Collection
Status
Available
Description
Father Boyle started Homeboy Industries nearly 20 years ago, which has served members of more than half of the gangs in Los Angeles. This collection presents parables about kinship and the sacredness of life drawn from Boyle's years of working with gangs.
User reviews
LibraryThing member pburnham
"Father Gregory Boyle of The Society of Jesus has done a great job.
Each chapter is a non-fiction parable one building on the previous. It's an easy read and well worth the time.
Thanks Greg!"
Each chapter is a non-fiction parable one building on the previous. It's an easy read and well worth the time.
Thanks Greg!"
LibraryThing member BMThornton
Very inspiring book. A true man of God with gifts fitting for God's work with gangs in LA.
LibraryThing member jewelknits
This review was first posted to my blog.
When I was initially contacted by Condor Tours with a request to review this book, I jumped on it .. with both feet AND a headstand. Why? Because I am very familiar with Father Boyle's work, and am in admiration of the selfless love that he shows and has
This review is NOT going to be a review of the work of Father Boyle as a whole, because trying to do so in a blog format would take up too many pages :). If you'd like more information on Homeboy Industries and on how YOU can help this worthy cause, I will provide information and links at the end of this review.
I WILL say that this is the most soul-stirring, inspiring, make me laugh, make me cry, make my heart swell book that I think I have ever read. Reading Father Boyle's modern-day parables, mixed with liberal doses of humanism and compassion, is an experience that will stick with me for the long-term.
The way this book flows is sort of like that "story-tellin' uncle/granddad/brother-in-law" that we all have. It's easy-to-read, non-judgmental, pragmatic, often hilarious, and just as often sob-worthy. I found myself laughing at one page and crying at the next. The crying - well, it wasn't necessarily at some of the sad stories (although sometimes it was at that) - it was more often at the gladness of hope and at the sharing of simple joys - the simple joys and pleasures that many of us take for granted and that we forget are not available to everyone. When a young father sits at his dinner table after work and waits for his wife and children to finish eating so that he can take pleasure in being able to provide for them - even when this means that sometimes there's no food left - and he's HAPPY HAPPY to do so, that's a sob-worthy picture.
Drawing from God's word, from basic humanity, from Ghandi, philosophy, and many others, Father Boyle illuminates the power of redemption and illustrates basic compassion in the simplest and most understandable of fashions - through stories that illustrate each point clearly.
You don't have to consider yourself "Christian" to appreciate this book ... you only have to be human. It doesn't matter what your race/socio-economic status/education/political leaning/creed - this book is a book for all of us. If a lot of us took the time to open our hearts and stop dividing ourselves into "us" and "them", then passed this on to our children, what a difference we could make!
Book Rating: 5 out of 5 stars with an exclamation point!
When I read a book for review, I use little "bookmarklets" - basically little pieces of paper that I tear to mark a place in the book that I feel contains a passage or paragraph that particularly touched me, or that illustrates a basic concept of the book, or ... well, you get the idea. If I were to use ALL of the passages from all of my little bookmarklets - suffice it to say, I can't. There are just TOO many worthy passages, so I will just at random pick three for you.
Quotes:
On eating at a sit-down restaurant a notch above Denny's, where the hostess was reluctant to seat them - once they got to a table:
"There's just pure, rich white people here," Richie pleads.
"Yeah," Chepe clarifies, "Them people who be eatin' Grey Poupon 'n' sh*t."
****************************************************
You stand with the least likely to succeed until success is succeeded by something more valuable: kinship. You stand with the belligerent, the surly, and the badly behaved until bad behavior is recognized for the language it is: the vocabulary of the deeply wounded and of those whose burdens are more than they can bear.
******************************************************
David comes into the office:
"You know," he says, "I ran into a man who attended one of your talks recently."
I give a lot of talks, and David has accompanied me several times.
"Really," I say, "That's nice."
"Yep," he says, "he found your talk ... rather monotonous."
"Gosh," I say, with some dismay, "really? He did?"
"Weelll, actually," David says, "that didn't happen. But I just need practice using bigger words."
When I was initially contacted by Condor Tours with a request to review this book, I jumped on it .. with both feet AND a headstand. Why? Because I am very familiar with Father Boyle's work, and am in admiration of the selfless love that he shows and has
Show More
shown for the past 25 years. I am a firm believer that EVERYone, no matter what their background, ethnicity, race, creed, EVERYONE deserves a chance (or two or three and sometimes more) to succeed. Although I'd like to think that, given a different set of life circumstances, I could have lived a life dedicated to service, I can't say for certain that would have been the case. I am, however, deeply humbled and stand in admiration of those that do.This review is NOT going to be a review of the work of Father Boyle as a whole, because trying to do so in a blog format would take up too many pages :). If you'd like more information on Homeboy Industries and on how YOU can help this worthy cause, I will provide information and links at the end of this review.
