From My Blog...[return][return]Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle is a deeply moving, heartwarming series of essays from some of the most memorable times of Father Boyle’s career. Father Boyle has been a Jesuit Priest for 25 years working with many sections of the population that others deem frightening at best, including his work at his beloved Dolores Mission and the creation of Homeboy Industries (which is brilliant and what he refers to as a “tiny drop in a pretty big bucket” yet one we all could learn from), creating jobs for gang members in Los Angeles, working in the gang laden barrios of Los Angeles, at juvenile detention centers, probation camps, as well as at prisons. Tattoos on the Heart is not an autobiography of Father Gregory Boyle’s life and works but rather a collection of essays if you will, showing examples of grace, forgiveness, love, compassion, and faith. Father Boyle shows us how we are all ultimately looking for the same things in life. Through his book the reader comes to know those whom Father Boyle befriends and in turn the reader learns valuable life lessons from some of the most hardened of criminals and gang members. Tattoos on the Heart is exquisitely written, full of life and love, and Father Boyle allows the reader a glimpse into his heart and the hearts of others offering up one of the most memorable non-fiction books I have read in a long time. I would not hesitate to recommend Tattoos on the Heart to anyone, religious or not, the stories speak for themselves.