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Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship
In a moving example of unconditional love in difficult times, the Jesuit priest and bestselling author of Tattoos on the Heart, Gregory Boyle, shares what three decades of working with gang members in Los Angeles has taught him about faith, compassion, and the enduring power of kinship.
In his first book, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, Gregory Boyle introduced us to Homeboy Industries, the largest gang-intervention program in the world. Critics hailed that book as an “astounding literary and spiritual feat” (Publishers Weekly) that is “destined to become a classic of both urban reportage and contemporary spirituality” (Los Angeles Times). Now, after the successful expansion of Homeboy Industries, Boyle returns with Barking to the Choir to reveal how compassion is transforming the lives of gang members.
In a nation deeply divided and plagued by poverty and violence, Barking to the Choir offers a snapshot into the challenges and joys of life on the margins. Sergio, arrested at nine, in a gang by twelve, and serving time shortly thereafter, now works with the substance-abuse team at Homeboy to help others find sobriety. Jamal, abandoned by his family when he tried to attend school at age seven, gradually finds forgiveness for his schizophrenic mother. New father Cuco, who never knew his own dad, thinks of a daily adventure on which to take his four-year-old son. These former gang members uplift the soul and reveal how bright life can be when filled with unconditional love and kindness.
This book is guaranteed to shake up our ideas about God and about people with a glimpse at a world defined by more compassion and fewer barriers. Gently and humorously, Barking to the Choir invites us to find kinship with one another and reconvinces us all of our own goodness.
In his first book, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, Gregory Boyle introduced us to Homeboy Industries, the largest gang-intervention program in the world. Critics hailed that book as an “astounding literary and spiritual feat” (Publishers Weekly) that is “destined to become a classic of both urban reportage and contemporary spirituality” (Los Angeles Times). Now, after the successful expansion of Homeboy Industries, Boyle returns with Barking to the Choir to reveal how compassion is transforming the lives of gang members.
In a nation deeply divided and plagued by poverty and violence, Barking to the Choir offers a snapshot into the challenges and joys of life on the margins. Sergio, arrested at nine, in a gang by twelve, and serving time shortly thereafter, now works with the substance-abuse team at Homeboy to help others find sobriety. Jamal, abandoned by his family when he tried to attend school at age seven, gradually finds forgiveness for his schizophrenic mother. New father Cuco, who never knew his own dad, thinks of a daily adventure on which to take his four-year-old son. These former gang members uplift the soul and reveal how bright life can be when filled with unconditional love and kindness.
This book is guaranteed to shake up our ideas about God and about people with a glimpse at a world defined by more compassion and fewer barriers. Gently and humorously, Barking to the Choir invites us to find kinship with one another and reconvinces us all of our own goodness.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2017
742 people are currently reading
7874 people want to read
About the author
Gregory Boyle
23 books692 followersAs Executive Director of Homeboy Industries and an acknowledged expert on gangs and intervention approaches, Fr. Boyle is an internationally renowned speaker. He has given commencement addresses at numerous universities, as well as spoken at conferences for teachers, social workers, criminal justice workers and others about the importance of adult attention, guidance and unconditional love in preventing youth from joining gangs. Fr. Greg and several “homies” were featured speakers at the White House Conference on Youth in 2005 at the personal invitation of Mrs. George Bush. In 1998 he was a member of the 10-person California delegation to President Clinton’s Summit on Children in Philadelphia. Fr. Greg is also a consultant to youth service and governmental agencies, policy-makers and employers. Fr. Boyle serves as a member of the National Gang Center Advisory Board (U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention). He is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Loyola Law School Center for Juvenile Law and Policy in Los Angeles. Previously, he held an appointment to the California Commission on Juvenile Justice, Crime and Delinquency Prevention.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,096 reviews
December 2, 2017
This book radiates such loving-kindness, one wishes everyone could share in the bounty. I had not heard of Boyle’s 2009 No. 1 bestseller, called Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, before I heard Krista Tippett interview Father Boyle for her podcast On Being. This second book is a series of true stories about the gang members, former convicts, drug dealers and addicts Father Boyle knows from his ministry, Homeboy Industries, in Los Angeles. Each anecdote carries with it a reminder of what burdens people carry, a prod to do better in our lives, and something small (or big) to meditate on.
