cover of episode 835: Children of Dave

835: Children of Dave

2024/6/30
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This American Life

Chapters

Boen Wang, a podcast producer, shares his personal story about his parents' conversion to Christianity after they arrived in America from China. His father, after a tiring journey, was picked up at the Oklahoma City airport by Dave, a Christian who introduced him to the church. Boen reflects on how this event shaped his upbringing and his eventual departure from Christianity.
  • Boen's parents were atheists before coming to America.
  • Dave picked up Boen's father from the airport and introduced him to Christianity.
  • Boen's parents raised him and his sister as Christians.
  • Boen left Christianity after 22 years.

Shownotes Transcript

Boen Wang has a theory that a lot of the misery in his life can be traced to a single moment that happened years before he was born. So he makes a pilgrimage to see if he’s right.

  • Prologue: Ira talks about what it’s like to go back to 1119 Bayard Street in Baltimore. (6 minutes)
  • Part One: Boen visits Norman, Oklahoma, where he was born, to meet the man he thinks changed his parents’ lives—and his life, too. (31 minutes)
  • Part Two: Boen’s friend, Andrew, and his parents take what he learned in Part One, throw it into a blender, and push puree. (20 minutes)

Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org)