The University of Scranton Book Club
Brought to you by The Jesuit Center
The University of Scranton Book Club is a completely digital experience that you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home. Read along with fellow Royals and then tune-in for scheduled online group discussions and video conference reflections with Executive Director of the Jesuit Center, Ryan Sheehan along with other members of The Jesuit Center staff.
The Whole Language, The Power of Extravagant Tenderness by Father Gregory Boyle, S.J.
From Amazon: In a community struggling to overcome systemic poverty and violence, The Whole Language 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.
Our first selected book was Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Endless Compassion by Gregory Boyle, S.J., founder of Homeboy Industries. Watch the video discussions by clicking the links below.
Scranton Alumni
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Office locations:
3rd and 4th Floor
600 Linden Street
Scranton, PA 18510
Mailing address:
800 Linden Street
Scranton, PA 18510
1-800-SCRANTON