The Death of My Father the Pope

A Memoir

The Death of My Father the Pope
Obed Silva
RRP:
NZ$ 64.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 51.99
Hardback
h208 x 135mm - 304pg
7 Dec 2021 US
International import eta 7-19 days
9780374539160
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
Weaving between preparations for his father' s funeral and memories of life on both sides of the U. S. -Mexico border, Obed Silva chronicles his father' s alcoholism-a lifelong love that ended only at his death at the age of forty-eight, having poisoned himself one Carta Blanca at a time. Addiction respects no borders; the havoc Silva' s father wreaked on his family not only followed them north, where mother and son moved to escape his violent drunken rages, but would make itself felt even from the grave. With a wry cynicism; a profane, profound anger; an antic, brutally honest voice; and a hardwon classical frame of reference, Silva channels the heartbreak of mourning while wrestling with the resentment and frustration resulting from addic - tion. The Death of My Father the Pope is a fluid and dynamic combination of memoir and examination of the power of language-and the introduction of a unique and powerful literary voice.
Compelling . . . Silva' s inner turmoil is relatable, his story engaging, and his arrival to a place of compassion unforgettable and poignant. --Rigoberto Gonzalez, San Francisco Chronicle[Silva] never looks away. His book is an unrequited love story, told in fragments, through the lens of death. --David L. Ulin, Los Angeles Times[A] poignant debut . . . with bluntness and dark humor, [Silva] reflects on the addictions and abuses that addled his childhood . . . This lyrical memoir offers an indelible look at the complicated ways grief, family, and addiction can intertwine. --Publishers Weekly[A] searing memoir . . . A raw, probing narrative of pain. --KirkusA ruthlessly honest memoir about the very complex emotions that can exist between parents and children. --Library Journal "Obed' s journey is high art of the transformative nature -- that is, he descends into the bowels of familia, soars into the hearts and souls of father and brother and friends, drifts in and out of the city of Chihuahua, all the while revealing and lifting the veil of our discontents and connections to those we love and to those things that make and define our lives. An eloquent rendering of our times, told in a way that delivers in clear, precise thoughtfulness of la frontera and what it is to be mestizo, what it is to be Chicano, Mexican, trouble and peaceful, courageous, resentful, underscoring it all with what it means to be truly human. Everyone should read this memoir!" --Jimmy Baca, author of A Place to StandIn this wondrous memoir, the pain, the rage, and the fortitude of the Latino experience finds its full voice. Obed Silva fearlessly looks into the darkest corners of an immigrant family' s past, and creates a searing and unforgettable work of art. The Death of My Father the Pope is a landmark in the history of Latinx literature in the United States. This is the book we' ve been waiting for. --Hector Tobar, author of Deep Down DarkObed Silva' s memoir is a magnificent and poignant achievement. Like the great literary giants he weaves throughout this narrative, we are brought to a rich and luminous excavation of the father wound, of the contours of death and the sure triumph of love. The Death of My Father the Pope is deeply affecting and a singular accomplishment. ' Impressionante!. . . Punto!' --Greg Boyle, author of Tattoos on the Heart
Obed Silva was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States as a toddler. After years in the gang lifestyle-which left him paralyzed from the waist down, the result of a gunshot wound-he discovered the power of book learning, earned a master' s degree in medieval literature, and is now a respected English professor at East Los Angeles College. The Death of My Father the Pope is his first book.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9780374539160
Published: 7 Dec 2021
Published In: United States
Imprint: Farrar Straus Giroux
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Format: Hardback
Height: 208mm
Width: 135mm
Weight: 300g
Pages: 304

In stock - for items in stock we aim to dispatch the next business day. For delivery in NZ allow 2-5 business days, with rural taking a wee bit longer.

Locally sourced in NZ - stock comes from a NZ supplier with an approximate delivery of 7-15 business days.

International Imports - stock is imported into NZ, depending on air or sea shipping option from the international supplier stock can take 10-30 working days to arrive into NZ. 

Pre-order Titles - delivery will vary depending on where the title is published, if local stock is available in NZ then 5-7 business days, for international imports it can be 10-30 business days. In all cases we will access the quickest supply option.

Delivery Packaging - we ship all items in cardboard sleeves or by box with either packing paper or corn starch chips. (We avoid using plastics bubble bags)

Tracking - Orders are delivered by track and trace courier and are fully insured, tracking information will be sent by email once dispatched.

View our full Order & Delivery information