Book Review of the Unique and Emotional Novel, Same Kind of Different as Me

Human beings are one of the most sentient and intelligent beings of the known universe. Each person is known to present a zeal of individuality, each specialising in a unique set of traits while learning from them creating new ideas. Moreover, Veronica Roth written a novel called Divergent. The novel takes place in a world composed of a literal definition of identity where each person is divided into “factions”, defining how they think and behave. All things considered, the story identifies many components of self-identity and symbolises it into a new take to how the human perceives individuality. The story is followed by many characters, Four, a young man empowered by an ugly past, and Tris, a teen with a gift she is forced to partake. In

Toni Morrison’s Beloved tells the story of ex slaves struggling to define themselves in their now free life. However, their traumatic experiences with slavery have left the characters cracked; they have been damaged to the point where they are only fragments of a true free person. The corruptive nature of slavery shines through these cracks in the characters, highlighting the fact that their experiences with slavery continue to fragment their personalities despite being free. This begs the question: can ex slaves truly be as “free” as a person who was never a slave? As shown by the ex slaves’ struggle to define themselves, Morrison argues that, compared to a free man, the ex slaves can never be truly free.

There were a lot of touching stories throughout the book titled Evicted written by Matthew Desmond, one story that really stuck out to me was the story of a man named Lamar. Lamar lived in a housing unit owned by Sherrena. Lamar is hard working man, who lives his life in a wheelchair, and recovering addict. Lamar’s story seemed to have a lot of similar characteristics to what I might expect for someone to have a hard life.

“This is a story of two boys living in Baltimore with similar histories and an identical name: Wes Moore. One of us is free… The other will spend every day until his death behind bars...” (Moore, XI) In The Other Wes Moore, the author, Wes Moore, and the other Wes Moore both grew up in similar, yet different, circumstances and had completely different outcomes. This captivating narrative demonstrates how the choices you make, make you. In the introduction, the author Wes Moore validates this statement by saying, “The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his.” (Moore XI) The author, Wes Moore, shows the readers that a person’s environment, circumstances, education (or lack

Vance never realized he was “different” until he moved to New Haven, Connecticut and attended Yale. Stating, “I am a tall, white, straight male. I have never felt out of place in my entire life. But I did at Yale” (chapter 12). He expressed he was never told or taught what to wear to a Job interview and didn’t know what was considered appropriate or not. At a dinner party when asked if he wanted tap or sparkling water, he didn’t know the difference and insistently spit the sparkling water back into the cup. He called his girlfriend to ask about the placement of the silverware and why there was so many. For many of us, we were not born into this lifestyle either but Yale opened that door for him.

One of the most well-renowned authors, Wes Moore, took his life struggles of growing up in an extremely unprivileged neighborhood --where the chances of living a successful life are very scarce--However, In Moore’s inspirational memoir called The Other Wes Moore, he compared his life to another man who lived through the same unfortunate circumstances, but Moore defied the odds and became an influential figure in the African - American community.

Life is an interesting journey full of many paths with twist and turns and unknown fates. People can create a path all your own or follow in someone else, but fate will lead the way, take control and direct them to where they should be. In the book ‘The Other Wes Moore.’ two men leading separate lives almost met the same fate. They grew blocks away from each other with similar circumstances, one Wes Moore went on to be a Rhode Scholar while the other Wes Moore met his fate which lead him to a jail cell. Throughout the book Wes Moore constructs a strong depiction of what of it was like during that time. He also discusses how choices, identity and location can sometimes play a role in the path taken.

Even as a full-grown adult, the author of The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls, still stands out as being different. Jeannette grew up in abnormal circumstances that some might consider neglectful or abusive. From her point of view, her upbringing was just her normal. Today, Walls is a successful author and public speaker. With her wacky stories, hearty life, and positive outlook, she is a likable character that has been formed and molded by her life experiences. Something that Jeannette and her family has dealt with throughout their life is appearing different than others around them. Being different, from looks to character, was a theme that proliferated Jeannette Walls’ book, The Glass Castle, just as being different

This VS. That Same name. Same neighborhood. Opposite endings. In The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore, two people with the same name, and same neighborhood, who grew up at the same time lived two completely different lives.

