Author:
Format: Unabridged-CD
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Published: Mar 2011
Genre: Religion - Christian Life - Spiritual Growth
Retail Price: $29.95
As a pastor working in a neighborhood with the highest concentration of murderous gang activity in Los Angeles, Gregory Boyle created an organization to provide jobs, job training, and encouragement so that young people could work together and learn the mutual respect that comes from collaboration. Tattoos on the Heart is a breathtaking series of parables distilled from his twenty years in the barrio. Arranged by theme and filled with sparkling humor and glowing generosity, these essays offer a stirring look at how full our lives could be if we practiced compassion.
Erudite, down-to-earth, and utterly heartening, these essays about universal kinship and redemption are moving examples of the power of unconditional love in difficult times and the importance of fighting despair. With Gregory Boyle's guidance, we can recognize our own wounds in the broken lives and daunting struggles of the men and women in these parables and learn to find joy in all of the people around us. Tattoos on the Heart reminds us that no life is less valuable than another.
I don't usually write a review but this book really tattooed my heart so to speak. These stories are amazing and changed my perspective. In my opinion the concepts apply to more than just gangs--they apply to people with additions and other dependencies. Although there are religious references, they are integral and soft. And to hear the stories told by the author himself makes this a truly magnificent book. My only warning is to be careful while driving and crying.