Names and Faces: A Graphic Memoir

by Leise Hook

A graphic memoir-in-essays examining the in-betweenness of being mixed-race and the cultural confrontations inherent to forging one’s identity

Who are you? What are you? And how does it feel to be you? Leise Hook was asked these intrusive questions so many times growing up that they haunted her like ghosts. Born to a Chinese mother and white American father, and growing up in Michigan, Tokyo, and Virginia, Leise Hook was never sure where she fit in. More white-passing than her Chinese friends and family, but with the Mandarin skills of a native speaker, she was constantly exceeding some expectations while failing to meet others. From moving to Beijing, to dying her hair blonde, to exploring self portraiture, Hook struggles to figure out who she is and where she belongs.

In the vein of Cathy Park Hong and Gene Luen Yang, Hook’s graphic memoir-in-essays rendered via her signature, award-winning style, explores what it means to come of age as a mixed-race woman, forging a singular identity in a world intent on putting her into ill-fitting boxes.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics

256 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication April 14, 2026

Reviews

[Mara K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

two and a half stars.
while i liked the idea of showing that everyone is different, i personally found it rather wordy, and just like a stream on facts most of the time. i had a lot of trouble finishing it. i was expecting it to be more of a story, so maybe if i had come into it thinking thats not what it was going to be, i would have enjoyed it more. that said, some parts, the parts that were like tiny parts of her life, were good and i liked them. i also liked the rare bits that were in full color, which made it really pop.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for letting me read it in advance!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leise has a Chinese mother and a white father. She grows up speaking both Manaderin and English. She thinks that is normal, until she goes to school, and everyone wants to know “what” she is. Because she doesn’t look white, exactly, nor does she look Chinese.

She writes about hoping that one day she would find a place where she could be herself. She thought going to China would do it, but of course, it does not.

Growing up, she desperately wanted an American Girl doll that looked like her, but there wasn’t one. She finally settled for Josefina, because she came the closest.

Her grandmother grew up during the Japanese occupation of China. She had managed to suppress most of that, but sometimes, at night, she could be heard screaming.

There are many pieces to her story, and she tries to find what it is that makes her whole. I’m not sure if there is one answer to that, which is probably why this book doesn’t try to actually have a full answer to that question.

Interesting to see this perspective. Nicely drawn.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is comingout the on the 14th of April 2026.

[Elia · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting yet somewhat all over the place at cultural identity, race, and language from the POV of a biracial woman (Chinese/American). Each chapter looks at a different facet of her life and her struggle to come to terms with where she belongs.

[Natalie Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company and Net Galley for the Arc in exchange for my honest review. This graphic novel memoir deals with identity and how the world sees her, and more importantly how she sees herself. Born to a Chinese mother and a German father who are both linguists, she has been white passing for most of her life but always got the questions around her identity, what are you? She has both an American and Chinese name, was very close to her Chinese grandmother and spoke Mandarin and has lived in the US, Japan and China. All of this sets her up for so many questions about her identity and how she fits into her world and the larger world. I enjoyed her illustrations as well as the story line and her story provides understanding and empathy for those searching for belonging and identity.

[Anne Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Names and Faces is a quietly powerful book: reflective, artful, and unafraid of complexity. Hook doesn’t offer tidy answers — and that’s precisely why this memoir feels true. It’s a deeply personal map of identity, illustrated with care and introspection, and a reminder that belonging is often more about the journey than the destination.
Hook’s writing is both thoughtful and honest. She skillfully reframed the concept of "invasive species" as a metaphor for xenophobia and cultural purity. Her illustrations are clean and expressive and her layout choices mirror the internal tension of belonging without fitting in.

It was an invigorating read.

[Cheryl Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Identity is an onion, and although Hook thinks she's made peace with hers—as the daughter of a white American father and a Chinese mother, both linguists—there are always more layers. Each essay in this collection examines biracial and bicultural identity from a different angle. My favorite is Hook's extended essay on how waging war against "invasive species" contains xenophobic undertones; in reality, we live in a globalized world where few places are untouched by non-natives, and an obsession with purity overlooks the sometimes beautiful complexity of a cross-pollinated landscape.

[Horace Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by Netgalley and Henry Holt & Company

This is a graphic memoir that contains musings in several topics in regards to her biracial identity. The art is quite well done, and I enjoy how introspective and insightful it is. It jumps around a bit in time. I always like reading about other mixed race people experience things. She seemed fairly tuned in to both her sides, but the feeling of not quite belonging is relatable.

[Haruka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to say thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this book in advanced. Here is my honest review.
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I would give this book a 3.5 star rating. The book is great. I love that the author wanted to show that everyone in this world is different. Every names, faces, language, everything is different for everybody. It a great memoir to read.

[Hannah]

I'm biased because I worked on this book but I think it's fantastic. Hook conveys so much emotion in her words and art, and there are so many subtle details that bring real lightness and humor to some very personal and introspective topics.

[Endrit Nikqi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I received a DRC from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
“A graphic memoir-in-essays examining the in-betweenness of being mixed-race and the cultural confrontations inherent to forging one’s identity

Who are you? What are you? And how does it feel to be you? Leise Hook was asked these intrusive questions so many times growing up that they haunted her like ghosts. Born to a Chinese mother and white American father, and growing up in Michigan, Tokyo, and Virginia, Leise Hook was never sure where she fit in. More white-passing than her Chinese friends and family, but with the Mandarin skills of a native speaker, she was constantly exceeding some expectations while failing to meet others. From moving to Beijing, to dying her hair blonde, to exploring self portraiture, Hook struggles to figure out who she is and where she belongs.

In the vein of Cathy Park Hong and Gene Luen Yang, Hook’s graphic memoir-in-essays rendered via her signature, award-winning style, explores what it means to come of age as a mixed-race woman, forging a singular identity in a world intent on putting her into ill-fitting boxes.”

“Names and Faces” is a spectacular graphic memoir. I absolutely adore the beautiful illustrations, and the book was able to get me invested in Leise’s story real quickly. I read this book in one sitting and I loved every second of it. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I would highly recommend it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