Same Kind of Different as Me - A review

In their book Same Kind of Different as Me, Ron Hall (an international art dealer) and Denver Moore (a former homeless drifter) tell their story of friendship and faith. It is in many ways a story of overcoming. Prejudices, preconceived notions, misunderstandings, socio-economics, and race and ethnicity differences are just a few of the things that are addressed in this work...and they are overcome, over time, by both Ron and Denver.

Mark Clayman (the executive producer of the movieThe Pursuit of Happiness)touts that this book is: "The most inspirational and emotionally gripping story of faith, fortitude, and friendship I have ever read." Now this was a good book, but I wonder if that was taking it too far.

Let me digress for just a moment (to where you understand where I am coming from on this a little better). I spent five years studying sociology at Houston Community College and the University of Houston. In my later years, as a part of a qualitative research project I spent a lot of time in downtown and in the wards of Houston. When you begin interacting and spending much of your days and evenings with the homeless, the poor, the squatters found in these regions of a huge city, you begin to have a deeper understanding of their situation and an appreciation for their plight. If you survive a day in the wards, there is no doubt that you will be forever changed by the experience. I say this because it probably taints my view of this book...and I want to be fair. Having spent so many years researching and interacting and living with the disparity on the streets of Houston, much of what Denver shares is not new news to me...in fact, often times the reality that I am sure Denver faced isn't fully realized in the retelling of his story.

So here are a couple of my frustrations with the book:

First, I think as good a job as Denver did in expressing his world, based upon my own experiences he offered us but a glimpse into the world from which he came. I am personally grateful for that glimpse, but feel there is so much more to tell. The disparity that Denver reflects in his account is but a sliver of the reality that exists for thousands upon thousands of homeless in our country. The problem is much bigger than we might imagine.

Second, involving the overall economy of the book, I was disappointed that it took 89 pages (out of the 235 pages of text) to get to actual interaction between Denver and Ron. While the book is said to be a story between a dangerous homeless man and an international arts dealer (and a gutsy woman with a stubborn dream), there is a great deal of time discussing these characters' histories prior to ever getting to the relationship that forms between Denver and Ron. With 89 pages of history and context (and some of it never referenced again later in the book) there was less space available for the story and interaction between the 3 main characters as they wrestled with knowing each other and living into a friendship that was to be challenged not just by their histories, but also by their futures. A prime example is that there is an entire 2 page chapter dedicated to Ron's experience of Kennedy's assassination; and while I appreciate the sharing of that experience (and recognize that it was briefly---in a line or two---alluded to later in the text), I find little value of this sidebar to the story of Ron, Denver, and Miss Debbie...perhaps I missed something! The other thing about economy of the book is that I am not sure that Denver got as much time with us as Ron did (Denver would have a 2-3 page chapter followed by Ron with a 4-5 page chapter)...being a nut for social justice, I wonder if this is a fluke, or if it says something about the way that things are still today (I am praying it is just a fluke).

Finally, it should come as no surprise to some (and as plenty surprise to others) that God can use anybody in any situation for his good purposes. I believe that the book can serve as a springboard of hope to those that find themselves on either side of the socio-economic gulf that exists in our western world. I know that many organizations, including UMW, have included this book on their reading lists and I think that is a good thing. This will surely be groundbreaking awareness for some and merely further affirmation for others.

In the end, I would give this book 3 out of 4 stars. It is a good and easy read (and worth the reading). Just be careful about the hype, because depending upon where you are coming from, it may not quite live up to the fullness of expectation.