Debt and oil: My two years as a migrant worker

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Cartoonist Kate Beaton took a job in a Canadian oil facility to pay off her student debt and – in a world where women were vastly outnumbered - found herself part of a "shadow population" of migrant workers. For two years, she lived in a dark parallel universe of harassment, finding refuge in drawing cartoons in her room at night. Now living back in Cape Breton, near her home town, Kate has turned her experiences into the graphic novel Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, which has been chosen by Barack Obama as one of his books of 2022. Gene Luen Yang grew up in a Chinese family in the United States, and when his mum bought him his first Superman comic, the story immediately resonated with him. Gene went on to become a cartoonist, and he even helped create the first Chinese Superman character. He is also the first graphic novelist to be a finalist for the National Book Award, for his book American Born Chinese, which is currently being adapted for television. Gene spoke to Emily Webb in 2020. Get in touch: [email protected] Presenter: Andrea Kennedy Producer: Laura Thomas (Photo: Kate Beaton with illustrations from 'Ducks'. Credit: Steve Rankin / Kate Beaton)