Customer Reviews

Same Kind of Different As Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together

5 star:		(665)
4 star:		(91)
3 star:		(38)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

At a recent conference I met a gentleman who happens to edit one of those airline magazines that always competes with your legroom in an airplane. A short time ago he sent me an email and asked if I had heard of a book called Same Kind of Different as Me and recommended that I read it. He seemed like a good enough guy and the book had a great cover, so I went ahead and ordered it sight unseen (or nearly so). And what a book it turned out to be.

Same Kind of Different as Me, a book that is factual but could just as easily be fiction, tells the unlikely story of the unlikeliest of friends--Ron Hall and Denver Moore. Told in two voices, the book alternates between telling the story from the perspective of Ron and Denver.

Ron Hall is a wealthy international art dealer who travels the world buying and selling rare and expensive works of art. He has grown rich but has also grown selfish and has grown away from his family. When Ron Hall reluctantly volunteers at a homeless shelter (at the insistence of his wife) he soon comes into contact with Denver, a man his wife is convinced is going to change the city. Denver grew up as a sharecropper in Louisiana, living a life that seemed little different from the life of his ancestors one hundreds years before. He eventually walked away from the cotton fields and found that, while life on the streets of Fort Worth was difficult, it was easier than being a sharecropper. It was here, in a homeless shelter, that the two men met, one serving food and the other being a reluctant recipient of this charity.

Chef Jim and Deborah chatted easily while I mentally balanced the ledger between pleasing my wife and contracting a terminal disease. I had to admit that his idea seemed like an easy way to start--serve the evening meal once a week, and we'd be in and out in three, four hours max. We could minister from behind the rusty steel serving counter, safely separated from the customers. And we could enter and leave through the rear kitchen door, thereby minimizing contact with those likely to hit us up for money. The whole arrangement seemed like a good way for us to fulfill Deborah's desire to help the homeless without our touching them or letting them touch us.

Her bright laugh pulled my attention back into the room. "I think that sounds great, Jim!" she was saying. "I don't see any reason why we can't start tomorrow. In fact, let's just say you can count on us to serve every Tuesday until you hear otherwise."

"Praise the Lord!" Chef Jim said, this time giving Deborah a great big Baptist hug. It did not sound great to me, but Deborah had not asked me what I thought. She never did do much by committee.

At first unable to crack Denver's stony personality, Hall eventually prevails and strikes up a friendship with a man worlds apart. They become fast friends who endure a tragedy together and who soon grow in their love, respect and admiration of each other. Each man teaches the other about life and faith. Somehow the story of the relationship between these two men is fascinating and inspiring. It offers a glimpse into two worlds that are nearly opposite and shows what happens when these worlds come into contact with each other. I can still hardly believe this was not a novel.

While the book showcases a fun sense of humor, there is also plenty of heart.

And yet for all the courage I knew she had, she had shown this glimmer of fear. Oh, how I loved her then. Fiercely. The passion you feel down in your guts where no one else can see and only you know its frightening force. I could remember that there were times in our nearly three decades of marriage that I had loved her less than at that moment, and guilt pierced me like a spike. Though she had always given unconditionally, I had often not been willing to do so in return, She has deserved better than she's gotten from me, I thought, and nearly drowned in a wave of regret thirty years deep.

Between the heart and the humor is some good theology, but, unfortunately, also some that would require believing the word of the author rather than finding any basis in Scripture. For example, there is talk of a "visitation" where a dead person returns to earth, however briefly, to offer comfort and encouragement. This is not something the Bible tells us we can or should expect. There was also some theology that was suspicious and seemed to reveal an understanding of the gospel that was somewhat incomplete. I found these distracting and disappointing, but not fatal to the book.

So while Same Kind of Different as Me is not necessarily a book I'd recommend for its theology, it is a book that I'd recommend for a stirring and unforgettable story, and for the pure joy of reading it. This one caught me by surprise and I enjoyed every minute of it. I can pretty well guarantee that someone will buy the movie rights to this story, so why not buy it now so you can say that you read the book before you ever heard of the movie!

I finished this book in less than 3 days. I was taken in by chapter 2 and laughed, cried, pondered, and repented the whole way through. It is well written and easy to digest yet full of hidden treasures.

I like that this book challenges those of us who consider ourselves Christian - that we usually aren't as real as we say and certainly rarely have actions that are as revolutionary as Jesus paved the way for.

Both authors are honest in their struggles with themselves, their histories, weaknesses and the strength found in their purpose together.

I most admire that they consider making a difference in one life, and the difference one life can make, important.

A friend gave me this book and told me it would "change my life" but I had no idea to what extent!

Having been raised in Fort Wotth, as a young girl, I can remember going to the Union Gospel Mission to help with services for the homeless. They had to attend a service in order to enjoy a free meal. I remember it as being one of the dirtiest, stinkiest and scariest places I had ever seen.

This book takes place at that very mission. It is the true, but almost unbelievable story of three very different people whose lives come together in a way that can only be explained as "God ordained". The things that happen in the lives of these three people are so amazing that you will not be able to put the book down. I have a new love and appreciation for the Union Gospel Mission. It has now become a beautiful place to me...an annointed place where needy people can find food, shelter, love and then come face to face with Jesus.

You will be challenged to look at life differently. I will never be the same since reading this book. I have a new empathy for the underpriveleged in this country. I have a new desire to spend time with the Lord.

This is a book that needs to be read by the masses. I began praying immediately that someone who had the means would make a movie of this story. I have since talked with Ron Hall and it seems that a movie may be in the future.

Denver Moore, the homeless man in the book may be used by God as one of His most faithful messengers of the truth for our time.

Grab a cup of coffee, find a comfortable chair and begin reading. You will be there all night or until you finish it. Grab a box of kleenex, too. You will need it!

You will then want to buy it for everyone you know for Christmas!

Get ready to be changed!!!!

A friend recommended this book to me after she stayed up until 3:30 one morning reading it. Based on her past recommendations, I knew that the book would be good. What I didn't expect was how Deborah Hall's message would continue to resonate with me day in and day out. Deborah wasn't afraid of many things in her life, except missing the call of God. The book, through Ron Hall and Denver Moore's artfully written narratives, reveals the amazing story of how their three lives came together in a way that truly glorified God, even through some very difficult times. After reading this book, you will be thankful that Ron and Denver took the time to put their life stories, along with Deborah's, into a book that blesses all who read it and that hopefully inspires its readers to take off their racial, social, and economic blinders in order to see who people are at the heart level.

Although they say you cannot judge a book by its cover, that is not always true. And sometimes, just sometimes, I can judge a book by its title. That was so with Same Kind of Different As Me. I had just walked into the bookstore when this book caught my eye. I found the title original, eccentric, and intriguing. Then when I read the back cover, I was presented with the question, "What would bring a homeless black man, a rich white man, and a gutsy white woman with a dream together? I wanted to know.

If you buy Same Kind of Different As Me, do not look at the pictures in the middle until you finish reading the book. It spoiled things for me and caused a major distraction as I tried to finish the novel!

I never liked stories about slavery and the horrible things that happened to blacks because they all ended up the same way when black people ended up with the crappy end of the stick, but it was something about this book that kept me reading. Maybe it was the writing styles, maybe it was the atmosphere the authors created in my mind, or maybe it was the way Ron Hall and Denver Moore made me look at homelessness and generosity in a different way. These were the elements that kept me reading this insightful novel.

"In the twentieth century, slaves were free to leave the plantation, but their debt and lack of education kept them shackled to the Man." This passage shed light on the origin of the black man's struggle after slavery. It spoke volumes about its rippling effects as its residual oppression contributes to problems that some black men still experience today.

There were other passages in this novel that also spoke to me, like the times the rich man felt as if he were the student and the homeless man was teaching him when the wealthy man realized "....we'd enjoy life a whole lot more if we owned a whole lot less." Those words spoke truth and wisdom on so many levels.

Another passage that spoke to me was when the homeless man was describing the rich man's wife: "But it was the way she treated the homeless that made them accept her as their friend. She never asked em no questions, like how come you is here? Where you been? How come you done all them bad things in your life? She just loved em, no strings attached." Not only were those words powerful, but they made me think about the judgment that keeps people from helping others. The rich man's wife, Deborah, didn't have time to judge the less fortunate. All she saw were people who needed help. Her level of sincerity really moved me.

