an app. I got to learn a lot more about the tech world which at the time I had known nothing about. After that trip, it just really hit me that I’d been making things my entire life. And that's what tech is about. It's all these creative minds coming together to make really cool things. I ended up recruiting really hard for tech at the last minute.
You were at Twitter when the pandemic struck, which really put Wuhan on the map. As a result, you created another (soon to be viral) comic, why?
The main driver for publishing that comic was this dissonance I felt with being on this side of the world in which everyone around me was fed a lot of media about how awful Wuhan was. I even heard rhetoric about how the people were savage for eating bats. There were a lot of very nasty negative things about people in my family and people in my hometown. I’d hear that during the day, and video chat with my family back home at night. They had nothing but love and worry about me and like everyone else around. That was really unfortunate and heartbreaking for me to feel those two very different perspectives, but having no one to marry them together. The common thread is that we're all in this together trying to fight this thing. There's no point in bringing down one or the other.
I wanted to be able to combat the negative media that we were getting, especially in the Western countries, and bring my own point of view. I wanted to say, "This is actually my beautiful hometown, and all the beautiful things that you're missing. And everyone here is trying to get past the same challenge in the world and we should be banding together instead."
An extract from Laura Gao's, The Wuhan I Know.
Why do you think the comic went viral?
From the feedback and fan mail I got, a lot of people were saying that the message was super universal. I think the main group of people who had really positive emotions connected to it were one people who were also Chinese-American or Chinese like me, and have felt that the world was demonising them for something they had no control over. They really appreciated that my comic called out people's bad behaviour. We should be bonded together over it. The last panel [in my comic] says “Jiayou Wuhan.” "Jiayou" is "rooting for you". At the end of day, we're all victims of the same disease.
The other group was people who were non-Chinese or non-Chinese American, but who also had the same sentiments, and were glad to learn about all these new things about Wuhan. It's honestly such a beautiful place with beautiful landmarks, amazing food and wonderful people. So many of the fans responded saying that Wuhan's the first place they wanted to visit once everything's over. That really brought joy to my heart too. The last thing is—and this is all by coincidence—the very day that I posted it was also the day that Trump had called the virus a Chinese virus on Twitter. Every news article was picking that up. I think a lot of people were looking for that more positive outlook, compared to our president just taking the easy road to shaming someone.
Did you also receive hate mail?
I did, especially in the Twitter replies. I didn't read all their replies, but there were some. I honestly expected it. I’ve worked on the anti-abuse team at Twitter, and I've seen way worse comments. When I first posted it I actually expected it to get a lot more negative reactions than positive ones. At the time, there was a lot of anti-Asian sentiment. I did not expect to get such positivity. So if anything, all the positive comments really overwhelmed the negative ones.
So, how did the book deal come about?
After it went viral, the calls started coming in. I got an interview with NPR, which is really awesome. After the NPR interview, a publisher reached out to me through Twitter asking if I wanted to turn it into a book. I didn't know anything about the publishing world. I’d created this comic just after work in a coffee shop, and so I did not have all these crazy, big dreams for it. I just wanted to get my story out there. But after she called, I was like, "Wow, that's super cool. This is my rocket ship moment, there's no way I'm going to let this fly by."
Laura's comic series 'To All the Girls I've Loved Before' (lauragao.com)
I ended up going with my current agent, Brenda, because she really got my story. She saw the other comics on my website and really understood the type of storytelling I wanted to do. It was super quick. Within a couple of weeks, we wrote a proposal for this expanded book, which would touch on more than just Wuhan. It’s about my immigrant story, being in the intersection of two worlds, and trying to deal with the conflicts that come with being between two cultures. We're aiming for the summer of next year (2021) for when the book will come out, so hopefully when all of this [COVID] is over.
You mentioned earlier that you were really disillusioned and stressed at work. How did you end up leaving Twitter?
"I can't let my love [for art and design] fade away. I need to make sure that I'm always exercising it in some kind of way."
