Host intro: Coming to America from abroad is by definition a life-changing event. But the memories, even if rarely talked about, can follow newcomers forever.

Belinda Cai’s father lived through China’s Cultural Revolution, an abusive socio-political movement. Leader Mao Zedong called on the nation’s youth to purge those who were “impure”: the capitalists, the intellectuals, the so-called “traitors.” It turned children against parents, and millions were forced to the countryside where they endured harsh conditions, torture and death.

Belinda knew only the broad outlines of her father’s life during this period. One day recently, she decided she wanted details. She was not fully prepared for what she discovered.