Ginseng Roots - Craig Thompson

Ginseng Roots A Graphic Memoir - Craig Thompson – (448 pages, English, hardcover, published by Faber & Faber)

Ginseng Roots

In 'Ginseng Roots', American comic artist Craig Thompson ('Blankets', 'Habibi', 'Good-bye, Chunky Rice') digs up the roots of his youth. Growing up in Wisconsin, he helped, along with his younger brother, harvest ginseng, the Chinese miracle cure cultivated in large parts of the American Great Lakes State. Around the same time, young Craig discovers comic books, a new world in which he completely immerses himself. Harvesting ginseng pays off in a comic book an hour, a windfall for Craig.

Craig Thompson

As with 'Blankets', 'Ginseng Roots' is largely autobiographical, and in that sense, it is a spiritual sequel to the 2003 graphic novel. Thompson once again depicts the struggle of growing up in a traditional Evangelical Christian family in the American Midwest, but does not look back with bitterness. In fact, in 'Ginseng Roots', he reconciles with his youth and parents from the perspective of someone more at peace with the past. Through flashbacks and more recent periods in his life as a comic artist, he sketches how differently his life has unfolded from that of his parents and peers. But also how the modern history of America has shaped that life.