Same Kind of Different as Me
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Jennifer
(last edited Aug 25, 2016 11:53AM)
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rated it 5 stars
Aug 07, 2007 09:40PM
LOVED this book. Makes you want to befriend homeless people and find out what their true story is. Truly a life changing book!
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...i heard a lot of hype from my friends about this book, but it's taking me a while to get really into it, i've just been reading it the last couple days and i still don't see the whole picture, maybe i'm not supposed to. it's a little scattered....hmmm. of course, i'm sticking.
Any suggestions on graphic novels that feature Black characters and people of color?
i've been meaning to check out AYA (see my to-read/s) for a minute now...
I was looking at the new minx series on DC comics which focuses on girls as main characters. GOOD AS LILY and RE-GIFTERS focuses on Asian girls as the main characters. I've read the first of the two PERSEPOLIS books, and she's Middle Eastern. The closest I've seen to Black characters in graphic novel form is Keith Knight's work which is also comic strip work. See http://www.kchronicles.com and that Aaron McGruder book BIRTH OF A NATION: A COMIC NOVEL. Will check out AYA though. I hope that other folks will add titles and authors so we can start building a list. So, please feel free to contribute! Thanks, Vanessa.
Keep going. Even though this guy takes some serious liberties, with you're patience, it's worth the payoff.
Definitely worth it! Keep going and let it suck you in slowly. I didn't like the intro and had to kind of stick with it, but it gets really good. I couldn't put it down.
It is a bit overwhelming at first, especially because of the size, but if you like this sort of thing you'll be up reading all night. I am constantly looking for a book I enjoyed as much as this one....any suggestions?
Hi Erin, Do you read David Mitchell? Cloud Atlas and Ghostwritten are my two favorites. He is more showy than Danielewsky, but very enjoyable and thought-provoking.
Thanks Rosa! Just added both to my Amazon wish list.
You may want to take a look at The Life of M.F. Grimm...real cool:Underground hip-hop icon Percy Carey, a.k.a. M.F. Grimm, tells the true story of his life in the game, from dizzying heights to heartbreaking losses, in this raw, brutally honest graphic novel memoir.
I heard about this!!!! Thanks for letting me know it's out.
Tara, you are truly welcome!
I don't know if you can be "more showy" than Danielewsky! I love David Mitchell's work, and if you're having trouble with Danielewsky I'd recommend Mitchell first. At least his narratives are more or less linear.
You're right; it's very scattered. I felt the same way when i began though everyone I know was very enthusiastic about the work. Perhaps I didn't enjoy it because I payed a LOT of attention to all of the little details in footnotes. As the book progressed I found it to be riddled with contradiction, which was frustrating to say the very least. If this was supposed to be someone's life work and everyone who read it was so consumed by it, why would it fall victim to lazy editing?
SPOILER:Well, there's a fairly plausible theory that the final layer of authorship of HoL was Johnny Truant's mother, compiling the entire thing in the Whalestoe Institute between letters to her son, which could make some of inconsistencies and errors meaningful and intentional. But I haven't read it in a couple years. Which errors were you referring to, Melissa?
I felt like there wasn't quite the payoff I'd hoped for. I enjoyed the journey, but the destination just wasn't quite worth it.There are, however, some truly scary moments in this book.
(I guess this should also be marked as a spoiler) That's interesting, Nate. I've also seen somewhere (probably here) a theory that Johnny Truant is merely a character created by Zampano.
My own theory of the storylines is admittedly haphazard, due to my lack of knowledge about so many of the things referenced in the book, but it goes something like this:
So many of Zampano's references and footnotes in the story are of course erroneous, or just plain false, because he was merely inventing them to give some credence to the "myth" he was creating; the myth of "The House" films/Navidson Record - using the whole of his own vast accumulated knowledge and experience to weave the story (his personal legacy) he could leave for someone to discover. His need to leave a legacy (in the form of the House "myth") becomes his obsession.
What exactly he was trying to explain in this "myth" is kind of complicated, but in the hands and head of Johnny it represents some sort of truth that he has to face about the world, the inescapable past and the uncertainties (or dismal certainties) of the future (both for himself and mankind as a whole).
