Robin Ha

Ha was born in Seoul, South Korea by the name "Ha Chuna" and was raised by her single mother, Cassie.[1][2] At the age of 14, her mother brought her on a 'summer trip' to the United States, which became a permanent relocation to Huntsville, Alabama after her mother abruptly announced marriage to a suitor living there.[1][2][3] While in the United States, she maintained her interest in Korean manhwa comic books,[4] a hobby she picked up from her mother.[2] Ha would graduate from the Rhode Island School of Design, and relocate to Brooklyn,[2] where she began trying her hand in home cooking Korean cuisine.[5]

Ha was working as a textile designer when she contributed a single page for a comic anthology illustrating a recipe for a Korean dish.[6] In 2014, she began illustrating recipes for Korean dishes and posting a web comic series titled "Banchan in Two Pages”.[2] After the popularity of the series grew, Ten Speed Press approached Ha about publishing an illustrated cookbook.[2] As she had not undergone formal culinary training and was a relatively inexperienced cook, she cooked with her mother for the first time to develop the recipes featured.[5]

In 2016, Ha released "Cook Korean!: A Comic Book with Recipes", which contained both narrative-driven comics as well as her illustrations of recipes and explanations of Korean ingredients and culinary practices.[5] It debuted on the New York Times Bestselling List.[7] Ha's choice of integrating Korean characters into the mostly English text, rather than transliterating or translating them, was highlighted as a part of a trend of non-English characters appearing in otherwise English-language cookbooks.[8]

In 2013, Ha began working a memoir focusing of her own immigration.[9] On January 28 of 2020, Ha released Almost American Girl, which she both wrote and illustrated.[1] The graphic novel recalls Ha's experience with immigrating from South Korea to the United States as a teenager, including the tribulations with racist harassment, tension with Asian American relatives, and acclimating to foreign school and lifestyles.[4] One review described its as "an insightful, moving coming-of-age tale," while another noted the work as "also a love letter to comics fans."[10] It would be honored with a 2021 Walter Award under the "Books, Teen" category.[11]