A highlight of this book are Boyle’s pointing to and holding up some of the homies’ mangling of common phrases—phrases so ordinary to many of us that we rush by them, never stopping to think them through carefully. By misunderstanding phrases only heard and never read, the homies sometimes hit upon a better, deeper meaning that speaks to their experiences, e.g., “I’m at a pitchfork in my life.”
Father Boyle is following the teaching of the Dalai Lama, Pope Francis, Dorothy Day, Mother Theresa, and every other effective practitioner of faith and loving-kindness on earth by going with the exhortation to “Stay Close to the Poor.” He discusses this in his usual discursive style near the end of this book, asking
There are no bad people, only bad actions. We’re all in a stage of becoming. We all are equally able to find grace and create the kind of environment we seek, if given a place to rest and to experience love without expectation of return.
Father Boyle’s book about gang members in L.A. finding a place of peace to gather their thoughts together is the antidote to a political world in which power and money are operative goals. We’d all like a little more power, to live as we like without anybody else’s say so, but sometimes the lack of power is the key to humility, and thus to a wide and deep world of loving-kindness. But as Boyle tells Terry Gross in a Fresh Air interview: “Prayer is not going to fix our healthcare system. Stop it. Don’t think that. You actually have to do something about guns, you can’t just pray.”
This is powerful stuff, folks, and will be my gift to family and friends at this year-end. When you get your own copy, look carefully at the author photo on the inside back jacket. Have you ever seen a group of people more radiant in your lives?
A highlight of this book are Boyle’s pointing to and holding up some of the homies’ mangling of common phrases—phrases so ordinary to many of us that we rush by them, never stopping to think them through carefully. By misunderstanding phrases only heard and never read, the homies sometimes hit upon a better, deeper meaning that speaks to their experiences, e.g., “I’m at a pitchfork in my life.”
Father Boyle is following the teaching of the Dalai Lama, Pope Francis, Dorothy Day, Mother Theresa, and every other effective practitioner of faith and loving-kindness on earth by going with the exhortation to “Stay Close to the Poor.” He discusses this in his usual discursive style near the end of this book, asking
“Is God inclusive or exclusive?…In the end, though, the measure of our compassion with what Martin Luther King calls ‘the last, the least, and the lost’ lies less in our service to those on the margins, and more in our willingness to see ourselves in kinship with them.”Radical kinship. If you’ve ever experienced a blast of radical kinship—an openhearted, limitless generosity—you will know it is transformative. And that is where Father Boyle is going.
There are no bad people, only bad actions. We’re all in a stage of becoming. We all are equally able to find grace and create the kind of environment we seek, if given a place to rest and to experience love without expectation of return.
“We are charged not with obliterating our diversity and difference but instead with heightening our connection to each other.”This is his answer to reconciling diversity and connectedness. It is often thought that the more diverse we are, the less we have in common, the less we can come together over shared goals. This book tells a different story.
Father Boyle’s book about gang members in L.A. finding a place of peace to gather their thoughts together is the antidote to a political world in which power and money are operative goals. We’d all like a little more power, to live as we like without anybody else’s say so, but sometimes the lack of power is the key to humility, and thus to a wide and deep world of loving-kindness. But as Boyle tells Terry Gross in a Fresh Air interview: “Prayer is not going to fix our healthcare system. Stop it. Don’t think that. You actually have to do something about guns, you can’t just pray.”
This is powerful stuff, folks, and will be my gift to family and friends at this year-end. When you get your own copy, look carefully at the author photo on the inside back jacket. Have you ever seen a group of people more radiant in your lives?
