Re:sound #7: The Mei Mei Show

This hour: producer Dmae Roberts grapples with the history and memories of her Taiwanese mother, a history of PTSD, and more.

Mei Mei – A Daughter's Song

by Dmae Roberts (NPR, 1989)

As a little girl in Taiwan, Chu-Yin was sold into slavery. After spending her childhood homeless and alone, she moved to America where she raised her daughter, Dmae Roberts. Growing up, Roberts was angry and frustrated at her own inability to live up to her mother's ideal of a perfect Taiwanese daughter. But over time Roberts' feelings began to soften and change.

Messages

by Dmae Roberts (NPR, 2002)

While Dmae Roberts's mother, Chu-Yin, was dying from breast cancer, Roberts was one of her most important caretakers. When they weren't together, they communicated by phone, often leaving messages for each other. These messages became the core of Roberts' audio homage to her mother, and a window into further understanding her mother's life and death.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

by Alix Spiegel (All Things Considered, 2003)

It's practically a household term today, but 30 years ago no one had heard of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Nor did anyone believe that the psychological problems suffered by Vietnam veterans were caused by their military service. Alix Spiegel documents the evolution of PTSD from a nameless experience to an officially recognized medical condition.

Sweepstakes Winner

by Joe Frank

The original radio maverick, Joe Frank, is known for leaving listeners more than a bit uncomfortable. Here he imagines a seemingly celebratory phone call interrupted by a disturbing one, poking fun at public radio in the process.