Book Review: Same Kind of Different as Me

Same Kind of Different as Me, by Ron Hall and Denver Moore, was recommended to me by my friend Doug Davis. I mentioned the book to Donna and she said we were already on the waiting list to get it from the public library. I couldn’t wait to read it so I went out and bought it.

The book is the true story (the best kind!) of an angry, black homeless man, Denver Moore, and his unlikely friendship with a wealthy international art dealer, Ron Hall, who came together when Hall’s wife insisted she and her husband volunteer to serve food once a week at a homeless shelter in Forth Worth, Texas. What begins as a grudging trip to please his wife turns into a deep and fruitful relationship between two disparate characters. The story is told from the perspective of the two main characters, Moore and Hall, as they alternate chapters giving their perspective on a series of events.

I do not want to give away too much of the story here so I will not. My only criticism of the book is that Hall comes across a bit self-indulgent and “holier-than-thou” in a few places. But he seems to recognize that, and it actually turns out to be part of the storyline.

This is a story of deep pain, but also one of incredible redemption. The story is awe-inspiring and hopeful. I highly recommend the book though I must admit I cried a few times while reading it. In the end the book demonstrates – as the title implies – that while we are all different, we all have something in common as well; the “same kind of different as me.”