November 15, 2017
It is impossible to read this book and not tear up multiple times. It is also impossible to read this and not want to be a kinder, more compassionate person. The premise of this book is that we belong to each other. Fr. Gregory advocates for simple, small kind acts and words to change the world- not moral outrage, judgement or condescension. Despite the heavy, sad stories of the homies of LA, the book is full of laughter and joy. This man is changing lives, and it won't be surprising if one day, he is canonized a saint.
December 21, 2017
Oh boy. I finished this book and immediately started reading it again. It's so beautiful and powerful. There are some moments where it gets a bit uncomfortable (sometimes, it reads kind of like "gang bangers say the darndest things"), but all in all, Boyle is the kind of human that teaches us all how to human. Even if you are not a Christian, this book will make you weep. Though it is heavily christian focused. Read it. Tell your friends to read it. And start to practice radical kinship.
The other thing I kept thinking is that it reads a lot like Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson to me. Stevenson is another human who knows what love and mercy is all about. I also read that book multiple times. It's nice to have these reminders.
The other thing I kept thinking is that it reads a lot like Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson to me. Stevenson is another human who knows what love and mercy is all about. I also read that book multiple times. It's nice to have these reminders.
November 30, 2017
he's done it again. a simple, beautiful, poignant book that reminds me the kind of person, the kind of christian, i want to be. reminding us that heaven isn't just around the corner, it is the corner.
April 16, 2021
I loved this book, almost as much as I loved Boyle's last, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. Beautiful, inspirational, made me smile and sometimes even laugh and just as often I choked back tears.
Boyle has worked with gang members in L.A. for more than 30 years. And he's a witness to the power of community, of "kinship" (as Boyle calls it), of love. Hardened gang members say the most beautiful things, testifying out of their tremendously painful histories and present healings.
People don't join gangs to "belong" writes Boyle. They join them to die. They have no hope, no belief in themselves or a future. They have been raised by mentally ill and/or drug addicted/and/or other crippling conditions. I had never really thought much about why someone joins a gang--in the privilege of my life, I had no reason too. But within my ignorance I thought of fatherless boys running the streets and looking to make a family. But that's not at all what it seems to be. It's far more tragic. And telling these kids that joining a gang can be deadly is totally unnecessary; they already know that.
I don't know that I could survive a small fraction of what these people have gone through. But that's not, I don't think, the primary message Boyle is carrying. The primary message is that we are saved through relationship, through acceptance, through caring, through love. And it's not about going to "save" anyone--it's how we all open ourselves up to become whole through our connections to others, in community.
A necessary message, a necessary book.
Boyle has worked with gang members in L.A. for more than 30 years. And he's a witness to the power of community, of "kinship" (as Boyle calls it), of love. Hardened gang members say the most beautiful things, testifying out of their tremendously painful histories and present healings.
People don't join gangs to "belong" writes Boyle. They join them to die. They have no hope, no belief in themselves or a future. They have been raised by mentally ill and/or drug addicted/and/or other crippling conditions. I had never really thought much about why someone joins a gang--in the privilege of my life, I had no reason too. But within my ignorance I thought of fatherless boys running the streets and looking to make a family. But that's not at all what it seems to be. It's far more tragic. And telling these kids that joining a gang can be deadly is totally unnecessary; they already know that.
I don't know that I could survive a small fraction of what these people have gone through. But that's not, I don't think, the primary message Boyle is carrying. The primary message is that we are saved through relationship, through acceptance, through caring, through love. And it's not about going to "save" anyone--it's how we all open ourselves up to become whole through our connections to others, in community.
A necessary message, a necessary book.
February 12, 2020
I can honestly say that this book changed me in a profound way. Compassion, kinship, real faith, in action, on the ground.