I was approaching a year and a half at Twitter. While I did like my co-workers and my role, there was a piece of creativity that was missing, similar to when I first started doing art at that studio, which was teaching black and white still life. It was so boxed in. I felt that same sentiment on Twitter. I got to exercise my design muscles, but even design is quite literally all boxes when you're doing UI/UX design on an app.
My mentor was also a product manager at Twitter. He said something that really flicked that switch i n my brain. He went to college to study film and wanted to be a filmmaker, but ended up as a product manager. I asked him, “Do you still write scripts on the side or try to film small short films?” He had been a PM for 20+ years at this point. And I remember him saying, "No, I actually think it's been so long that I don't think I can even write a script anymore." That hit me so hard. He was someone I really respected, and I still do, but it was just so sad to see him lose that part of himself after not being able to exercise it for so long. I can't let my love [for art and design] fade away. I need to make sure that I'm always exercising it in some kind of way. I will definitely regret the day that I realise I can't even draw anything on a paper. I'd resolved to put more art into my life, maybe even start doing art full time. I thought of becoming a traveling artist, but that’s when COVID hit. All these plans vanished. There was no way I could travel and I needed health insurance and job security.
After I got the book deal, that was the green light for me. One, the book deal gave me enough money to sustain myself. And two, I knew that I could not do this book justice if I was also working a full time job. If I truly wanted to try out full-time art, I needed to make sure I'm putting my full self into it.
Congratulations! What was the most eye-opening thing about going into art full-time?
"How do you get past a lot of demons in your mind telling you you're not good enough or that you're an imposter, or you’ve wasted all this time?"
Everything that I'm learning about myself and the way I like to work. They weren't huge surprises, because I know that I'm always someone who hated routine. I love being able to work at 2:00 am if I wanted to, because I'm very nocturnal. I prefer to work at 2:00 am versus 2:00 pm, and when you're working 9-to-5 for a corporation, that's just not possible. Learning how I like to work and being self-employed helps me to really get the most out of that.
Another thing that's very eye-opening is how much of a mental battle being a self-employed artist is. I thought going in that motivation or artistic skills would be the biggest challenge. But the biggest challenge really has been the mental battles whenever I'm stuck in a rut with my art, or my writing, or I don't know what to do and I'm the only person doing this. I had a whole team of people at Twitter all with the same goal. Now, how do you get past a lot of demons in your mind telling you you're not good enough or that you're an imposter, or you’ve wasted all this time? That's been a huge learning opportunity for me to build self-confidence.
Art is your comfort, but how do you cope when the mental battles that you face stem from being a full-time artist?
"The biggest mental battle I face is how much of myself should be on the page."
Before, there were no real stakes. I made stuff for myself. I could post it or I could decide not to. And even when I did, I didn't really care how many likes they got because it was mainly just for me. But now, there are all these stakes. If I'm making this book, I'd want other people to like it and read it. And because it's a memoir, I'm literally putting my full self onto the page. And that's really scary too, because if people don't like your book, maybe they don't like your art, or your writing, but maybe they just don't like you as a person. So that's incredibly personal. The biggest mental battle I face is how much of myself should be on the page.
My publisher also paid for this book, and I want to make sure I’m not letting them down. Because if your book doesn’t do well, who knows if I’ll have another opportunity afterwards, right? I try to constantly remind myself that this is still infinitely better than anything else I could have done and just to really enjoy the ride, because it goes by so quickly.
You tweeted that people warned you that you’d become disillusioned after making your passion your career. How did that make you feel?
Laura Gao on Twitter.
I’ve definitely seen that before with myself. When I was in school, I ran this design business and I was lucky that it was fairly successful. But at one point, I had too many clients to handle that I was not enjoying my work. And I feel like that's probably what people mean about getting disillusioned. So far, it actually hasn't been the case, and I'm still really enjoying every moment of it. I think the difference here is that while there is a lot of pressure, I get full creative control over everything about my story. My editor gives feedback, but what I want to write about and how and the voice that comes across is all authentically mine. Whilst there is money involved, I think because I started off with a pretty good safety net of savings, I'm able to take a lot of pressure off as well and fully enjoy just the creative process.
What’s your book writing process been like?
"When I really like something, I put 24/7 focus on it and it doesn't feel like time is actually passing."
It's been honestly such a wild ride. A typical graphic novel takes one to two years to create. But my editor and I both agreed to fast track that because of how timely the material was. So, we decided if I can get this book done in six months, she'll fast track it for summer next year (2021). That's definitely been a challenge but also a really cool goal.
When I really like something, I put 24/7 focus on it and it doesn't feel like time is actually passing. I usually do it in sprints. For a couple of weeks I’d be fully grinding on the art, or the writing. I was probably doing 14-hour days of drawing. Normally, I'd start around noon and go until 4 or 5 am. But it never felt like work. Everything just felt so fun and so free. When I turn in my art, my editor and my art director might take a couple weeks to get back to me and so that would be my vacation time. All the breaks I probably should have been taking during the 14-hour days, I just clump them all together: 2 to 3 weeks of nothing. And during that time I don't look at my story at all. I try to erase it from my memory, because it helps in my next round of revisions if I look at it with brand new eyes. And I usually do other things that are not work related, so I could refresh myself during that time.
Do you have a spot that you have to sit at to draw?
I can draw from anywhere. Over the last few months, I've been home in Dallas, I've been here in San Francisco, and in an Airbnb in Mammoth Lakes with some of my friends—it was there that I actually got most of the pages done! I typically designate my spaces. Wherever I sleep, I make sure that's not where I do my work, because it’s very easy for me to then mix up my leisure brain with my work brain. And I also make sure that wherever I work, I'm not also like watching Netflix or playing games. If I want to play a game, I will physically pick up my laptop, go to different rooms and do it there.
Do you have any pre-drawing rituals or habits?
Coffee definitely is a must. I don't know if that's a ritual or just a necessity. I have to have a cup of coffee in the morning. I always put on music. I have a specific playlist that I use every time I draw and I never get tired of the songs on it, even though I've heard them a million times at this point. I will typically do a quick meditation session too before I draw to focus. I need a lot of sunlight, in general. And I simply like to work around other people too. It makes me not feel so lonely.
You mentioned the very first iteration of this comic was done in a coffee shop. Were you always drawing at coffee shops?
"I love being around people. It reminds me that I'm not tackling things by myself."
I did always prefer coffee shops because I would like the vibe of them. I love the smell of coffee, and they usually put on fairly good music. I love being around people. It reminds me that I'm not tackling things by myself. Even if we were doing different things, it still feels like we, in a way, are on a team for a specific purpose.
Do you ever get into a rut and not know what to draw or write?
That usually happens after I’ve been grinding for a couple of days. I will usually have to take a day of rest after 4 or 5 days of drawing or writing. I honestly think that's a good practice for anyone that’s a creative, because you can't expect your brain to always be on. Maybe I'll listen to a podcast, go on a hike, or just do something to refresh myself.
Do you think you’ve found your voice as an artist?
"With this memoir, I think I'm getting closer and closer to being my full authentic self on the page."
Honestly, I'm still trying to understand what exactly a voice is. With this memoir, I think I'm getting closer and closer to being my full authentic self on the page. I think when people read this book, it will definitely be clear that I'm the one narrating it.
When I send it to friends, I think it passes the “name test.” Even if you blank out all the names, someone who reads it will be like, “Yeah, I'm definitely talking to Laura.” So, I think that I have found my voice in that sense, but it's constantly evolving. It’s a combination of everything I learned throughout the years. I hope it continues to evolve along with my art style.
Words versus graphics. Which one comes first?
The words came first for this one.
I wrote out a 100-page script before I even started drawing. I've heard it varies across all comic artists. Because my brain is pretty visual, it was easier for me to have the visual in my brain and write it down, instead of sketching everything out—my sketching ability probably isn't as great as I’d like it to be to where I could just sketch immediately what's in my brain. So, I'd rather just write it down first. It made it a lot easier for editing too, as I didn’t have to redraw anything.
