Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion

Fabulous!! I just loved this book - would give it more than 5 stars if I could! Father Gregory Boyle made me laugh and cry and feel - I got goosebumps over and over again as kids made the choice to straighten up their lives or were willing to give up long held enmity and rage, and felt deep sorrow each time another child was murdered senselessly. I laughed out loud often. Father Boyle lives his spirituality, understands that love and kinship with another is the only way to help someone heal. I could fill this review with quote after quote, but nothing I say could begin to equal the magic, the wisdom, and the beauty reflected in this man's words and deeds. This was a momentary immersion into a deep spiritual meditation and the only show more regret I have is that it wasn't much, much longer. show less

This is a book that I won't soon forget. Father Gregory Boyle, known as "G" to the homies in the Southern California gangs he has ministered to for 30 years, has written an honest, heartwarming, moving set of essays that above all are examples of compassion. With humor, tenderness, honesty, and humility, Boyle shares his experiences: how the lives of young gang members and their families are changed through redemption, forgiveness, violence, jobs, encouragement, and God's love. You don't have to be a believer to be moved by these stories as the broken lives and daunting struggles of these boys and girls shift from darkness to joy. Not all stories end happily, but Tattoos on the Heart reminds us that no life is less valuable than show more another. This one is going on my "Favorites" list. You'll be glad you read this book. show less

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 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 show more 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. show less

Oh this book touched me in so many ways, an emotional roller coaster... uplifting, humorous, and immensely heartbreaking. One passage really stuck with me, personally- "People call you "the black sheet" long enough (meaning 'sheep', gang member referred to it this way),you tend to believe them. So, we reach in, dismantle the message, and rearrange the language so you can imagine yourself as somebody." So true! I highly recommend this book, it was such an engaging read.

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 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 show more 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

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 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.

I heard Father Boyle interviewed on NPR a few months ago and was inspired by his work. He is a Jesuit priest who founded Homeboy Industries in LA in 1988. Homeboy Industries helps former gang members redirect their lives and become contributing members of their families and community by offering training, job skills and much more.

Tattoos on the Heart is a collection of anecdotes of Father Boyle's work which are compassionate, inspirational, thought-provoking, funny, tragic and unforgettable. His main message to readers is that these former gang members, outliers of society, need love and to know that they have personal worth and value. He also stresses the importance of kinship, "Kinship-not serving the other, but being one with the show more other. Jesus was not 'a man for others'; he was one with them".

Although there is a strong religious tone to the book the messages are universal and readers of all religions (and even non-believers like myself) can relate. show less