October 5, 2019
Had to read this for my criminology class 🤷
September 21, 2021
Fr. Greg Boyle has spent decades living in one of LA’s more notorious neighborhoods, serving the abused and neglected, gang bangers and drug addicts, the frightened and the frightening. Through the establishment of Home Boys Industries, he has helped countless people find healing, hope, peace and the love of God. Through stories from his ministry, he challenges the reader to recognize the immensity of Divine love, to realize our mutual interdependence, to strive for an awareness of the deep connections of the human family, to embrace our own wounds and those of others and to believe that compassion can and will transform the world. 4.5 stars
March 6, 2022
This book has churned up a lot in me. So grateful and humbled to bear witness to these stories from Father Gregory Boyle, the founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world. I’m just going to share some of many powerful excerpts from this book because I don’t want to forget them!
The transformational power of radical kinship asks us “What if we insisted that everyone belonged to us?”
This book reminds us that faith, “It’s not about taking the right stand on issues but about standing in the right place, with the excluded and demonized.”
“Homeboy does not rescue people, it receives them”
In response to criticism that Father Greg is letting people take advantage of him, he responds: “How can someone take my advantage when I’m giving it?”
“Awe compels us to try and understand what language behavior is speaking. Judgement never gets past the behavior.”
The transformational power of radical kinship asks us “What if we insisted that everyone belonged to us?”
This book reminds us that faith, “It’s not about taking the right stand on issues but about standing in the right place, with the excluded and demonized.”
“Homeboy does not rescue people, it receives them”
In response to criticism that Father Greg is letting people take advantage of him, he responds: “How can someone take my advantage when I’m giving it?”
“Awe compels us to try and understand what language behavior is speaking. Judgement never gets past the behavior.”
November 30, 2017
This book is so human and joyful and celebratory at a time when we need to remember how to be returned to ourselves (and to each other) more than ever. Read it. Live it.
January 23, 2022
Another amazing 5 star read. Recommend by Ann Patchett in her most recent essay collection and she 100% is not wrong. So much good in this one.
December 8, 2018
I was feeling pretty low as I reading another book about the rise of hate groups so decided to find a book on the other side of the spectrum. Not sure where I heard about this book but it seemed like a good antidote.
This is a series of anecdotes mixed with life lessons and spiritual guidance, from the author's work at Homeboy Industries the largest gang-intervention and re-entry group in the world. Heavy on the Christianity and spiritual so your enjoyment may depend on your views on religion but I would suggest that some of these thoughts can be of help to anyone no matter their religious leanings.
This is one of the reasons why happiness eludes us in the now: we still think its around the corner. If your anchor is not centered in today, then you'll blink and miss the delight of this very moment, which is always with us and is the perfect teacher.
Now could be the moment when we fall apart or we become whole.
It would seem that, quite possibly, the ultimate measure of health in any community might well reside in our ability to stand in awe at what folks have to carry rather than in judgement at how they carry it.
Homeboy's message is not "You can measure up someday." Rather it is: "Who you are is enough."
So your mileage may vary but it's hard to argue with the transformative power of hope.
9/10
This is a series of anecdotes mixed with life lessons and spiritual guidance, from the author's work at Homeboy Industries the largest gang-intervention and re-entry group in the world. Heavy on the Christianity and spiritual so your enjoyment may depend on your views on religion but I would suggest that some of these thoughts can be of help to anyone no matter their religious leanings.
This is one of the reasons why happiness eludes us in the now: we still think its around the corner. If your anchor is not centered in today, then you'll blink and miss the delight of this very moment, which is always with us and is the perfect teacher.
Now could be the moment when we fall apart or we become whole.
It would seem that, quite possibly, the ultimate measure of health in any community might well reside in our ability to stand in awe at what folks have to carry rather than in judgement at how they carry it.
Homeboy's message is not "You can measure up someday." Rather it is: "Who you are is enough."
So your mileage may vary but it's hard to argue with the transformative power of hope.
9/10
December 2, 2017
Spending more time in the company of Father Greg Boyle and the homies of Homeboy Industries is just what the doctor ordered. With his message of transformative redemption through love and kinship at the margins, Father Boyle offers his readers the hope of radical new beginnings and the erasure of all the things that divide us from one another. The writing is honest, heartfelt and never preachy. Barking at the Choir is an experience -- I laughed, I cried and I prayed throughhout. Bless you and all the lives you touch, G. Sign me up to sing in the Choir!
