Did you know central Wisconsin is one of the leading suppliers of ginseng in the world? We didn't either until we read Craig Thompson's new graphic novel, Ginseng Roots. Thompson grew up in Marathon, Wisconsin just west of Wausau. There, he and his family would serve as farm hands to the local ginseng growers. Ginseng is commonly associated with Asian countries such as China and South Korea and is often touted for it's medicinal benefits. People claim it can help with almost any ailment you might have.
The farming of ginseng in Wisconsin is not new. In fact, it's been commercially farmed in Wisconsin for hundreds of years. Believe or not, Wisconsin has a perfect climate for it. Thompson was just ten years old when he started working on a ginseng farm. It was back breaking work and took up much of his summer vacations. Albeit hard work and time consuming, Thompson was more than happy to do it because that meant he had money to buy comic books.
He didn't know it at the time but those comic books he was able to buy forged a life long passion in him. Now, Thompson lives in Portland, Oregon and is an accomplished graphic novelist. He has written and illustrated several colossal books over a 25 year career. Those books range in length from 300 to 600 pages long. Ginseng Roots is a testament to never taking anything for granted. What was just an ordinary job in a rural town turned into a career in the arts and a magnificent story of culture, family and ancient history.
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