Your book is a very personal memoir. You’re very open on social media about your background, your self-identity, your mental health. How do you feel putting yourself out there?
"I was a huge advocate for diversity and inclusion, and I was being critical of leadership when I didn't feel that they were working hard enough on it. ... If no one else is speaking about it, then I will do that."
It's definitely scary! I mean it's funny, because whilst it is scary, I've always been super open.
As you said, I post about things that are probably pretty taboo for other people on social media. Even when I was at work, I spoke up about things I was really unhappy about that other people felt could really jeopardise my career. I was a huge advocate for diversity and inclusion, and I was being critical of leadership when I didn't feel that they were working hard enough on it. I think that's always just been who I am. If no one else is speaking about it, then I will do that.
Is that a function of your upbringing?
I do think it is something that I cultivated throughout high school and college. Growing up, since I'm the older sibling, when my brother and I get into fights with our parents, I would always be the more vocal one. One thing that was learned is how to be confrontational and to stick up for what you want.
In college, I was fortunate enough to be around some really awesome people that accepted me for who I was—that was a deliberate thing I wanted. All throughout high school, I felt like I was living this double life where there were a lot of things I kept hidden, like my sexuality. But in college, I got to be fully out and authentic to them. And, honestly life has just been that much happier. I realised that authenticity is the best value to have if I wanted to stay happy in life. So, that's the value that I bring now into my book and the rest of my life.
I love hearing that. Would you care to talk a little bit more about your coming out?
Yeah, I’m queer. I think I've really known that for most of my life, but never got to fully admit it until college. I grew up in a small pretty conservative religious town called Coppell in Texas. It’s predominantly white Baptists. I don't think I knew a single out LGBTQ+ person at my school at the time. Also, there were very few people of colour and being a queer person of colour is a whole new layer in itself.
All of that meant that I had to keep everything secret up until college. One of the reasons that I only applied to colleges outside the south was that I wanted to see what other environments there are. I knew that there are other places that could be more open and accepting, but I don't really know to what extent. I got to Penn, which is super open, super liberal, and one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly campuses—which I didn’t know at that time. It was because of that environment that I got to not only finally be open to everyone else, but to be honest with myself.
Wrapping up, how would you describe yourself? You’re a creator, a writer, a bread lover?
"I hate to confine myself to just one word or my identity to just one thing."
I am a bread lover, yes. I think you said "multi-hyphenate" in the beginning, and honestly, I think that’s a great word. I have so many different interests and so many different things that I do throughout my life. I hate to confine myself to just one word or my identity to just one thing. Multi-hyphenate. I call myself "Laura the Explorer" a lot because it also rhymes with "Dora the Explorer." "Explorer" is probably the best word to summarise all of it because I'm constantly looking for new things to try out, and new jumps to take. Because why do the same thing for the rest of your life?
On the Feed
Good to be back.
I’d just arrived back in San Francisco after a couple of months at home. It was nice to be back in Texas, but I’m not really out to my parents or many people back home.I was just incredibly thankful to be back in SF and I love biking. I was out on a ride and I wanted to document this moment of euphoria. I ended up doing this self-photoshoot. I put the phone on a trash can, and I had a soy milk drink at the time and put it behind the phone to support it. it was just a really great moment.
Dinosaurs for charity!
My birthday, May 14, was the exact day of my graduation. In the week leading up to my birthday, I did a Facebook fundraiser for Planned Parenthood. I said that if we reached $10,000 I’d wear the onesie on my graduation. I didn't think it’d ever reach that number, but it did, and so I showed up as a pink dinosaur on the day I graduated.
A proud mother.
My mom took this picture and, when I saw it, I zoomed in to the background. Those were the paintings that my brother and I drew when we were very young. I've always had a contentious relationship with my family, especially around my artistic side. While they were supportive of it as a passion, they were never supportive of it as a “real” thing. That was really important for me to see that my mom had these pictures for years in her office. And to know that maybe on the outside, it seemed like they were disapproving, but on the inside, they still really appreciated the artistic side of their kids.