January 7, 2018
OMG! With the turmoil in our world, our political environment, our treatment--indeed, often dismissal--of those "in the margins", this book is a must-read.
Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship is a book of profound, if not simple, wisdom. I am moved by its message of inclusion and kinship. Be non-judgmental and connect with people, all people. We are all the same. We are simply living through different experiences.
"There are no monsters, villains, or bad guys . . . there are only folks who carry unspeakable pain." (p. 136) We have the same needs/desires of belonging to one another, to feel valued, seen, noticed.
This learned man quotes many of the world's spiritual leaders who promote loving kindness, but I weep with his stories of the "homies" whose lives have touched and influenced Boyle's place on this earth.
Some take-aways:
- "Who you are is enough." (p 84)
- "Now. Here. This. Listen here and now and only to this person." (p 84)
- "There is nothing more essential, vital, and important than love and its carrier--tenderness--practiced in the present moment. By keeping it close, just right now, we are reminded to choose connection over alienation, kinship over self-absorption." (p 85)
- "There is an African concept called *ubuntu* that describes a world without division. It makes nonsense of all that would separate us--color, religion, politics. It seeks only to heal and forgive."
(p 191) . . . "I know we're not friends, but let's not be enemies."
- "Moral outrage doesn't lead us to solutions--it keeps us from them." (p 141)
I plan to buy several copies of this book to share with friends, family, perhaps even strangers. A copy may be left on a table or chair at a restaurant or a bench at the laundromat. Greg Boyle has written a book with a message that couldn't be more timely. Love one another by your actions not your words.
Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship is a book of profound, if not simple, wisdom. I am moved by its message of inclusion and kinship. Be non-judgmental and connect with people, all people. We are all the same. We are simply living through different experiences.
"There are no monsters, villains, or bad guys . . . there are only folks who carry unspeakable pain." (p. 136) We have the same needs/desires of belonging to one another, to feel valued, seen, noticed.
This learned man quotes many of the world's spiritual leaders who promote loving kindness, but I weep with his stories of the "homies" whose lives have touched and influenced Boyle's place on this earth.
Some take-aways:
- "Who you are is enough." (p 84)
- "Now. Here. This. Listen here and now and only to this person." (p 84)
- "There is nothing more essential, vital, and important than love and its carrier--tenderness--practiced in the present moment. By keeping it close, just right now, we are reminded to choose connection over alienation, kinship over self-absorption." (p 85)
- "There is an African concept called *ubuntu* that describes a world without division. It makes nonsense of all that would separate us--color, religion, politics. It seeks only to heal and forgive."
(p 191) . . . "I know we're not friends, but let's not be enemies."
- "Moral outrage doesn't lead us to solutions--it keeps us from them." (p 141)
I plan to buy several copies of this book to share with friends, family, perhaps even strangers. A copy may be left on a table or chair at a restaurant or a bench at the laundromat. Greg Boyle has written a book with a message that couldn't be more timely. Love one another by your actions not your words.
July 8, 2018
How would I have ever thought a book about ministering to gangs in LA might just be the most important book I read this year? This decade? I will re-read this book, even though my copy is marked up, underlined, notes all over the place.
I am so inspired by Jesuit priest Fr. Gregory Boyle and what he does at Homeboy Industries, the largest rehab/gang-intervention program in the world. I am even more inspired by his views of those he serves that gives him the ability to love and challenge into change. They are, "Jesus, in his least recognizable form!" That statement challenges me: Who am I called to love who seems the most unlovable? How does my heart need to be altered to see and love more?
Fr. Boyle's book is filled with the words of Jesus that have new and deeper meanings for me...I have heard them all my life...but will never hear them the same after reading this book. The stories of so many gang members who are being healed of horrendous past abuse, terrible living conditions, violent lives, is inspiring.
