Book Review: Same Kind of Different As Me

I'll admit that when I read the back cover of Same Kind Of Different As Me I was not expecting to enjoy the book as much as I did. One day, however, I found myself with some spare quiet time (almost unheard of!) and nothing to do, so I picked up the book and started reading. I could not put it down.

Book Description (*As described on Amazon.com)
Meet Denver, a man raised under plantation-style slavery in Louisiana in the 1960s; a man who escaped, hopping a train to wander, homeless, for eighteen years on the streets of Dallas, Texas. No longer a slave, Denver's life was still hopeless-until God moved. First came a godly woman who prayed, listened, and obeyed. And then came her husband, Ron, an international arts dealer at home in a world of Armani-suited millionaires. And then they all came together.

But slavery takes many forms. Deborah discovers that she has cancer. In the face of possible death, she charges her husband to rescue Denver. Who will be saved, and who will be lost? What is the future for these unlikely three? What is God doing?

Same Kind of Different As Me is the emotional tale of their story: a telling of pain and laughter, doubt and tears, dug out between the bondages of this earth and the free possibility of heaven. No reader or listener will ever forget it.

What I felt after reading this book was a renewed understanding that everyone has a story. Most of us breeze through our daily lives, encountering people we like and some we don't, some we judge - knowing little more about them than what shirt they happen to be wearing that day. Hearing Denver's story reminds us that we behave the way we do because of where we've come from, and because of how we are raised. It reminds us that while someone might appear to be falling apart, they might have more sense and understanding of their own life (and sometimes even yours) than you do. For those of us who get caught up in the daily grind like Ron, the book really hits home. I enjoyed the very personal and candid voices of both characters. Together, they've told a story of friendship, love and loss that is more intense than any fictional novel I've encountered. This book is, in my opinion, worth a read for anyone who needs a wake up call.

*I've been sent 1 copy of this book for review in conjunction with Booksneeze