‘Same Kind of Different as Me’

It is a very rare occasion when you can say the book you read for your English class actually impacted your life.

From the subtitle on the front, “Same Kind of Different as Me” draws in readers at the very beginning as a nearly unbelievable true story of “a modern-day slave, an international art dealer, and the unlikely woman who bound them together.”

But “Same Kind of Different as Me” is, in fact, a memoir of Ron Hall and Denver Moore, Ron, an affluent art dealer who came from a poor background and Denver, a homeless man who grew up in virtual slavery. Denver and Ron switch off narration between chapters, each telling his own side of the story. Denver is very down-to-earth and writes as if he were having a conversation with you, and Ron has a more eloquent way of writing that was slightly less accessible, but just as interesting.

The woman behind the friendship, Deborah Hall, volunteers herself and her husband Ron at a homeless shelter, where they meet Denver. She believed that Ron needed to befriend this rough man from the streets, and so slowly but surely, the friendship began. It develops over time, through racial and financial differences, through a battle with cancer, through loss and grief, Denver and Ron become very close friends.

This book was very easy to read, and though the story takes place over many years, the plot is very fast-paced. It is a very rare occasion when you can say the book you read for your English class actually impacted your life, but “A Same Kind of Different as Me” definitely impacted mine.

Sophomores to serve inner-city needs

Following the example of Ron and Deborah Hall and Denver Moore, the sophomore class will participate in volunteer work in inner city Amarillo Nov. 8 and 9 after reading the book “Same Kind of Different as Me.”

The nonfiction novel is written from the perspective of a successful art dealer (Hall) and a homeless man who grew up in modern-day slavery (Moore) and how they were brought together by Hall’s wife, Deborah. To give a real-life experience of life in the homeless community, the class will participate in different activities at the Salvation Army, Faith City Mission and City Church in Amarillo.

“We will be doing a lot of different projects centered on helping a community in need,” English teacher Heather Hale said. “We will serve breakfast and lunch, and we have been collecting cans in a canned food drive. This is to raise awareness of our needy community.”