I could write a book on this book...but that would leave me no time to practice what I've learned...and would also leave no time to read Boyle's first book, Tattoos on the Heart.
Can't wait to visit Homebody Industries, their restaurant and bakery when in LA in September...I'll bring my tissues...I sure needed them reading this book!
I am so inspired by Jesuit priest Fr. Gregory Boyle and what he does at Homeboy Industries, the largest rehab/gang-intervention program in the world. I am even more inspired by his views of those he serves that gives him the ability to love and challenge into change. They are, "Jesus, in his least recognizable form!" That statement challenges me: Who am I called to love who seems the most unlovable? How does my heart need to be altered to see and love more?
Fr. Boyle's book is filled with the words of Jesus that have new and deeper meanings for me...I have heard them all my life...but will never hear them the same after reading this book. The stories of so many gang members who are being healed of horrendous past abuse, terrible living conditions, violent lives, is inspiring.
I could write a book on this book...but that would leave me no time to practice what I've learned...and would also leave no time to read Boyle's first book, Tattoos on the Heart.
Can't wait to visit Homebody Industries, their restaurant and bakery when in LA in September...I'll bring my tissues...I sure needed them reading this book!
July 24, 2018
"....stand in awe of what folks have to carry rather than in judgement at how they carry it."
The message I received from reading this book - of compassion, love, awe, friendship -left me so inspired that I immediately put the audiobook on hold at the library to listen on my commute. I needed to have the words inside here seared onto my brain one more time. Boyle spends most of this book listening anecdotal accounts of various gang members he's worked with over 30+ years in Los Angeles and the message he gives is clear - there is no you and them. Only just us. Once you stop judging and start standing in awe of what each individual has overcome, risen from, only then can you love like God intended you to love. Only then can you find kinship with all. For it is never you and them. Instead we are all the same with our scars, worries, fears and love.
And damn if that's not one of the best message's I've heard all year.
The message I received from reading this book - of compassion, love, awe, friendship -left me so inspired that I immediately put the audiobook on hold at the library to listen on my commute. I needed to have the words inside here seared onto my brain one more time. Boyle spends most of this book listening anecdotal accounts of various gang members he's worked with over 30+ years in Los Angeles and the message he gives is clear - there is no you and them. Only just us. Once you stop judging and start standing in awe of what each individual has overcome, risen from, only then can you love like God intended you to love. Only then can you find kinship with all. For it is never you and them. Instead we are all the same with our scars, worries, fears and love.
And damn if that's not one of the best message's I've heard all year.
March 12, 2019
This was a great book, though not as concise, engaging and pointed as his previous book "Tattoos on the heart."
This one seemed to meander a bit more, going from story to testimony to impacting epitaph with less fluidity and purpose than the Tattoos. To be fully transparent, though, I did hear him speak shortly after this book was released so many of the stories he shares in this book were not new to me, which removed the originality from his voice.
That being said, while I wouldn't recommend this as the first introduction to Gregory Boyle, this is an incredible and moving book. I would highly recommend it.
This one seemed to meander a bit more, going from story to testimony to impacting epitaph with less fluidity and purpose than the Tattoos. To be fully transparent, though, I did hear him speak shortly after this book was released so many of the stories he shares in this book were not new to me, which removed the originality from his voice.
That being said, while I wouldn't recommend this as the first introduction to Gregory Boyle, this is an incredible and moving book. I would highly recommend it.
February 3, 2018
While it's hard to hold a candle to "Tattoos on the Heart," this is the same Fr. Greg Boyle all of his fans have grown to know and love.
A little more sporadic than his previous work, he still delivers heavy-hitters in every chapter. I didn't connect as much to his messages, and they were fuddled (not as clear as "Tattoos"), but he ultimately delivers a profound message: no justice, no peace, can be achieved without kinship.
I enjoyed it cover to cover, but be prepared to take some time to get used to G's style of writing.
