Tattoos on the Heart
Relating Tattoos on the Heart to
First-Year Students
Questions to Consider
Pre-Reading Question:
A major aspect of gang culture is process of tattooing images and phrases upon
one’s body. These tattoos serve multiple symbolic purposes, including indicating one’s
status in a gang. Homeboy Industries openly markets their tattoo removal program to
ex-gang members, many of whom believe their tattoos are barriers towards furthering
their education and employment.
Before reading this book, take a moment to think of the “tattoos” that you carry
with you. What lessons or memories are permanently imprinted upon you? Do you
have any “tattoos” (whether real or symbolic) that indicate your status in life? Have
these indicators ever brought barriers to your life? Are there any “tattoos” that you wish
could be removed? As you read this book, consider the questions listed below.
Post-Reading Questions:
-Why do you think Saint Louis University chose this book as the First-Year
Summer Reading?
-Think about the title and subtitle of the book: what is the meaning behind these
phrases? Is there anything tattooed upon your heart?
-In the first chapter, the aspect of faith was presented. Fr. Boyle frequently
discusses how faith has helped to transform individuals in Homeboy Industries. How
can faith or spirituality help you, as a student, with your journey here at SLU?
-There are multiple occasions in the text where Fr. Greg adjusts the way he
speaks to be more similar to the way gang members typically speak (e.g. incorporating
several Spanish words). Why is this important? Have there ever been times when you
adjusted the way you spoke or acted based on others you were encountering?
-An entire chapter is devoted to the concept of shame. Compare the concepts of
shame (“less than”) and magis (“more”). Have you ever felt an absence of self-love and
shame?
-Tattoos on the Heart differentiates between sympathy, empathy, and
compassion. How do you define these concepts?
-Fr. Boyle challenges readers to "stand in awe at what the poor have to carry
rather than stand in judgment at how they carry it." Have there ever been times in your
life when you have judged others in spite of their misfortunes?
-In the text, kinship is described as “not serving the other, but being one with the
other.” What is the difference? Can you think of a time when you found yourself in
kinship with another person?
-Think of the various homeboys and homegirls. Was there one that you
particularly relate to or that particularly affected you while reading?
-Fr. Boyle quotes a Buddhist tenet that “we can begin to change the world by first
changing how we look at the world.” How has Tattoos on the Heart influenced or
changed your views on gangs and gang members?
-What is the central lesson that Fr. Boyle is trying to pass on to both gang
members and you, the reader? What is the ultimate purpose of his work?
-If you are feeling nervous right now because you did not finish reading the book
as your first SLU homework assignment in preparation for this book discussion, how
can you relate this experience to sitting in a class unprepared during the fall semester?
-How does Tattoos on the Heart relate to the Oath of Inclusion at Saint Louis
University?
-What is one thing that you have learned by reading Tattoos on the Heart? Or,
how have you changed by reading it?