Reading helped Omar rebuild his life. Now he supports others

Reading gave Omar Mentesh a way to rebuild an education interrupted in childhood. Now the east Londoner has an adult degree and runs a company helping people affected by the criminal justice system.

In a new BBC interview, he describes finding The Eagle Has Landed in a prison cell. He understood only part of it, but kept reading. Book clubs also gave him a place to talk: conversations about stories made opening up easier.

Change took years, including further prison sentences. After his final release in 2017, college, university and charity work helped him establish a different life. Books were part of that process, alongside relationships and practical support.

His company, Anabranch Plus, pairs facilitators with experience of the justice system with trained mentors. Its own beginnings reflect that approach: a business mentor supported Omar for more than two years before becoming a co-founder.

Omar now returns to prisons to help others. The learning that began with a paperback has become something he can pass on.

Sources

• BBC News — He spent years in and out of prison: a single book helped change everything
• Anabranch Plus — About our rehabilitation work