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

I told my co-author after I sent her a copy of this book, (Her own copy mind you, I'm keeping mine)... that I was hesitant to do a review on this because I didn't believe my words could do it justice. (If you are looking for the perfect gift by the way, this is it). Roughly two weeks ago, I was surfing Amazon and came across it by accident. Its description however intrigued me and figured I'd give it a shot, even though I had not previously heard of it. Talk about the best purchase I've made in ages!!!Moving, humorous, detailed, heart wrenching, inspirational, historic, beautifully written and the most mind blowing thing about it all, is it is a true story! I again don't believe I have a large enough vocabulary to paint how incredibly special this book truly is!!! I will say, it is definitely on my short list of the best books I've read in my entire life!!! And I'm someone that reads as well as writes all the time!!!I'm writing this review today because I came on again to see if it was number one yet. (Having read it, and seen how miraculous this work is with my own eyes, I figured by now it would be, or at the least, in the top 100 best sellers and rising)... but alas, at the time of this writing, it is not. It should be and I feel very strongly that it will be soon. I started it roughly around eleven thirty or so PM the day I got it, and had to force myself to put it down at roughly five thirty in morning after continuous reading!!! Three hours later I woke up and finished it and was genuinely sad to see it end.I don't want to say too much in regards to the book itself, but Denver's voice and Ron's voice tell such a compelling tale that it's almost literally impossible to keep from turning pages! This is definitely one that grabs you and keeps you, and I have no doubt at all that God himself was instrumental in such a powerful tale coming to fruition!To Ron and Family and to Denver, (Which if you read the book, you will know they are family now), my heart felt sympathies for your loss of Debbie who truly was an earth Angel and my sincere appreciation for penning such a life changing work of art!With heart felt respectChase VonCo-author of Dream Reachers with Betty Dravis and other works

Same Kind Of Different As Me is not the kind of book I usually read. My hairdresser really wanted me to read it and I promised her that I would. I was very pleasantly surprised by the depth and beauty of the sentiments in this memoir. I am not one for reading books about religion, especially non-fiction books, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one.It is about an evangelical couple, Ron and Debbie Hall, who decide to work selflessly toward helping the homeless in Fort Worth, Texas, a place where I once lived. There they meet a homeless man named Denver who becomes a beacon for them and a part of their family. The Halls are very rich and he buys and sells arts. They are both evangelical baptists.Denver grew up in Louisiana. He was a share cropper with nothing to his name. When he made his way to Fort Worth as a homeless man "it was a step up in life for me". The conditions in Louisiana were gross. His 'home' was not bigger than the bed on a small pick-up truck. Though illiterate, Denver is wise and forthright. He sees deeply into the soul of things and his advice is often beyond rational. It has a bit of the mystical faith that drives him forward.Ron's wife Debbie slowly succumbs to cancer and, as she is dying, Denver and Ron grow closer. Denver once told Ron that he saw white people as 'catch and release' folks. They'd catch fish and then release them. Denver said that he could not ever have a 'catch and release' friendship'. Friendship, to him, was forever. Ron promised him that they would be friends throughout their days - no 'catch and release'.As the book ends, Denver realizes that "everybody's different - the same kind of different as me. We're all just regular folks walkin' down the road God done set in front of us". This book goes through more than 55 years of Denver's life and his time with Ron. It is uplifting, tearful, and poignant. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys faith-based literature.

I love this book and it is so well written. It definitely has a message of hope and of ❤

I loved the book. I am not being cliche when I say that the book is far better than the movie, though the movie was wonderfully enacted by the best of them. The book gives you more on the story, and is both funny and heartbreaking at the same time. It also shows how all of us can change, and fulfil our purpose in life through the eyes of Ron, Denver and a beautiful Saint of a woman named Debbie.

Une très belle histoire (vraie en plus) qui ne vous laissera pas insensible. Ce livre m’a profondément touchée, et je le conseille vivement.

So full of raw emotion and true relationship both with man and with God. Not sugar coated the passion in this book touches the heart. Inspiring in that tgis book coukd be about anyone of us if we dare to live as selflessly as the people in this story. This book is really about people who do as Jesus does. An excellent read for everyone. I loved it.

Words fail me as I seek to describe this heartwarming story of poverty, circumstance, faith and redemption. The characters portrayed are so uniquely human with their strengths and shortcomings. The struggles they lived through will resonate with many a reader, as they did with me. No syrupy facile outcomes to the pain loss and grief experienced by these men and those they loved. I came away more accepting of my own mixed feelings and residual grief over some similar loss in my own life. And like Ron suggested, I think "God is ok with that".