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Architect of successful gang intervention program in town to talk about new book

Gregory Boyle
(Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)
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Gregory Boyle is a lot of things — Jesuit priest, gang intervention guru, public speaker, businessman — but he may be most at ease as a storyteller. His first book, “Tattoos of the Heart,” introduced the world to Homeboy Industries, the rehab and re-entry program in Los Angeles that’s become a model for other cities trying get gang members to imagine a different life. Now, in “Barking to the Choir,” he has a new collection of stories and parables that speaks to the power of human connection and redemption. Many of the stories are funny and self-effacing, including one from the introduction in which a woman comes to hear Boyle give a talk at a gathering of foster grandparents. “I heard you last year,” she tells him with great emotion, pausing to compose herself. “It never gets better.”

Gregory Boyle book event: 7 p.m. Thursday. University of San Diego’s Shiley Theatre, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego. $28, which includes a copy of the new book. Via Warwick’s: (858) 454-0347 or warwicks.com

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john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com; (619) 293-2236

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