February 1, 2018
I feel bad criticizing a book written by someone who so clearly contributes good and love to society - but. Most of the book was little snippets of conversations with various homies (his word, not mine) and while a few times a phrase really grabbed me for the most part I was left frustrated and wanting more depth, more detail. I might give his other book a try because I do find him very interesting.
January 19, 2023
While the stories and wisdom of the people involved are incredibly convicting, for some reason Fr. Boyle seems to water down their faith. These are incredible stories of God’s grace, but for some reason Fr. Boyle doesn’t actually talk about God all that much.
November 12, 2025
Excellent as always, however I did not connect with this one as deeply as Tattoos On The Heart. I will definitely buy a physical copy to mark up.
September 21, 2020
Another healing dose of tears and laughter. Exactly what I needed.
January 26, 2020
Beautiful, funny, and inspiring-made me think a lot about how quickly I judge how people are carrying their load, instead of being compassionate toward them and the load they have to carry.
December 18, 2017
I read this book in a day; I already knew I was going to like it. You should definitely read Boyle's first book, Tattoos on the Heart, and then read this. I think everyone could find this book to be encouraging, wise, and challenging. Personally, this is a book to read when god, religious people, Christianity, and ontological questions are distressing. It makes me want to be more loving and less fearful.
November 26, 2017
More great stories from Fr. Greg about life at Homeboy Industries and the Dolores Mission parish. The lens of kinship brings the stories into clearer focus so we might put ourselves in greater proximity to the people living on the margins of society. His humor, his wisdom, his perspective all work towards challenging us to be fearless in our love of neighbor - every neighbor. There is no us vs. them - only us.
November 24, 2017
Great read!
Loved this book from page one to the last page. Homeboy Industries has become a beacon of hope for so many who had none and that hope is what shines to light the rest of the world. Highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand that no man is an island, we are all one in our humanity.
Loved this book from page one to the last page. Homeboy Industries has become a beacon of hope for so many who had none and that hope is what shines to light the rest of the world. Highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand that no man is an island, we are all one in our humanity.
November 8, 2022
In a time when the country is reeling with division and separation, Gregory Boyle’s Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship is a must read for all who long for a change in paradigm. In stories from his years of work with gang members in Los Angeles—the cruelty that fills their lives and the transformation that occurs when cruelty is replaced with compassion—told gently and with humor, are guides in opening us to compassion.
The book is about God’s work and the work of people of faith, but you’ll discover that God and people of faith just may not be who and where you think they are. You’ll be reminded that God is Love, love without judgement, criticism or expectation, and “if we emulate that, then hunger, weaponry, inequality and every other evil will dissipate into obsolescence.”
Perhaps, most importantly, Father Greg invites us, the choir, to find life,“eternal life” in the words of a priest, by creating a connection with others—“a connection of hearts, to show others that they are seen, acknowledged and embraced in mutuality of value”—not just with those like us but with those not like us.
The provision of tears, laughter, and deep contemplation make this book a timely addition to a hurting world.
The book is about God’s work and the work of people of faith, but you’ll discover that God and people of faith just may not be who and where you think they are. You’ll be reminded that God is Love, love without judgement, criticism or expectation, and “if we emulate that, then hunger, weaponry, inequality and every other evil will dissipate into obsolescence.”
Perhaps, most importantly, Father Greg invites us, the choir, to find life,“eternal life” in the words of a priest, by creating a connection with others—“a connection of hearts, to show others that they are seen, acknowledged and embraced in mutuality of value”—not just with those like us but with those not like us.
The provision of tears, laughter, and deep contemplation make this book a timely addition to a hurting world.