Still more spoilers:I've been revisiting the book a bit since I made that last post. At the moment, I'm leaning towards authorship being irrevocably ambiguous, but it not mattering so much since the three candidates are all interconnected and telling basically the same story. It's the one summarized by Zampano's poem on pg.563 that contains the title (one of three or four parallel meanings) and begins: "Little solace comes
to those who grieve." Especially if we're looking for Zampano's intentions for the story: he alludes to an estranged son a few times, and the core myth seems to be about Navidson almost letting his household sink into the infinite abyss of his regret and self-doubt over Delial.
Or that's one of the themes/interpretations, at least.
Yes, I think that poem illustrates perfectly one theme that Zampano was trying to encapsulate - that sense that nothing in this world is permanent. Conversely, another theme I see in his story of Navidson (also paralleled by Johnny's tale) is the sense that we are all still prisoners of a history we can't escape no matter how far we flee. Whether it's a result of our own choices(as in Navidon's momentous encounter with Delial) or not (the experiences of Jamestown, Williamsburg, even reaching back to the creation of the earth itself as illustrated by the meteorite/mineral information); that feeling of the inevitable - made even more apparent by Johnny's biological history (the threat of inheriting the schizophrenic condition that infected his mother).
Personally, I believe that geographical location plays an important part in the stories, with California (west, home to both Zampano and Johnny) physically representing that sense of impermanence; and the location of "the house" in Virginia (as well as Johnny's quest back east) representing a history that threatens to devour.
You're all making need to re-read this. I remember really liking it but I've forgotten a lot of the story.
If you want to find some really intersting things about this book, check out the wikipedia page. My favorite is the part about codes.
I wouldn't attribute the contradictions to "lazy editing." As have been mentioned several times already, there are several different theories to the true authorship of the story. (A funny thing, comparing modern day fiction's problems to the likes of Shakespeare's problems - although MZD, I guess, is certainly a person.) I would say that, similar to the "the water heater's on the fritz" and it's following pages of footnotes, the contradictions come in Johnny's own attention to detail. His refusal to go back and edit the earlier ones makes sense as - much like the movie Memento - some of the point is for us to learn what he learns as he learns it. therefore, if there aren't contradictions, we can't see his frustration and the work becomes considerably less interesting.
Only my opinions, though.
I just finsihed this book...I will admit to some skipping - some parts of the book were just too tedious....I would say I "liked" it although I don't know that's the right word...it's probably the weirdest and most puzzling book I have ever read.....
I've just started and I'm about 80 pages in (although I have read all of the Whalestoe Letters in the appendix)and I'm really having to force myself. I found the letters the most interesting part so far. That and the strange short films on Youtube. Maybe the subject matter is getting to me because I find I'm getting a little claustrophobic reading Johnny's footnotes...weird. I just hope I can stick to it!
best book ever. Met the authors, and they are truly amazing people! This book will make you learn to not judge people by appearance and the things you assume you know about them. Hall and Moore's relationship is amazing, this is a story you will never forget!
I loved this book! Seeing and reading Denver's words as they were, and not altered/edited, topped the cake for me. I could feel/hear him speak as he was right there. The two, well three, of them meeting up and changing each others lives and they way the did it was awesome. Learning how to accept the other as a "normal" person and see how life can be, just kept me in there. The emotions suprised me, I usually don't get emotional while reading. Movies maybe, but not a book.
This is a great book. A timeless tale about a friend ship and inspiration.
Tara wrote: "Any suggestions on graphic novels that feature Black characters and people of color? "The Kitchen Help is very good! Also Little Bee offers a look at life outside the USA for people of color. Of course Fireflies in December is a classic for a reason...great read!
I loved this book! It was not as complex as some stories, but it told a true and beautiful story. It provided insight as to how some people can become homeless at no fault of their own. I loved the seeing how relationships can change a person's life. Love was key!
Ronda wrote: "I loved this book! It was not as complex as some stories, but it told a true and beautiful story. It provided insight as to how some people can become homeless at no fault of their own. I loved the..."I tottally agree, Rhona.
I didn't know what to expect when I started this book as it was suggested by a fellow employee. In a word "marvelous".
Rick wrote: "I didn't know what to expect when I started this book as it was suggested by a fellow employee. In a word "marvelous"."YES SIRREE!
Tara wrote: "Any suggestions on graphic novels that feature Black characters and people of color? "Read the Louisiana Sharecroppers Memories of a Sharecropper's Daughter by Morena Johnson Caleb morenajcaleb.wordpress.com
