Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Craig Thompson begins ‘Ginseng Roots’ by recalling cold, damp, bleak days of working on a Ginseng farm with his siblings in his hometown as a kid. The artwork instantly conveys the drudgery of having to wake up early in the morning and going to work during school break, instead of playing sports or games.
However, ‘Ginseng Roots’ isn’t your standard memoir, it’s a documentary-style look at ginseng, covering lore, practices, and how it’s grown around the world, blended with creator Craig Thompson’s personal memories of spending years working on ginseng farms alongside his younger brother as a child. The ginseng roots appear as expressive humanoid characters, almost like playful narrators that add a cutesy charm to the story.
Craig grew up in Marathon County in Wisconsin, known as the ‘Ginseng Capital of the World’, the region grows over 90% of American Ginseng. ‘Ginseng Roots’ begins with the creator’s personal connection to the herb, which includes almost a decade of working on various farms as a kid. It was hard work, but the bright side? Craig and his brother got to keep their earnings, with which they would buy comics they would’ve never been able to afford otherwise and basically it is Ginseng that fueled the artist’s passion for comic books.
If you’re already familiar with Craig Thompson’s works, then having read ‘Blankets’, his graphic novel memoir about falling in love and losing faith in religion. Honestly, I did not enjoy the memoir much and cannot even remember most of it, although his fiction-fantasy book ‘Habibi’ was gorgeous and absolutely riveting. Which is why I decided to give ‘Ginseng Roots’ a chance and was 100% satisfied with the decision.
That said, some parts definitely do not flow too well in this graphic novel, but Craig’s phenomenal artwork makes the book a treat to read. If somebody asked me to read about ginger cultivation and its history, I would never buy it. Just like that, ginseng is a dry, mundane subject, but Craig makes it readable, even entertaining with his detailed and expressive artwork. If you fall into the category of comic book lovers where sometimes art means more than the story itself, ‘Ginseng Roots’ is an excellent non-fiction pick.
Beyond visiting and interviewing ginseng farmers in his hometown of Marathon, Craig Thompson also travels to South Korea and China with his younger brother Phil to visit farms, markets, and interact with locals involved in the industry. In fact, one really fun personal element in ‘Ginseng Roots’ is that Thompson lets his brother draw a few panels as a nod to their shared love for comics and sketching while growing up. One page (pictured above) from their China visit splits the artwork into two halves, with the left side featuring Craig’s work and the right Phil’s, allowing readers to instantly spot the difference in their drawing styles.
Throughout the book, Craig also opens up about the self-doubt he faced over creating a story that could easily be viewed as cultural appropriation, since ginseng is so deeply tied to Chinese culture and mythology. During his trip to South Korea, one Korean even tells him it would be “criminal” to write about the subject without properly covering its association with Korea. Clearly, people feel strongly about the matter. Yet, many subject matter experts in both China and Korea were excited and supportive of Craig’s intention to create ‘Ginseng Roots’, showing far more confidence in the project than he himself initially had.
While some chapters do not flow fluidly, and the climactic final pages feel abrupt, I don’t see how anyone else could’ve done a better job of combining the history of a herb with their own personal journey in comic-book format. If not for Craig Thompson, I certainly would never have learned so much about the world of ginseng, let alone attempted to read a book of over 400 pages about it!
Rating for ‘Ginseng Roots’: 5 on 5 stars.
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