'Feeding Ghosts' is a graphic memoir grappling with generational trauma
Mar 21, 2024
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Artist Tessa Hulls explores her family's Chinese history, generational trauma, and healing in her graphic memoir 'Feeding Ghosts'. Delve into the hardships faced during the Communist Revolution and the transformative power of confronting the past.
Feeding Ghosts examines the impact of China's cultural revolution on family history.
Generational trauma shapes perceptions of love and relationships within Tessa Hulls' family.
Deep dives
Uncovering Family History
Exploring one of the main themes in the podcast episode, Tessa Hulse's graphic memoir titled Feeding Ghosts delves into the impact of China's cultural revolution on her family. Hulse reflects on the complex and sometimes unpleasant truths she uncovered about her grandmother's past, providing a nuanced view of her family history. Through her storytelling, she highlights the importance of facing and acknowledging difficult aspects of one's familial heritage.
Interconnected Traumas Across Generations
The podcast episode discusses the intergenerational trauma experienced by Tessa Hulse's family, tracing back to her grandmother's struggles during China's turbulent history. Hulse reflects on how her mother's upbringing as a caretaker for her mentally ill grandmother influenced her own perception of love and relationships. The narrative underscores the deep-rooted impact of past traumas on familial dynamics and personal identity.
Personal Transformation and Reconciliation
As Tessa Hulse embarks on a journey of self-discovery through her art and writing, she confronts her fears and vulnerabilities related to her family's history. The podcast delves into Hulse's transformative process, shifting from a self-described 'reformed cowboy' seeking adventure to someone striving for deeper connections with others. Through her memoir and collaborative efforts with her mother, Hulse finds a path towards understanding, reconciliation, and a new perspective on her cultural heritage.
Tessa Hulls' grandmother, Sun Yi, was a dissident journalist in Shanghai who faced intense political persecution during the Chinese Communist Revolution; she suffered severe mental distress after fleeing to Hong Kong. In today's episode, Hulls tells Here & Now's Scott Tong that her grandmother's trauma often cast a shadow over their family – one she had been running away from for years, and one she decided to finally face in her new graphic memoir, Feeding Ghosts. It's a reexamining of Hulls' matriarchal lineage, of Chinese history and of generational love and healing.
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