Denver Moore was a man who lived in poverty throughout his childhood and for some of his adult life. He was a share-cropper who thought that his only purpose in life was to be a slave to men. But that soon changed because Denver realized he was a modern day slave who had a bigger calling in life than just picking cotton in the brutal summer. So he hopped on a train car, and eventually made his way to Texas to make a better life for himself. Ron Hall was a Texas native who was a wealthy international art dealer who was accustomed to Armani and Chanel. On the other hand, his wife Deborah, had a different calling in life other than spending money on expensive things. Deborah had a calling to volunteer at the Union Gospel Mission to help all the

“We have to stop the cycle of violence affecting so many of our communities. We have to love each other,” once said by Darryl Glenn. Mrs.Fisher expressed an impact on Paul making him feel sorrowful in his own situations. Mr.Fisher causes Paul’s negative self-concept, and Erik Fisher ruins, and destroys Paul’s relationships with his peers. Mrs.Fisher is an unfavorable character in this book.

Darl is “different than [the] others,” as is Frank (Faulkner 21). Because of Darl’s differences and his unique personality, “folks say [he] is queer [and] lazy” and he is generally looked down upon by others (Faulkner 24). However, people simply misunderstand him and his individuality. Frank, because of his sexuality and his attempted suicide, is also different than those around him. He is misunderstood and judged by others, even by some within his own family. Both become outsiders in their respective families, in part because they distance themselves, and also because they are simply different than the others in their family. They are both smarter than the people in their families, although the ways in which they are smarter differ. Darl is smarter in that he is able to infer things that most do not notice. He somehow knows that Dewey Dell is pregnant even though she has kept it a well protected secret, and he refers to the fact that Jewel is not their father’s son despite their mother never disclosing that fact to anyone. Frank on the other hand, is an intellectual. He is more intelligent than his family simply because he knows more and has learned more. While Darl is an excellent archetype for Frank’s character, there is a major difference between the two. Darl ends up being rejected from the family and is sent to “a cage in Jackson where his grimed hands [lie] light in the quiet interstices” (Faulkner 254). Frank

We are first introduced to him when he is telling what his most embarrassing moment in elementary school. Ron was born in Fort Worth Texas and has been almost everywhere since. His Art selling business keeps him and his wife Debbie, and their 2 children comfortable in a wealthy lifestyle. Ron Hall is a good man who has a love for art and God. During his years at TCU, he met his beautiful and one of a kind wife Deborah. According to Denver, Miss Debbie “was the skinniest, noisiest, pushiest women he has ever met black or white.” Ron and Deborah lived a happy life with God proudly in the picture. They spent a lot of their time at a shelter where homeless people came to eat and sleep. At the shelter is where Debbie, Ron, and Denver's life changed for the

Discovering our own identity does not come from being in isolation, but when we experience new things and meet new people. Our identity is bound up with our surroundings. Bethia, in Caleb’s Crossing, longed to discover her identity and make sense of the life she lived. She engages in new experiences and is brought out of her comfort zone by a local Indian boy, Caleb. She steps out of the isolation of her small village and ventures into what she hopes will help her to understand herself. Saidiya Hartman, in Lose Your Mother, though similar to Bethia in the way that she is trying to figure out who she is, but different in the way that she wants to discover that through slavery and her ties to slavery. Hartman travels great distances trying to

The book Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin is a moving true story of how a white man manages to experience what it is like to be a “Negro” or black person in the 1950s. The author did this social experiment by taking medication and dying his skin a deep brown. He wanted to really experience the challenges and changes a black man in this time would go through. By traveling through the far south, Griffin got a taste of what real life was for a Negro.