Tattoos on the Heart

by

Gregory Boyle

Tattoos

In Los Angeles, many gang members have elaborate tattoos that show their gang affiliation. The tattoos can’t be removed, except with surgery, which evokes the permanent, lifelong allegiance that gangs demand. However, Father Gregory Boyle

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The Photograph

Father Gregory Boyle mentions a photograph that an ex-gang member, Richard, finds of himself. The photograph shows Richard as a happy-seeming kid at the age of ten. As Boyle writes, Richard’s photograph of himself…

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Caldo de Iguana

Father Gregory Boyle describes a visit to a Mexican prison during which he witnesses the prisoners working together to prepare a traditional Mexican stew called caldo de iguana. Though the prisoners have very little…

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