Get the Tissues Ready

Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore is a well-written true story about two men from two totally different backgrounds. Ron is a white Texan who makes a very good living as an art dealer. He and his wife Deborah live the good life but also want to do the Christian thing in helping others. Denver is a black man who grows up poor as a “free” version of a slave. He makes what little money is to be had by picking cotton for “The Man,” but he never manages to get out of debt. He finally decides to hop a train and leave Louisiana for good. He ends up in Texas but lives on the streets until he finally meets up with the Halls.

Denver is not a nice man as he has to live tough to survive. Ron wants to look good but his heart isn’t necessarily where Deborah’s is. They work at a homeless mission where all three lives finally cross. It’s not happy ever after from there though. It’s a struggle to befriend Denver. And it’s tough for Ron to completely open his heart. But Deborah manages to handle both men and eventually a true friendship develops.

The story is told by each man from his own point of view. It’s well done, except for some redundancy in their stories. That’s the only part of the book I didn’t care for as I felt they were telling me the same thing over and over again. But no one can read this book without being touched. And no one will be able to read it without a lot of tissues.

Deborah, or Miss Debbie as Denver refers to her, is the woman who pulls the men together. This is a story of this remarkable woman told by two remarkable men. Same Kind of Different as Me will definitely touch whoever reads it.