I WILL say that this is the most soul-stirring, inspiring, make me laugh, make me cry, make my heart swell book that I think I have ever read. Reading Father Boyle's modern-day parables, mixed with liberal doses of humanism and compassion, is an experience that will stick with me for the long-term.
The way this book flows is sort of like that "story-tellin' uncle/granddad/brother-in-law" that we all have. It's easy-to-read, non-judgmental, pragmatic, often hilarious, and just as often sob-worthy. I found myself laughing at one page and crying at the next. The crying - well, it wasn't necessarily at some of the sad stories (although sometimes it was at that) - it was more often at the gladness of hope and at the sharing of simple joys - the simple joys and pleasures that many of us take for granted and that we forget are not available to everyone. When a young father sits at his dinner table after work and waits for his wife and children to finish eating so that he can take pleasure in being able to provide for them - even when this means that sometimes there's no food left - and he's HAPPY HAPPY to do so, that's a sob-worthy picture.
Drawing from God's word, from basic humanity, from Ghandi, philosophy, and many others, Father Boyle illuminates the power of redemption and illustrates basic compassion in the simplest and most understandable of fashions - through stories that illustrate each point clearly.
You don't have to consider yourself "Christian" to appreciate this book ... you only have to be human. It doesn't matter what your race/socio-economic status/education/political leaning/creed - this book is a book for all of us. If a lot of us took the time to open our hearts and stop dividing ourselves into "us" and "them", then passed this on to our children, what a difference we could make!
Book Rating: 5 out of 5 stars with an exclamation point!
When I read a book for review, I use little "bookmarklets" - basically little pieces of paper that I tear to mark a place in the book that I feel contains a passage or paragraph that particularly touched me, or that illustrates a basic concept of the book, or ... well, you get the idea. If I were to use ALL of the passages from all of my little bookmarklets - suffice it to say, I can't. There are just TOO many worthy passages, so I will just at random pick three for you.
Quotes:
On eating at a sit-down restaurant a notch above Denny's, where the hostess was reluctant to seat them - once they got to a table:
"There's just pure, rich white people here," Richie pleads.
"Yeah," Chepe clarifies, "Them people who be eatin' Grey Poupon 'n' sh*t."
****************************************************
You stand with the least likely to succeed until success is succeeded by something more valuable: kinship. You stand with the belligerent, the surly, and the badly behaved until bad behavior is recognized for the language it is: the vocabulary of the deeply wounded and of those whose burdens are more than they can bear.
******************************************************
David comes into the office:
"You know," he says, "I ran into a man who attended one of your talks recently."
I give a lot of talks, and David has accompanied me several times.
"Really," I say, "That's nice."
"Yep," he says, "he found your talk ... rather monotonous."
"Gosh," I say, with some dismay, "really? He did?"
"Weelll, actually," David says, "that didn't happen. But I just need practice using bigger words."
Show Less
LibraryThing member Jaw1LA
Father Greg Boyle is a good story teller. He reminds us that people do not grow very well as people if they are not loved. He shares how he goes about loving some of the toughest most hard headed people in our larger society... He shows that they are really worth loving and invites us to follow
Not everyone can hang with G'Dogs Compassion for all. Yet I hope that many will find a way to give and receive love from those who seem to be on the outside of our society. To the church I would simply say ... "While we sere still sinners Christ died for us". God makes the first hard choice of risking love for us... and we are invited to follow in His Steps.
There is no safe way to love... Sacrificial love is a call... not to be entered into lightly... It is better to love and to lose than never to have loved at all.
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Jesus in loving them too.Not everyone can hang with G'Dogs Compassion for all. Yet I hope that many will find a way to give and receive love from those who seem to be on the outside of our society. To the church I would simply say ... "While we sere still sinners Christ died for us". God makes the first hard choice of risking love for us... and we are invited to follow in His Steps.
There is no safe way to love... Sacrificial love is a call... not to be entered into lightly... It is better to love and to lose than never to have loved at all.
