Ginseng Roots: A Memoir
by Craig Thompson
Beautiful and moving graphic memoir (4/17/2025)
I had a hard time writing this review because I don't know how to talk about such a beautiful book. I can't do justice with words to Thompson's art, so I'll just go with how moved I was by the combination of narration and illustration. Memory and history circle and meld seamlessly, through childhood, family, travel, and the devastating history of the Hmong people. Thompson looks at human foibles (including his own) with honesty and sympathy, inspiring in me feelings of tenderness and rage and humor and more.
The history, culture and cultivation of ginseng are slipped into the story line with relevance, so the information never feels dry or pedantic. It doesn't hurt that the ginseng are ridiculously cute!
I look forward to reading more of Thompson's work, especially Blankets which I've already ordered.
The Antidote: A Novel
by Karen Russell
A riveting saga of dust bowl Nebraska (3/2/2025)
It is rare for me to read at night without falling asleep, but I was up until the wee hours last night reading The Antidote. This morning, my mind is reveling in new perceptions of history and human behavior – the connection between the trail of tears and the dust bowl; how money makes evil comprehensible; the role of memory in conscience…
The Antidote informs through history and secrets revealed without being pedantic. Shifts between narrators are seamless and propel the storyline without disrupting it. History and philosophy are woven into edge-of-your-seat plots. There are villains and witches, miracles of nature, a magical camera, a sensate scarecrow and more. These devices appear so naturally in the story that they don't seem implausible: they are all part of prairie life.
Did I mention it is also very funny?
The best book I've read since North Woods.