April 30, 2018
Well, as you may have guessed, I couldn’t get enough of Father Boyle, and was only too happy to see that his second book is available on Scribd, which I got a free 3-month trial recently! This follow-on to Tattoos on the Heart is just as fantastic and amazing as Father Boyle’s first book. He is charismatic and entertaining, and full of fun and sass, as all good priests should be, I feel. So many of these stories will stick with you long after you finish turning the pages of his books, (or listening to the audio, as the case may be). Decades of service to the gang members of LA have led to a treasure trove of real life change. And, if you’re a word nerd like me (mom, this aside is for you), you really won’t be able to get enough of the literary and verbal conundrums highlighted in these pages. I found myself smiling and even laughing out loud often.
December 5, 2018
Homeboy Industries is my new obsession. I love Father G and his homilies about kinship so much. My husband and I were lucky enough to visit the Homegirl Cafe over the weekend and were served by “Mario,” the homie featured in the last story of this book. If you’re looking for a glimpse of optimism amidst the pessimism of today, look no further.
May 28, 2021
After reading this book, I’m going to find it hard not to love everyone. Here are some of my favorite quotes:
“stand in awe of what people have to carry, rather than in judgement of how they carry it.”
“we are at our healthiest when we are most situated in awe. And at our least healthiest when we engage in judgement. Judgement created the distance that moves us away from each other. Judgement keeps us in the competitive game and is always self aggrandizing. Standing at the margins with the broken reminds us not of our own superiority, but of our own brokenness. Awe is the great leveler. The embrace of our own suffering helps us to land on a spiritual intimacy with ourselves and others. For if we don’t welcome our own wounds we will be tempted to despise the wounded.”
“a good diagnosis is everything. No hopeful kid has ever joined a gang. Never in the history of gangs. And never in the history of kids. Not once, not ever. Hopeful kids don’t join gangs. Gang involvement is about a lethal absence of hope. No kid is seeking anything when he joins a gang, he is always fleeing something. There are no exceptions. That is a good diagnosis.”
“moral outrage is the opposite of god. It only divides and separates what god wants for us. Which is to be United in kinship. Moral outrage doesn’t lead us to solutions, it keeps us from them. It keeps us from moving forward toward a fuller more compassionate response to members of our community who belong to us no matter what they’ve done. And this is the most difficult part for us to grasp, because what could be more terrifying than actually believing that such folks belong to us.”
“I am the other you, you are the other me. the invitation for the Christ in me is to see the Christ in you. There is no one outside of that way of seeing.”
“Margins manufactured by god perhaps so that we’d dedicate our lives to their erasure. We are charged not with obliterating our diversity and difference, but instead with heightening our connection to each other.”
“wage peace by listening”
“stand in awe of what people have to carry, rather than in judgement of how they carry it.”
“we are at our healthiest when we are most situated in awe. And at our least healthiest when we engage in judgement. Judgement created the distance that moves us away from each other. Judgement keeps us in the competitive game and is always self aggrandizing. Standing at the margins with the broken reminds us not of our own superiority, but of our own brokenness. Awe is the great leveler. The embrace of our own suffering helps us to land on a spiritual intimacy with ourselves and others. For if we don’t welcome our own wounds we will be tempted to despise the wounded.”
“a good diagnosis is everything. No hopeful kid has ever joined a gang. Never in the history of gangs. And never in the history of kids. Not once, not ever. Hopeful kids don’t join gangs. Gang involvement is about a lethal absence of hope. No kid is seeking anything when he joins a gang, he is always fleeing something. There are no exceptions. That is a good diagnosis.”
“moral outrage is the opposite of god. It only divides and separates what god wants for us. Which is to be United in kinship. Moral outrage doesn’t lead us to solutions, it keeps us from them. It keeps us from moving forward toward a fuller more compassionate response to members of our community who belong to us no matter what they’ve done. And this is the most difficult part for us to grasp, because what could be more terrifying than actually believing that such folks belong to us.”
“I am the other you, you are the other me. the invitation for the Christ in me is to see the Christ in you. There is no one outside of that way of seeing.”
“Margins manufactured by god perhaps so that we’d dedicate our lives to their erasure. We are charged not with obliterating our diversity and difference, but instead with heightening our connection to each other.”
“wage peace by listening”
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