Show Less
LibraryThing member PamelaBarrett
Fr. Greg Boyle tells us in the preface that this is not a memoir and there is no narrative chronology, and it is not a “how to deal with gangs” book. Then what we are left with are relationships that matter to him with the people he has walked side by side with at the Delores Mission in Boyle
There is one recollection of Fr. Boyle’s that brings tears to my eyes; he is just starting out as a young priest on a trip to Bolivia. He is asked to bring Mass to the village of Tirani, where the Indians only speak Quechua and he doesn’t even speak Spanish. He knows he is inadequate to the task even with a translator, but in the depths of his hopelessness God meets him there. In this book God meets us and we are loved and changed.
I know when I’ve read something great, it’s when I start worrying about how many quotes I’ve underlined, but I’m not alone, on Kindle I can see that others have underlined excessively too. I’ll leave you with one warning, there is, ahem, a certain amount of “coarse language” and Fr. Boyle’s colorful banter with the homeboys might offend some.
Don’t let the language stop you, this is a must read and I’ll be reading this book again.
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Heights, the gang capital of Los Angeles. This book profoundly touches me, it makes me want to do better, to give everyone the benefit of doubt, to forgive my perceived enemies; to love more and complain less. His stories of ministering to gang members shift my perception of those around me. While reading it I find myself laughing out loud, and in the next moment crying because I care deeply about the Homies and realizing that losing someone with so much potential hurts us all. Between the lines I hear God speak, “Remember who you are, an ambassador for Christ, My hands on earth, and a light in the darkness. Don’t give up when it hurts to love, risk it….”There is one recollection of Fr. Boyle’s that brings tears to my eyes; he is just starting out as a young priest on a trip to Bolivia. He is asked to bring Mass to the village of Tirani, where the Indians only speak Quechua and he doesn’t even speak Spanish. He knows he is inadequate to the task even with a translator, but in the depths of his hopelessness God meets him there. In this book God meets us and we are loved and changed.
I know when I’ve read something great, it’s when I start worrying about how many quotes I’ve underlined, but I’m not alone, on Kindle I can see that others have underlined excessively too. I’ll leave you with one warning, there is, ahem, a certain amount of “coarse language” and Fr. Boyle’s colorful banter with the homeboys might offend some.
Don’t let the language stop you, this is a must read and I’ll be reading this book again.
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LibraryThing member mj.greenway
Intense content giving heart-breaking stories of tragedies of young lives, with compelling evidence of faith and grace.
LibraryThing member hermit
In this book Fr. Boyle S.J., a Jesuit priest, recalls his experience working with gangs in Los Angeles County for more than two decades. He openly discusses ministering in jails and starting Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention program that offers education, job training, tattoo removal, and
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employment. This memoir includes spiritual reflections and vignettes of those he ministered too. Show Less
LibraryThing member Suzanne81
Tattoos on the Heart is a funny, inspiring, heartbreaking book. Fr. Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, shares memories of his years among “homies”, gang members living in the "gang capital of L.A." Interspersed with the vignettes are Fr. Boyle’s insights into the nature of God,
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community, redemption, mercy and grace. The homies leap out of the pages, grabbing your heart as you laugh one moment and catch your breath in sorrow the next. The love that “G”, as Fr. Boyle is affectionately known, and the homies have for each other is palpable. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member MarthaHuntley
Wow -- Gregory Boyle is the man, the priest, the writer of the decade, if not century, for me now. This powerful book definitely has tattoed its stories on my heart. Boyle works in LA, in neighborhoods that are rarely left by the teens and young adults who live there. It is hard to say whether
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poverty, drugs, or guns are the larger problems, but the unholy trinity wrecks lives and people. Boyle, armed with jobs and faith in God and his homies and home girls is in the restoration business...a godly business indeed. And what a gift to all who happen upon it, that he is such an accomplished writer and communicator. This is a life-changing, life-enriching book. Show Less
LibraryThing member chrystal
Inspiring. Truly made me think about the meaning of compassion, to grasp the concept is not enough, you must act.
