Saturday, October 22, 2011

Same Kind of Different As Me


by Dina Sleiman

Same Kind of Different as Me, published by Thomas Nelson, is one of those rare Christian titles to actually hit the New York Times best-seller list, so that should tell you something right there. No, it’s not a novel. It’s nonfiction. But it reads like the most beautifully written novel you’ll ever find.

It weaves together two stories. One is the life of Denver Moore, a sharecropper from the South caught in a life of modern day slavery during the 1960’s. Denver finally escapes, but with no education, he becomes a homeless drifter for many years to come. One of the nicest touches in this book is Denver’s authentic voice which gives the feel of his roots without overwhelming the reader.

Ron Hall is raised in the country, but quickly finds his niche in the world of dealing art and rises to fame and fortune only to lose a little bit of his soul along the way. Thank goodness for his Godly wife who pulls him back from the edge.

Partway through the book Denver and Ron finally meet when Ron and his wife get involved in a homeless shelter. Through much divine intervention, this unlikely duet becomes the best of friends.

The story of redemption is beautiful and poignant. It is more than a little sad, and yet it will warm your heart and enrich your life. This one touched me on a very deep and personal level. I felt as if God was speaking directly to me about a question I’d been asking him for some time.

Denver’s simple wisdom and prophetic insight rocked me to my core. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever cried over a book the way I cried over this one. I actually locked myself in the bathroom because I couldn’t stop wailing and didn’t want to upset my kids.

This book is about as good as they get. It combined flawless literary quality writing, an amazing message, a true heart-warming story, and I will go as far to say a huge helping of Holy Spirit anointing to top it off just right. The book will make you rethink racism, poverty, outreach, friendship, and even healing. In the end you’ll realize like Denver and Ron that everyone out there is pretty much the same kind of different as you.

9 comments:

  1. you've made quite a good pitch for this book, Dina. I'm definitely going to keep it in mind and grab if when I get a chance. Sounds like another good gift idea.

    have a great weekend!

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  2. I just read this book last year and I loved it! Of course it was especially poignant for me in that it all happened very near where I grew up. It is an amazing story.

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  3. Hi ladies, it really is an amazing true story of redemption. As Victoria Bylin mentioned on Deb's facebook post, it would make a great book club book too.

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  4. This is such a wonderful book of love and redemption. Everyone should take the time to read it!

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  5. Thanks, Linda. Glad to hear you felt the same way.

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  6. Dina, this sounds like a really special book. I'll have to put it on my list for future reading.

    I think this "same kind of different as me" idea is part of the reason I love history so much and learning about other cultures. Though I didn't know that term for it before.

    It really is a sad thought to think that "we" are so much more advanced/cultured/civilized/etc. than "them", because in reality it's just as the book title says.

    Great, thought-provoking post, Dina.

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  7. Interesting thought about history, Suzie. People are basically people and motivated by the same hopes, fears, and desires.

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  8. Great post, Dina. I haven't yet read this, but it seems everywhere I go, Christians and non-Christians are reading it in their book clubs. I'm happy it's done so well.

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