A Review of The Book Tattoos on The Heart by Gregory Boyle

I chose to read the book Tattoos On the Heart. It is a first person story that follows a priest, Gregory Boyle, through his many experiences with gangs of Los Angeles in his community. The story take place in the 80’s and 90’s, a time that was constantly plagued with violence, especially in a big city like L.A. Boyle lived in the poorest parish in the city, yet he strived to make a difference. He welcomed any and all gang members into his church, because that is what Jesus would have done, and this was his strongest argument to the people in his parish. As the head of his church, he was in charge of all the funerals. They ranged from children to elderly people, most in result of the violence. He even knew several of the people he buried personally. As time went on the funerals began to take a heavy toll on Boyle, which made him want to help even more. From sheltering members in his church, to providing jobs for them, Boyle truly wanted the best for these people.

The book starts out with Boyle giving some examples from his life that inspired him to help others. Most of the students in his school were criminals and he refused to turn any of them in. They had a mutual respect for each other and trusted each other. Boyle really believed he could make a difference in these kids lives and they did. He helps countless young people. For example Cesar, a massive man who was just let out of prison. Boyle helps Cesar get back on his feet, and Cesar tells the priest that he’s always been a father figure in his life.

As the story progresses and we get to hear about stories from his years as a priest, Boyle reminisces on when he first became ordained. He was in Bolivia preaching to the poor, some of which had never met a priest before. During this time his life was heavily affected by it, and he often thinks back on this when talking about his non profit organization and states that he would not have been as helpful as he was if not for the time he spent there.

Boyle then begins to talk about how people have a self hatred for themselves. He explains that sinners sin because they feel like outcasts and want to feel loved like everyone else. He gives many examples of this. He also talks about hatred towards others. A child he knew named Benito, was shot and killed by a rival gang. He later died in the hospital. Boyle shares his struggle with overcome the hatred he had toward the two men that shot and killed the child whom he cared for. He explains that as a Christian it is our responsibility to love everyone unconditionally. Boyle also shares a story of how he sheltered undocumented immigrants for years. As controversial as it was, he was not ashamed of this. He states that Jesus lived his life loving outcasts and so should we. 

Time and time again Boyle mentions kinship. He believes that through kinship anyone can change their life and he has hundreds of stories to prove it. He helped anyone and everyone no matter what situation they were in or what background they came from. He had seen the worst of the worst, and still welcomed them into his arms. As Boyles life went on, he helped hundreds of gang members. His non profit, Homeboy Industries, was made to help gang members in any way possible. Through this his was able to change countless lives. It was even recognized by the White House at one point. Boyle was invited to dinner in the White House, and he was told to bring three employees from Homeboy Industries. These three employees would be the first gang members invited into the White House. Although Boyle was able to change so many lives, many of the people he helped still ended up dying. It didn’t matter if they changed their lifestyles, they were still in a very dangerous part of town. Boyle had to bury hundreds of locals. Later in Boyle’s life, he was diagnosed with leukemia. He has managed to live a cancer free life since then, and still dedicates his time to helping lives.

I have a lot of respect for Boyle. He went through what I imagine no priest should have to go through. He had to bury so many little kids who had their entire lives ahead of them. In this way I idolize Boyle. His will and want to help others was so great that he did not let his personal emotions stop him from doing so. Time and time again he was faced with tragedy after tragedy. If I was put in his situation I could not have kept going like he did. He must have been so respected by everyone around him. He truly wanted the best for his community.

The book as a whole was very well composed. It made the reader feel as if they were living on the streets of Los Angeles in his community. I had one problem with it though. It would go forward and backwards in time so it was very confusing. There was also a lot of names. I feel like most of the book was stories of people he had met. I was surprised through most of the book as well. I never thought a priest could be so welcoming and accepting of others. It really is inspiring to hear that he would do everything he could to help others in need. Depending on the person, I would most definitely recommend this book to a peer.