One of the most frustrating parts during the school year – with our never-ending homework load, packed schedule of meetings, and time spent applying to internships, all the while trying to remain social and sane – is that we no longer have time to read. No, we’re not talking about your 75-page assignment to read for your literature class, we’re talking about reading for pleasure. You know, those books that grab you from the start and you can’t sleep until you know what happens next. We’ve started a series to highlight some of the most memorable, inspiring, and beautiful books we’ve ever read; the ones that are worn on the spine from being read too much. Check out which books left lasting impressions on us and let us know which ones you hold close to your own heart.
“Here is what we seek: a compassion that can stand in awe at what the poor have to carry rather than stand in judgment at how they carry it.” – Fr. Gregory Boyle, Tattoos on the Heart
Every time I read this line, I sit back for a moment and realize how blessed and privileged I am, and how easy I have it compared to the majority of the world. I realize that the daily struggles of the poor to simply survive are overlooked far too often in our society; they are easily blamed for creating their situation or criticized for not trying hard enough. Rarely do we recognize that they work so much harder for simple survival, or that they face the reality of living in unsafe neighborhoods, attending inferior schools, and receiving inadequate healthcare. The poor and marginalized carry these burdens every day, yet many don’t give up – a truly inspiring quality.
A human face is all it takes to break a stereotype. As cliché as it sounds, it was a book that helped me realize this and changed my outlook on so many aspects of my life. Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion by Fr. Gregory Boyle was written to bring in proceeds for his bankrupt, non-profit organization, Homeboy Industries. His company is built on an innovative business plan: it’s dedicated to helping Los Angeles gang members escape the gangbanging cycle by providing them jobs and a loving environment. Homeboy Industries is a collection of small businesses, including Homeboy Bakery, Homegirl Café, Homeboy/Homegirl Merchandise, and Homeboy Silkscreen, all which give the homies (as Fr. Boyle refers to the gang members, himself referred to as “G”) an opportunity to become contributing members of the community. Their philosophy is that by putting rival gang members side by side in jobs, they have no choice but to eventually become friends. Most people join gangs because of a lack of options; they have little education and cannot gain employment. But as Homeboy says, “Nothing stops a bullet like a job.”
The organization also provides rehabilitative services to the homies, ranging from legal services, education, and mental health therapy to tattoo removal – all for free. Since its opening, Homeboy Industries has proven to be the most successful gang rehabilitation program in the United States. When it went bankrupt, Fr. Boyle had to lay off the majority of the employees for a period of time; every single one chose to continue working for free, a testament to how much these jobs mean to these men and women. Homegirl Café happens to be one of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles (their tacos and coconut macaroons are unbelievable!) and I can speak from firsthand experience when I say that you are guaranteed to get one of the funniest waiters or waitresses you’ve ever had in your life. The homies ALWAYS hold the door open if they are walking in or out before you, no matter how long they have to wait at the door (perhaps some of the only boys in Los Angeles who still do this chivalrous act).
Growing up in Los Angeles, I was raised with an awareness of how privileged I was in comparison to those in the ghettos just downtown. I had done many programs with the children in our sister parish, located in the heart of Compton, but reading this book was the first time I was able to see what contributed to that poverty, what caused kids to join gangs. The majority of these gang members come from unstable households, surrounded by substance abuse, physical abuse, and death. However, they are not given the opportunity of a solid education like the one I was able to receive at my private schools, and therefore, they cannot easily break out of the cycle of poverty and gangbanging. Realizing this gave me a new perspective: inequality is engrained in the structures of our society.
What Fr. Boyle’s book did for me was put a face on the members of my local society who are most often pushed aside as worthless human beings because of the acts of crime they have committed. Fr. Boyle so beautifully gives voice to the struggles of these young men and women in a way that every one of us who reads the book can identify with – struggles of identity, of faith, of love, and of belonging. Within the first few pages of the book, I laughed, I cried, and I got the chills. He helps us see ourselves and our friends reflected in these gang members, and in doing so, it becomes impossible to dehumanize them. By sharing the personal stories of these homies and homegirls, they become real people, not just a collective group of delinquents trying to reestablish their lives. By the end of the book, I realized there’s no way to ostracize someone with a face – we are all human, no matter how different we seem.
Through reading this book and my personal interactions down at Homeboy Industries, I have come to realize that ultimately, we are all just people. We all have our own story, and what we have done in the past shouldn’t ruin our entire future. Yes, I may have read this book close to 10 times, and I may or may not have an embarrassingly long Word document of my favorite quotes from the book, but every person I have told to read this book has loved it (and I would say I have made about 40 of my friends read it by now). It’s one of those books you will re-read throughout your life and get something new out of each time.
I highly recommend it to you, as well (I’d lend you my copy, but you should buy your own since all proceeds from the book go towards Homeboy Industries!). Regardless of whether you’re religious or not, this book will change your life as it did mine. As students at Boston College, learning to be “men and women for others,” Fr. Boyle (a fellow Jesuit!) provides a beautiful example for us to follow. No matter how many tattoos or stints in jail he encounters in these homies, he still sees a person to be loved. He lives in solidarity with these gang members, a goal we should all strive for through our Jesuit education.
Have you read Tattoos on the Heart? Please share your experiences with us!
Photo Sources:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Readers-picks/2010/0709/Reader-recommendation-Tattoos-on-the-Heart