{"product_id":"whole-language-book-gregory-boyle-9781982128326","title":"The Whole Language","description":"\u003cb\u003eGregory Boyle, the beloved Jesuit priest and author of the inspirational bestsellers \u003ci\u003eTattoos on the Heart\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBarking to the Choir\u003c\/i\u003e, returns with a call to witness the transformative power of tenderness, rooted in his lifetime of experience counseling gang members in Los Angeles.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Over the past thirty years, Gregory Boyle has transformed thousands of lives through his work as the founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest and most successful gang-intervention program in the world. Boyle's new book, \u003ci\u003eThe Whole Language\u003c\/i\u003e, follows the acclaimed bestsellers \u003ci\u003eTattoos on the Heart\u003c\/i\u003e, hailed as an \"astounding literary and spiritual feat\" (\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly)\u003c\/i\u003e that is \"destined to become a classic of both urban reportage and contemporary spirituality\" (\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e), and \u003ci\u003eBarking to the Choir\u003c\/i\u003e, deemed \"a beautiful and important and soul-transporting book\" by Elizabeth Gilbert, and declared by Ann Patchett to be \"a book that shows what the platitudes of faith look like when they're put into action.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In a community struggling to overcome systemic poverty and violence, \u003ci\u003eThe Whole Language\u003c\/i\u003e shows how those at Homeboy Industries fight despair and remain generous, hopeful, and tender. When Saul was thirteen years old, he killed his abusive stepfather in self-defense; after spending twenty-three years in juvenile and adult jail, he enters the Homeboy Industries training and healing programs and embraces their mission. Declaring, \"I've decided to grow up to be somebody I always needed as a child,\" Saul shows tenderness toward the young men in his former shoes, treating them all like his sons and helping them to find their way. Before coming to Homeboy Industries, a young man named Abel was shot thirty-three times, landing him in a coma for six months followed by a year and a half recuperating in the hospital. He now travels on speaking tours with Boyle and gives guided tours around the Homeboy offices. One day a new trainee joins Abel as a shadow, and Abel recognizes him as the young man who had put him in a coma. \"You give good tours,\" the trainee tells Abel. They both have embarked on a path to wholeness.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Boyle's moving stories challenge our ideas about God and about people, providing a window into a world filled with fellowship, compassion, and fewer barriers. Bursting with encouragement, humor, and hope, \u003ci\u003eThe Whole Language\u003c\/i\u003e invites us to treat others--and ourselves--with acceptance and tenderness.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49562246545681,"sku":"GOR013763363","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49709461078289,"sku":"CIN1982128321G","price":4.15,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49787495317777,"sku":"CIN1982128321VG","price":4.15,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50347064459537,"sku":"GOR012858597","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":52966594380049,"sku":"CIN1982128321A","price":3.88,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53677321322769,"sku":"GOR014998419","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1982128321.jpg?v=1751414623","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/products\/whole-language-book-gregory-boyle-9781982128326","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}