Ginseng Roots

"From ages 10 to 20, Craig Thompson (author of Blankets, Goodbye Chunky Rice, Habibi, Carnet De Voyage, Space Dumplins) and his little brother Phil, toiled in Wisconsin farms weeding and harvesting ginseng. The medicinal herb fetched huge profits in China and funded Craig's youthful obsession with comic books. Comics, in turn, allowed him to escape his rural, working-class trappings."--