Thank you to NetGalley for my Advanced Reader's Copy.

I think my favorite part of this book was the drawing. Every page is just beautiful. I have never read Thompson's bio Blankets but I may now just to see the artwork. I also loved learning all about the production and usage of ginseng. I would absolutely recommend this book.

As someone that grew up in Marathon County and did ginseng work, not because I got paid but because we were voluntold by my father the pastor, this book hit a lot differently than I expected. Craig talks about growing up working in the ginseng fields to help get money for his family and for comics. Coming back home for a visit, he starts talking with family and locals about the changes in the work and how it has changed Wisconsin's environment throughout the last 50 years of mass commercial production. A brief history of Wisconsin's founding and trade through the cultivation of ginseng, and the changes in the political and environmental areas show that Wisconsin has adapted in the past, and how we need to adapt again. This book ends in a sudden but hopeful note, and really focuses on how we need to pay attention to the past in order to improve on the future. A worthwhile read.

The artwork in this book is beautifully done. I love how the myths behind the ginseng root is illustrated. It really helps bring the story to life.

Anyone who is familiar with Craig Thompson's previous work will know that he is an incredible artist and graphic designer. His attention to things like page layout and his mastery of the black and white format are again on full display here in Ginseng Roots, an autobiographical story that falls somewhere before Blankets in Thompson's life.

The first thing to know is that this is a pretty slow book. Thompson really digs into the details of monotonous summers spent weeding Ginseng Fields, while also delivering a bit of a history lesson on the plant itself. I feel that the book is best read in pieces (which is actually how he initially published it), so that you can digest it in smaller bits and take the time to really appreciate the artistry involved. Don't go into this looking for action or fast paced development, there are other books for that. Ginseng Roots is a lovely and quiet personal narrative about Thompson's youth in Wisconsin, and how his understanding of those experiences has changed as he grew up.

Blankets is one of the first graphic novels I ever read, one of the first books that really hooked me on the genre, and graphic memoir in particular. I knew I had to read Ginseng Roots as soon as I saw it was coming.

Ginseng Roots follows Craig and his siblings to tell their story growing up in the Wisconsin ginseng farming industry. Another great graphic memoir that also taught me a lot about ginseng, Wisconsin, and farming in general. Craig Thompson has a beautiful way of telling his story that I've not experienced with other graphic memoir artists. Highly recommend!