The Journey Begins

Same kind of different As me. is a piece of non-fiction based on the lives of two very different men, who cross paths because “a gutsy woman with a stubborn dream” brought them together. This simplistic overview of the book is my assumption based on the back cover of the book, but after reading the first couple of pages, it is clear that this really is going to be an emotional story of the power of faith and love in everlasting relationships.

The book begins with a simple Negro Spiritual that compares the afterlives of two men.

Well- a poor Lazarus poor as I

When he died he had a home on high...

The rich man died and lived so well

When he died he had a home in hell...

You better get a home in that Rock, don't you see?

 One man is a poor man on Earth, but when he dies, he lives in heaven with God; the other man, a rich man on Earth, is sent to hell for his sinful ways, where he pays for his past lifestyle. I think it’s safe to say that this quote is meaningful to the theme of this book. The subtitle of this book states, “a modern- day slave, an international art dealer, and the unlikely woman who bound them together.” I just assumed that the modern- day slave and the international art dealer were the two people the Negro Spiritual were referring to.

 The first chapter is narrated by one of the authors, Denver Moore. The first character that Denver introduces to the audience is Miss Debbie. She is not thoroughly explained until later in the book, but already after the first chapter, Miss Debbie is an important character. He goes on to reveal a very personal encounter with the white man.

I am interested to see how the authors of this book decided how to tell their intimate story. The first couple of chapters are short, which makes it easy to stay interested. The diction Denver uses and even the diction Ron uses is simple and comprehensible, making it easy for me to understand the overlapping stories told every chapter.