LibraryThing member Katya0133
I rarely give a book 5/5 stars the first time I read it, but this book deserves it. Father Boyle's stories are heartbreaking, challenging, and thought-provoking, and his overall message redefines what it means to live a successful life in the face of great tragedy and opposition. (This book also
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merits 5/5 boxes of Kleenex.) Show Less
LibraryThing member oldman
A short book about a man's journey to the worset of the worst section of LA and learn compassion and love for those who have never had compassion of love given to them. The man is Fr.Gregory Boyle S.J. who spent 20 years ministering and being a part of the the community of two projects in LA. An
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inspiring, sad, funny series of essays viewing aspecs of the lives of those who live there. He focuses on the group of people who are in gangs, from 10 - 25 years old and how it takes firmness, love and concern for others and more than a little patience to wait for someone to come to you. The sub-title is "The Power of Boundless Compassion" which is what this book is about, though that would be more than a little off-putting for a title. A book worth reading, if only to hear how the other side lives and how most of us don't have it quite so bad. Show Less
LibraryThing member Justjenniferreading
The stories in this book were so touching. There were times I was crying and times I was laughing. Hope and compassion are really great words to use when talking about this book.
There were so many stories, and while they were all touching they were presented in a way that seemed a bit jumpy to me.
The language took a bit for me to get used to. Greg Boyle's language shocked me the most. There were a few times that he used some swear words, and all I could think was this is a man of cloth.... But given the situations that he was in, and the people he was in those situations with the language was understandable. It just shocked me the first few times.
The work that Greg Boyle has done working with the Homies is amazing. The stories he has gained in the last 20 years are a testament to his work. These stories range from sad, to touching, to happy. It was a bit of an emotional roller coaster reading this one, but I think it was well worth it.
There is a religious message in this book, and even though it is repeated many times throughout the book I didn't feel as if Greg Boyle was trying to be pushy. For those that don't like to read religious books I would say you should give this one a go regardless. The stories really are touching and they filled me with a feeling of hope.
There were so many stories, and while they were all touching they were presented in a way that seemed a bit jumpy to me.
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If the stories had flowed better I would have been much happier with this one. But it was still pretty good as it is. The language took a bit for me to get used to. Greg Boyle's language shocked me the most. There were a few times that he used some swear words, and all I could think was this is a man of cloth.... But given the situations that he was in, and the people he was in those situations with the language was understandable. It just shocked me the first few times.
The work that Greg Boyle has done working with the Homies is amazing. The stories he has gained in the last 20 years are a testament to his work. These stories range from sad, to touching, to happy. It was a bit of an emotional roller coaster reading this one, but I think it was well worth it.
There is a religious message in this book, and even though it is repeated many times throughout the book I didn't feel as if Greg Boyle was trying to be pushy. For those that don't like to read religious books I would say you should give this one a go regardless. The stories really are touching and they filled me with a feeling of hope.
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LibraryThing member nmele
I've been walking with homeless people, in a small, part-time kind of way, for about 20 years. The most important thing I can tell you about this book is that I recognize my homeless friends in the gang members Fr. Boyle writes about in this book. If you read this book simply for the stories--which
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are well told, meaningful and moving, you'll miss Fr. Boyle's insights about God, compassion and the worth of every human being. Every human being. Show Less
LibraryThing member Avolyn
There are no words to describe how much I love this book. I wish that everyone could read it and see what it truly means to align yourself with others and be one with them, more than simply helping someone, the power of identifying yourself as the same. I'm speechless.
LibraryThing member pamdierickx
Father Greg is a Jesuit priest in LosAngeles and runs the Home Boys Industries. The book is full of success stories and failures in a desperate situation.
LibraryThing member ariahfine
This book was incredible to read. Father Gregory Boyle works with ex-gang members in LA. The book is filled with stories of his work. It's a touching and inspiring collection.
LibraryThing member bohemianshell
This book added a whole new dimension on how to deal with "the other." Father Greg's answer? You just love them.
LibraryThing member Jared_Runck
I'm an avid reader; however, I must confess that I'm an even more enthusiastic book collector. My shelves contain hundreds of books that I've yet to read or that I've only read in snippets. And, sometimes, I find myself upset as I read through a book that I waited so long to get to it. "Tattoos on
I suppose the best description of the book is "memoir," but that designation gives you no real indication of its power. Father Boyle's stories of his work with Homeboy Industries, an organization that works with gangs in Los Angeles is no simple collection of "feel good" stories. It presents, in vivid detail, what Switchfoot once called a "new way to be human."
Father Boyle's touch is sure but light. The book makes you cry and laugh in equal measure, all the while demonstrating the common humanity that unites us all...the "kinship" that is at the root of who we are. He reminded me of something that is so easy to forget: Whatever else "sin" might be, it is an INTRUDER in human existence, a foreign object lodged in our character. And though it may shape much of human reality today, it is STILL an alien presence...and not the essence of who we are. No matter how degraded we become, there is always a piece of us, beyond the touch of any corruption, that retains the divine thumbprint, marks as God's own special creation with inestimable value.
