sunshine gao – illustratör

This unique English-Khmer bilingual graphic memoir starts and ends in Cambodia for a girl who will inspire readers to hold on to their dreams. 

Kim Uy and her parents waited 15 years in Cambodia before emigrating to the United States. She had to learn English in high school, ignore those who said “medicine is not for you,” and she had to stay strong to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. And once Kim met her goals in America, she returned to Cambodia to care for those who needed her most. 

"Eleven storytellers chronicle their journeys from places all over the world—including Guatemala, Chad, Vietnam, and Kazakhstan—to the United States.

Each story compellingly details a variety of experiences the individual immigrant or refugee had, highlighting differences between stories that too often are lumped together or not given an opportunity to be heard. Each storyteller was paired with an illustrator from a similar linguistic and cultural heritage. The thoughtfulness of the matches shines through, as every panel authentically conveys the narrators’ poignant and emotional memories, highlighting the beauty of their homelands and the cultures they still identify with. The narratives show the struggles and triumphs of acclimating to a new language, culture, and worldview as well as dealing with obstacles like racism and microaggressions...

Will strongly evoke both thought-provoking insights and empathy."—KIRKUS STARRED REVIEW

Green Card Voices presents a bold and unconventional collection of first-person stories told and illustrated by immigrants and refugees living across the United States. Stanford scientist, deaf student, indigenous activist, Black entrepreneur—all immigrants and refugees—recount journeys from their home countries in ten vibrantly illustrated stories. Faced by unfamiliar vistas, they are welcomed with possibilities, and confronted by challenges and prejudice. Timely, sobering, and insightful, Our Stories Carried Us Here acts as a mirror and a light to connect us all with immigrant and refugee experiences.

A beautifully illustrated graphic novel that explores what it means to belong in Mexico and in America, and doing what it takes to survive and thrive.Born in the US, Daniel’s family moves back to Mexico when he is 9 years old. Despite looking like his peers, Daniel struggles with being accepted in his new environment.Daniel’s story is presented in both English and Spanish, the two languages of Daniel’s youth.