Laura's WFH set-up
That’s my current apartment in SF. I always loved ambient light. I try to have as much light as possible when I work. I use an app called Procreate, and I use an Apple pencil to draw. My keyboard—that's what I usually do for breaks. I love music; not only listening but playing. Whenever I get tired or want a break, I'll usually improv music or just play a tune.
A young Laura and her mentor/grandma.
That's my grandma on my mom's side. I'm actually probably the closest to her out of all my relatives in Wuhan. We call almost every week. I tell her things I don't even tell my parents. She's been a really great mentor figure in my life. I was probably still in Wuhan at that time of this picture. I’m holding a toy gun or something. It looks like we’re part of a gang or mob, and she’s the mob boss and I’m her firsthand.
Off the Cuff
On anime
Haikyu!! The best part is the characters are all so lovable; there’s not a single character that I hate. It’s to a point when you love a character so much that you want to just like know everything about them.
On Twitter
The social media that I’m on 24/7.
On bread
Fillmore Bakeshop sourdough.
On family group chats
They’re an enigma to me. It's silence for a while, then my parents would ask for an update, which I give, then it's silence again. Rinse and repeat!
On romcoms
I am obsessed with Crash Landing on You. All my friends know I don’t even like cheesy, lovey-dovey stuff, but I can't explain it.
Find Laura Gao on Twitter, Instagram and her website.
Gao, Laura MESSY ROOTS Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins (Teen None) $22.99 3, 8 ISBN: 978-0-06-306777-6
A Chinese American woman from Wuhan examines her multifaceted identity.
This autobiographical account opens in San Francisco in January 2020. Responding to xenophobic and racist attitudes brewing among sectors of American society as the Covid-19 virus spreads, the narrator recalls the Wuhan she knew as 3-year-old Yuyang, "with no internet and too much energy." Comical sketches illustrate romps through rural landscapes with cousins and visits with her urban-dwelling grandparents, who nourished her with stories and food, before she is launched into the "strange, new world" of Texas. Yuyang celebrates her symbolic arrival as an American when her mother renames her Laura after the then-first lady. 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. Most compelling is Gao's retelling of the legend of moon goddess Chang'e, who is able to "escape her suffocating home"--something Gao manages by attending college in a faraway state and encountering a diverse student body beyond the "white-washed" conformity of her high school. Gao comes out as queer and embraces her tangled roots as she continues writing her life story with pride and confidence. The dynamic, clean, and energetic artwork colored in soft tones features bold linework and ample white space. Splashes of red emphasize the emotional impact of many scenes.
A nuanced representation of being Asian and transnational in the contemporary U.S. (Graphic memoir. 13-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Gao, Laura: MESSY ROOTS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Jan. 2022. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A688199588/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4655a7fb. Accessed 16 June 2025.
* Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American
Laura Gao. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $22.99 (272p) ISBN 978-0-06-306777-6; $ 14.99 paper ISBN 978-0-06-306776-9
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 selfdiscovery--particularly a burgeoning awareness of queerness. Colorist Weiwei Xu adds atmosphere to Gao's fluid, expressive cartoons, employing vivid reds, oranges, and yellows, and coolertoned 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.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American." Publishers Weekly, vol. 269, no. 2, 10 Jan. 2022, p. 64. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A690146844/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=3082732d. Accessed 16 June 2025.
* Kirby's Lessons for Falling (in Love)
Laura Gao. HarperAlley, $26.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-06-306780-6; $18.99 paper ISBN 978-0-06-306779-0
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.)
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"Kirby's Lessons for Falling (in Love)." Publishers Weekly, vol. 271, no. 48, 16 Dec. 2024, p. 64. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A820624885/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=06f66329. Accessed 16 June 2025.
Gao, Laura KIRBY'S LESSONS FOR FALLING (IN LOVE) HarperAlley (Teen None) $18.99 3, 4 ISBN: 9780063067790
"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)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Gao, Laura: KIRBY'S LESSONS FOR FALLING (IN LOVE)." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A823102359/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=41fe65ec. Accessed 16 June 2025.