Victim and perpetrator: The two gunshots that changed my life
Mexican American Obed Silva is an English professor with a tangled past, and a mother whose devotion led to him swapping a prison cell for a lecture theatre.
Obed Silva has an extraordinary story of transformation: from a teenager drowning in gang life, to an adult succeeding in the arts. Today Obed is an English professor, but his route to the lecture hall has been via prison and a hospital operating theatre. Obed was born in Mexico but his mum took him to America when he was a baby to escape his father, for reasons he would only discover when he was much older. Her steadfast devotion to him has contributed to Obed's success. He has written a memoir called: The Death of My Father The Pope.
Please be aware that this episode contains descriptions of sexual violence. You can access support at the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Action Line /actionline.
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com
Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Deiniol Buxton
(Photo: Obed Silva. Credit: Dario Debora)
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Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary
Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected