“I heard that when white folks go fishin they do somethin called ‘catch and release.’”
Catch and release? I nodded solemnly, suddenly nervous and curious at the same time.
“That really bothers me,” Denver went on. “I just can’t figure it out. ’Cause when colored folks go fishin, we really proud of what we catch, and we take it and show it off to everybody that’ll look. Then we eat what we catch . . . in other words, we use it to sustain us. So it really bothers me that white folks would go to all that trouble to catch a fish, then when they done caught it, just throw it back in the water.”
He paused again, and the silence between us stretched a full minute.
Then: “Did you hear what I said?”
I nodded, afraid to speak, afraid to offend.
Denver looked away, searching the blue autumn sky, then locked onto me again with that drill-bit stare. “So, Mr. Ron, it occurred to me: If you is fishin for a friend you just gon’ catch and release, then I ain’t got no desire to be your friend.”
This true, biographical story, written in the first person from the perspectives of two men, may seem stranger than fiction, but then, fiction has to make sense, does it not? The truth, on the other hand, is what it is. As one of the authors puts it:
"What must befall thee, must befall thee, what must pass ye by will pass ye by!”
I almost didn’t pick this book up, but did so on the recommendation of others. I am so happy I did. The tag line for the story is a good one. Ron Hall, wealthy art dealer, father and husband, through the influence of his service minded, Christian wife, Debbie, is reluctantly admitted into the sphere of another, equally reluctant, homeless vagabond named Denver, in what turns out to be a miraculous series of events ordained in God’s timing in ways no one would choose on their own had they the power to do otherwise.
While the story begs to be featured in a Hall Mark Hall of Fame series, I encourage you to not wait for the movie version, if there should be one. Buy the book and read it, and I dare you to try and put it down once you get started. It is not only a fascinating story, but extremely well written and marvelously unfolds itself to the reader.
Mechanically, the book is a back and forth narration by Denver and Ron as their respective timelines take them through their childhood into their adult years and onward through the the point where their lives intersect, then merge into friendship, and then eventually become a triple braided cord that will never be broken. As the book begins, the reader is introduced first to Denver’s narration of his early years, and then to Ron’s. Then the thread passes back and forth between Denver and Ron without letting you know who is telling the story. It’s not hard to discern when the story switches between Ron’s telling and Denver’s, but it forces the reader to be watchful for the change. Sometimes it catches you off guard and you have to go back a few sentences and start over when you realize you were reading what you thought was Denver’s telling but was actually Ron’s. The effect of this is that the reader gradually begins to realize the amazing truth in the title: that although one man is white, from southern white middle class stock, and the other is black, from poorer than poor black share cropper stock, they really are as much the same as they are different.... and thus so are we all!
Same Kind of Different as Me deals with prejudice, crises in faith, moral lapses, heart-wrenching tragedy, and true, abiding, love. It does so honestly, not preaching or moralizing, and without apology. Their lives are living proof that the love of Christ conquers all.
I recommend this book for any U.S. citizen, teen or above, or any person regardless of nationality who is familiar with the history of slavery and civil rights movements in North America and would like to read a first hand account. There is an abridged audio version, which I have heard and is done well, but get the book, first, and read the entire thing.
The book has a Q&A section at the end for class discussions, as well as a brief interview bringing the reader up to date with Ron and Denver’s lives. The reader will be emotionally affected by the story, and hopefully, motivated with a new understanding of the plight of homeless people around them and what they can do to make a difference.
This true, biographical story, written in the first person from the perspectives of two men, may seem stranger than fiction, but then, fiction has to make sense, does it not? The truth, on the other hand, is what it is. As one of the authors puts it:
"What must befall thee, must befall thee, what must pass ye by will pass ye by!”
I almost didn’t pick this book up, but did so on the recommendation of others. I am so happy I did. The tag line for the story is a good one. Ron Hall, wealthy art dealer, father and husband, through the influence of his service minded, Christian wife, Debbie, is reluctantly admitted into the sphere of another, equally reluctant, homeless vagabond named Denver, in what turns out to be a miraculous series of events ordained in God’s timing in ways no one would choose on their own had they the power to do otherwise.
While the story begs to be featured in a Hall Mark Hall of Fame series, I encourage you to not wait for the movie version, if there should be one. Buy the book and read it, and I dare you to try and put it down once you get started. It is not only a fascinating story, but extremely well written and marvelously unfolds itself to the reader.
Mechanically, the book is a back and forth narration by Denver and Ron as their respective timelines take them through their childhood into their adult years and onward through the the point where their lives intersect, then merge into friendship, and then eventually become a triple braided cord that will never be broken. As the book begins, the reader is introduced first to Denver’s narration of his early years, and then to Ron’s. Then the thread passes back and forth between Denver and Ron without letting you know who is telling the story. It’s not hard to discern when the story switches between Ron’s telling and Denver’s, but it forces the reader to be watchful for the change. Sometimes it catches you off guard and you have to go back a few sentences and start over when you realize you were reading what you thought was Denver’s telling but was actually Ron’s. The effect of this is that the reader gradually begins to realize the amazing truth in the title: that although one man is white, from southern white middle class stock, and the other is black, from poorer than poor black share cropper stock, they really are as much the same as they are different.... and thus so are we all!
Same Kind of Different as Me deals with prejudice, crises in faith, moral lapses, heart-wrenching tragedy, and true, abiding, love. It does so honestly, not preaching or moralizing, and without apology. Their lives are living proof that the love of Christ conquers all.
I recommend this book for any U.S. citizen, teen or above, or any person regardless of nationality who is familiar with the history of slavery and civil rights movements in North America and would like to read a first hand account. There is an abridged audio version, which I have heard and is done well, but get the book, first, and read the entire thing.
The book has a Q&A section at the end for class discussions, as well as a brief interview bringing the reader up to date with Ron and Denver’s lives. The reader will be emotionally affected by the story, and hopefully, motivated with a new understanding of the plight of homeless people around them and what they can do to make a difference.
Ron and Denver's website:
Thomas Nelson Publisher's website:
