Same Kind of Different as Me Themes

Same Kind of Different as Me tells the true story of relationship between a white, wealthy art dealer named Ron, and Denver, a black man who suffers homelessness, poverty, racism, and even modern-day slavery. Although Ron, like many readers of the novel, assumes that slavery disappeared from America after the Civil War, Denver’s story reveals that the practice is alive and well in American society, albeit in different forms. Contrary to the common…

Denver lives on the streets for many years and bears witness to the powerful effect such an environment has on people. As he attests, homeless people in America are often swept aside or ignored in the common assumption that they have somehow brought their suffering on themselves and should thus be left to it. Contrary to the oft-held belief that people become homeless because they are lazy, drug addicts, or unintelligent, Denver’s own story suggests…

Christianity plays a central role in the memoir and has a transformational impact on the lives of Denver, Ron, and Ron’s wife, Deborah. For each of them, as they engage more deeply with Christianity and with God, they are compelled to look beyond themselves and strive to love others. Just as significant, when tragedy strikes, their faith becomes a potent source of hope and a vessel through which to find meaning in…

Although Ron and Deborah are compelled to love and serve the downcast by their Christian faith, Ron discovers that his own ego often interferes and taints that noble desire. Through Ron’s journey of learning to relinquish his own self-superiority and view the homeless people he serves as friends and equals—rather than as lesser individuals whom he is graciously helping—the memoir argues that to truly serve someone and have the greatest impact, one must learn to…