Because of its powerful message, I would definitely recommend this book to others.

The Same Kind of Different as Me is the real-life account of the friendship that developed between two very unlikely men--Ron Moore, an international art dealer and a crusty, homeless black man, Denver Moore, who grew up a modern day slave in twentieth century Louisiana.

Slavery in this day and age? In America? I'm afraid so. Only in the 1940s and 50s (since the Civil War actually) it was known as sharecropping, where third and fourth generation black families were held captive in their poverty and deplorable living conditions by being indebted to the Man who gave them work and a place to live--for Denver a shack no bigger than a backyard storage shed.

Their encounter and subsequent friendship came about when Deborah Hall, Ron's wife, developed a passion to help the underprivileged in Fort Worth, Texas. As in all relationships, trust and a true bond didn't happen overnight, but when it did, amazing things began to happen. Trust. Unconditional love. Friendship that didn't last for just a season, but for a lifetime. God's moving in the hearts and lives of an entire community.

Several applications stand out for me.

Refreshing honesty by the authors.
A call to examine our own hearts and motives. Helping the disadvantaged gratuitously may not be the "caring for the poor and needy" that will make a lasting difference.
Am I guilty of prejudice or a judgmental attitude, even unwittingly?
Am I ready to pour my heart and soul into a committed effort to help the poor in my area?
God can do miraculous things when folks hear His voice and call upon Him to move. This speaks to me both as an individual and for us as a nation.
The glory for changing people's hearts and lives belongs to our sovereign God.

For entertainment value, I'd give this book a B. It was a fast read, and I was particularly fond of Denver. For provoking thought and issuing a call to action, I'd give it an A.
For the courage to take their story public and proclaim God's glory--An A+.

It was difficult reading the book as I had to stand my and watch the person I loved and adored die. She raised the standards high and made me strive to be a better person. After she was told it was time to prepare to die, she was still memorizing scriptures! I hope everyone reading this book falls in love with Ron, Denver, and Debbie. I only wish those of you who read the book had known this wonderful woman. Daphene

Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent is just too good for a five-star rating. This book is in a class by itself. In fact, I would say it's one of the ten best books I've read in my lifetime--and that's a lot of books! This poignant, gripping, heartrending story of the most unlikely of brothers is beyond amazing, and Vincent's writing is superb. From twentieth-century slavery to multi-million-dollar art sales and everything in between, the authors pull no punches when it comes to "telling it like it is." This is faith-in-the-trenches, love-in-the-gutters writing, and it will forever change the life of anyone who reads it with an honest, seeking heart.

This is the story of two men, one a black man who was a sharecropper in the Deep South, the other a white man who was a self made millionaire. About how they got to be where they are and how their lives intertwined and mixed.

The story of Denver is a gut-wrenching story about a man raised in such complete poverty that I am not even sure that I can understand it.

Ron on the other hand starts with next to nothing and finds a calling in selling artwork and makes quite that life for himself and his family. His wife really drives him to get involved in a homeless ministry and to reach out to Denver.

This becomes a defining moment for each man, and the changes that come over them as they share life together. The outcome of all of this is quite remarkable.

As powerful as the story of each of their lives is, this wasn't the most enjoyable book to read. I really wanted to like this book, to be pulled into this moving story but it just didn't happen. I am not sure if it was in the alternating `voices' as each man tells their story in different chapters, or what it was. But it seemed that while this was a very moving story it was told at kind of a surface overly `spiritual catch phrase' manner rather then really exploring their lives.

So while I am grateful for the opportunity to have gotten to read and review this book it was overall just ok for me.

Like a lot of reviewers here, I couldn't put this book down. The story of Deborah, Ron, and Denver moved me beyond words. Deborah, a woman of great faith, was truly open to others and showed such grace and love in a world that often is so lacking and needing of unconditional love. For those that are turned off by words like faith, grace, and love- I must note that I'm a reforming cynic and books like this are part of my rehabilitation process. If like me you are interested in looking at the lives of individuals who are contributing to the betterment of this world, then I highly recommend you read Same Kind of Different as Me. The life of Deborah Hall portrayed in the book is powerful enough to soften even the hardest of hearts. Thank you for writing this book.