(Religion, Biography, Memoir, Health)

Barking to the Choir is an incredible book, written by Jesuit priest Father Gregory Boyle. Gregory Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries and is the very well-known author of Tattoos on the Heart. Homeboy Industries is the largest gang intervention, reentry, and rehabilitation program in the world. He has changed and saved many lives.

His second book, Barking to the Choir is about his many experiences with gang members, their families, and how they’ve positively changed his life. Readers hear the frightening stories of kids, teens, and adults who turn to gangs after their families fall apart. Young men who have been in jail for years, women who have had their children taken away from them in prison, and many many more heartbreaking narratives.

Although the book is quite sad, there are many enjoyable and funny little scenes with the gang members about getting jobs organizing bras in a clothing store, buying “corsages” (croissants), and more.

Throughout the book, Father Boyle tells the readers the different things he’s learned from the men and women at HBI (Homebody Industries). He shows how they’ve taught him more than he could teach them. Somebody asked, “Do you bring them to Jesus?” Boyle replied, “They bring me to Jesus.”

This book is incredible, it shows vulnerably shows the young people at HBI and their hearts, and I’ve learned so much from this book alone. Gregory Boyle traps his readers in by not only telling many anecdotes and stories, but also by using the language that the gang members, or “homies”, (as he calls them) frequently use.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a book, who enjoys books about Christianity, memoirs, true stories, and even humor.