G-Dog

“Nothing stops a bullet like a job” is the motto of unlikely gang expert Father Greg Boyle, a jovial Jesuit priest also known as G-Dog, who works with youth in East Los Angeles. Boyle has saved many lives with his Homeboy Industries, a working model for the transformation of young criminals into productive citizens. His forthright, take-no-B.S. manner allows him to forge peace agreements and employ former gang members and parolees who would never have been welcome elsewhere. With a thriving café, bakery, screen-printing business, tattoo-removing service, and classes on parenting, anger management, and much more, Homeboy would seem to be a huge success. Mayors and the Hollywood elite have given their support and former first lady Barbara Bush invited three Homeboy workers to Washington for a White House dinner. However, after two decades of success, the recession strikes and the enterprise risks financial ruin. Nevertheless, G-Dog's homies are fiercely loyal, and they're not going down without a fight. In a world with too few heroes, G-DOG is for real. – B.B.