Book Review

I'm pretty sure I'm late to the party on this, but I found a "new" book that I fell in love with this weekend. It has been on the New York Times Bestseller List for over a year, so all of you have probably already read it. Anyway, I read a book called "Same Kind of Different As Me."

It is set in Fort Worth, Texas, and is a true story about the authors, Ron Hall (an international art dealer) and Denver Moore (a modern-day slave), who are brought together by one woman. It is an amazing story and I read it in less than 24 hours because I couldn't put it down. I was so glad Saturday's soccer games were rained out so I could flop on my couch and keep my eyes glued to the pages of this book. It is fantastic, but it was even more interesting because I recognized people and places mentioned in the book. For example, a couple of the scenes take place on the patio of the Starbucks outside my neighborhood. Plus, in the last pages it actually mentions my neighbor (who lives across the street) by name. Admittedly, he was the mayor at the time the novel takes place, but still - he's my neighbor! So, beyond the fact that it is a very personal novel to me simply based on its setting, it is a novel that has touched millions of hearts.

In fact, I actually purchased it for a friend of mine who was in the hospital with a blood clot in her lungs. She had to be there for over a week, so I dropped by and brought her this book and a bag of popcorn, both of which I purchased in the hospital gift shop. She was thrilled because she had heard so many good things about it. She finished the book that weekend and when she came back to work, she brought it to me to borrow, raving about how wonderful a novel it is and how she cried through the last 50 pages. -- Ugh, not my kind of novel at all. I like to read happy stuff. I said, "Well, I don't usually like to read anything sad or serious, but I'll definitely check it out since you enjoyed it so much." I took the book and set it on the back of my desk.

Later that morning, three other people (including attorneys) came into my office and after discussing business their eyes caught on the book on my desk. They stopped mid-sentence and each one asked, "Oh my gosh! Have you read that book?!" Their excitement was palpable and I leaned back with wary eyes. "Uh, no. I'm going to read it though." And each person went on to sing praises about the book. So, that afternoon, I decided to play hookie from work. I grabbed the book, went to a wine bar (which was empty at 2:00 in the afternoon), ordered a glass of wine and a plate of cheese, and read "Same Kind of Different As Me" for about two and a half hours. When I got there, I laid my book on the table and ran to the restroom while the waitress poured my wine. When I returned she stopped me and said, "Oh, I noticed the book you're reading. It's so fantastic! It is one of my favorite books! Have you started reading it yet?" I laughed. "No, but I swear I'm going to read it today. You're the fifth person who has told me how great it is in the last few hours!" When she would check back, she would excitedly ask, "What part are you at?" I've never seen so many people excited about a novel before.

So, for those of you who haven't read it yet (if there is anyone left), I highly recommend "Same Kind of Different As Me." Just click on the name of the novel to find out more about it.