The book isn't "preachy" or "forced." It's just stories of one man's journey into authentic humanness. And it weaves together the tragicomedy of our life together in a way that calls us each not just to BRING beauty to our world but, more profoundly, to recognize the beauty that has been there all along.
Just read it; then you'll understand.
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the Heart" is one such book.I suppose the best description of the book is "memoir," but that designation gives you no real indication of its power. Father Boyle's stories of his work with Homeboy Industries, an organization that works with gangs in Los Angeles is no simple collection of "feel good" stories. It presents, in vivid detail, what Switchfoot once called a "new way to be human."
Father Boyle's touch is sure but light. The book makes you cry and laugh in equal measure, all the while demonstrating the common humanity that unites us all...the "kinship" that is at the root of who we are. He reminded me of something that is so easy to forget: Whatever else "sin" might be, it is an INTRUDER in human existence, a foreign object lodged in our character. And though it may shape much of human reality today, it is STILL an alien presence...and not the essence of who we are. No matter how degraded we become, there is always a piece of us, beyond the touch of any corruption, that retains the divine thumbprint, marks as God's own special creation with inestimable value.
The book isn't "preachy" or "forced." It's just stories of one man's journey into authentic humanness. And it weaves together the tragicomedy of our life together in a way that calls us each not just to BRING beauty to our world but, more profoundly, to recognize the beauty that has been there all along.
Just read it; then you'll understand.
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LibraryThing member LeslieHurd
Fr. Boyle worked and lived in the barrios of East Los Angeles and spent his life working with gang members. While he states at the beginning that his book isn't a "how to" book to solve the gang problem, his life of compassion illustrates that the only way to reach lives destroyed by shame, poverty
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and violence is to love them, see them through God's eyes, and help them recognize their own worth. Some of the stories made me laugh, some left me heartbroken, and all challenged me to see beyond people's exteriors. At one point he speaks of potential donors to "Homeboy Industries," the arm of his ministry that provides jobs, tattoo removal, and referral services. The donors want to contribute to programs that "work." Boyle understands that what he's doing won't eliminate gangs and their attendant heartbreak, but he's chosen to "stand" and let God do his work in his time. Among the many themes referenced in this book, this one had the biggest impact on me. Boyle just stayed there, kept loving, and kept showing gang members the love of God through his devotion. It's hard for us to "stand" while watching people contributing to their own downfall, but that willingness did change, and save, lives. I will never forget Fr. Boyle's book, or his homies. Show Less
LibraryThing member brone
A jesuit gets on a bike and starts a commercial industry among the est 86,ooo gang members in LA. Well written, Ignacious would appove of this priest
LibraryThing member mochap
Terrifically moving memoir by a priest who truly serves the people of his neighborhood—the gangs of LA. Creator of Homeboy Industries.
LibraryThing member labdaddy4
One of the most powerful and impactful books I have ever read. Thank you to my son for sending it my way. Father Boyle is an inspiration. His love for and belief in these young people in LA sets a high bar for the rest of us. I am humbled by his ministry, rocked by the sadness and violence, and
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empowered to help in some small way. Show Less
LibraryThing member jmcdbooks
Rating: A+
Outstanding read. Boyle is a great storyteller of heartfelt stories. He takes you on a roller-coaster, merry-go-round. Laughter. Gut punches. Tears. Empathy. His theology is spot on. Hope to meet him someday. He is a role model for me.
Outstanding read. Boyle is a great storyteller of heartfelt stories. He takes you on a roller-coaster, merry-go-round. Laughter. Gut punches. Tears. Empathy. His theology is spot on. Hope to meet him someday. He is a role model for me.
LibraryThing member CarrieWuj
Not a memoir, per se, but a collection of reflections and observations about Fr. Greg Boyle's ministry with the gangs of LA and the power of love to transform lives. He founded Homeboy Industries which has multi-faceted alternatives to life on the streets - tattoo removal, graffiti removal, a
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bakery and a few other options for an honest living. This is a testimony to the idea that faith is a verb, that action must accompany belief and that preaching might reach ears, but it doesn't reach hearts. Again and again, Boyle seeks the good and godly in the most feared and despised and it yields results. Acceptance and love triumph repeatedly - and the model is here, but still challenging to implement. If one person can do so much good, we need to unleash the "army" of those who will follow his example. The positive results would be staggering. Show Less
ISBN
1439153159 / 9781439153154