2. What is your definition of The American Dream? Do you think this dream is still alive today? Give examples in your discussion.

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1 Same Kind of Different as Me Summer Reading Questions Type your responses to the following questions. Please remember to clearly label which chapter and question you are answering on your document. Short Essay responses should be 2-4 sentences in length. Pre-Reading Short Essay Questions (Answers must be 2-4 sentences in length) 1. Based on previous knowledge (from former students, movies, or just the cover of the book), what themes do you expect in this book? 2. What is your definition of The American Dream? Do you think this dream is still alive today? Give examples in your discussion. Chapter 1 - Short Answer (Answers must be in complete sentences) 3. Denver lacked which basic abilities when he arrived in Fort Worth? 4. With what problem did Denver help the white woman who was stranded with her vehicle on the side of the road? 5. How many boys were there in the group that nearly killed Denver? 6. From where was Denver returning when he spotted the white woman with car trouble on the side of the road? 7. What type of hardwood trees surrounded the Red River Parish plantation of Denver s youth? 8. How soon after arriving in Fort Worth did Denver meet Deborah? 9. What made Denver leave the plantation? Chapter 1 - Short Essay (Answers must be 2-4 sentences in length) 10. How did Denver s encounter with the white woman with a flat tire impact his life? 11. When Denver was changing the white woman s tire, why did he stand up to let the white boys know he is there? What would you have done? Stand or hide? 12. Explain the conflict over white women between the good ole boys and black men during the time that Denver was growing up in Louisiana. 13. Why did Denver work the cotton fields and continue to be treated like a slave thirty years after the formal end of slavery? 14. Explain why Denver s upbringing and level of education might have made it difficult for him to start a new life away from the plantation. What does this tell you, personally, about the American Dream? 15. What did Denver think of Deborah Hall the first time he met her? Do you agree with that first impression?

2 Chapter 2 - Short Answer (Answers must be in complete sentences) 16. Who did Ron dream of showing how successful he had become as he flew along in a private jet? 17. What was in the Dixie cup that Ron handed to his teacher? 18. What grade was Ron in when he faced his teacher s cruel punishment? 19. In the proposal storyline, what classic romance allusion does Ron make? What does Ron do that is also done in this French play? 20. What city project did Ron view from his seat on the private Falcon jet? 21. When Ron sold two valuable paintings in the mid-1970s, where did he and his wife go to socialize with multimillionaire clients for a month? 22. What did Ron do for a living before becoming a successful and wealthy dealer? 23. What thoughts about the homeless did Ron have as he flew in a private jet over Fort Worth and looked down on the city? 24. What valuable objects were in Ron s possession on the private jet? 25. When the Falcon jet landed, what happened to Ron? Chapter 2 - Short Essay (Answers must be 2-4 sentences in length) 26. Describe how Ron felt when he looks back on Miss Poe s punishment 26 years earlier. 27. What did Ron give Deborah after he became wealthy to make her forgive him for using her stock? What does this reveal about his view of the relationship? 28. Describe how Ron felt about urban development as he flew over the city and saw the groundwork for new buildings that would force the homeless to be relocated. 29. List the three occupations that lead Ron from being poor to being very wealthy. 30. Explain how Ron and Deborah used $10,000 in 1975 from the sale of a valuable Renoir painting. Chapters Short Answer (Answers must be in complete sentences) 31. How did Denver s father die? 32. Of what social class was Ron a member while growing up? 33. From what material thing did Big Mama sew her large dresses? 34. What family pet woke Li l Buddy one night and alerted him to danger in the house? 35. What does the Man mean? 36. Why did Li l Buddy not play much as a child? 37. Why was one of the central figures in the book called Li l Buddy while growing up? (And, who was Li l Buddy?) 38. What two family members died inside the house? 39. What did Deborah insist would repair her marriage after Ron had an affair?

3 40. What were the names of Ron s parents? Chapters Short Essay (Answers must be 2-4 sentences in length)\ 41. In what ways did Ron s grandfather, a backland farm owner, treat his black and white employees differently? 42. How did Denver come to work as a sharecropper and who was responsible for his involvement? 43. Who were Don Shisler and Pam? 44. Explain how and where Ron learned that President Kennedy had been shot. 45. At one time in each of their lives, both Ron and Denver considered themselves to be living high on the hog, or living a very comfortable life, though their circumstances were vastly different. How were their high on the hog lifestyles different? 46. Ron describes himself as married-filing-jointly. What does this description imply about his view of marriage? Chapters Short Answer (Answers must be in complete sentences) 47. How and why did Ron dress differently from his peers in college? Describe his look as it would be perceived in today s society. 48. Why did Denver fear that something bad would happen to Deborah? 49. What is the name of the facility where Ron and his wife volunteered their time? 50. What sort of place did Tim Taylor run, welcoming the needy to free events there? 51. What did the needy have to sit through in order to receive a free dinner? 52. What did Denver want most from the volunteers? 53. Who encouraged Ron and Denver to become friends? 54. What was Denver s nickname for Ron and Debbie? 55. What did Deborah witness a large black man complaining about being stolen from him? 56. What special event did Deborah start for the needy women? Chapters Short Essay (Answers must be 2-4 sentences in length) 57. Explain Deborah and Ron s different reasons for becoming volunteers at the Union Gospel Mission. 58. What dream did Deborah have that she told Ron about? 59. What did friendship mean to Denver? Explain the metaphor he uses in this scene. 60. Describe Denver s impression of the mission before he met Debbie and how it changed after they became friends.

4 61. After Ron and Denver became friends, Denver shared a fear about Deborah with Ron. What was his fear? Mid-Reading Short Essay Questions (Answers must be 2-4 sentences in length) 62. The middle of the book sets up a slight cliff-hanger. (See previous question.) What do you predict will come of Denver s prediction/fear? Then, how will that affect the overall story? 63. Describe your first impression of one of the characters. Now, has your impression about this character changed? Explain. Chapters Short Answer (Answers must be in complete sentences) 64. Why did Ron map the route to Colorado with a marking pen? 65. What favor for Denver did Ron request of a friend in Baton Rouge? 66. Denver agreed to the Colorado trip, but warned Ron of what? 67. Why did Denver want to travel to Colorado? 68. What was the turning point in the relationship between Denver, Deborah, and Ron? 69. Why did Denver drive only 5mph on the mountain road? Chapters Short Essay (Answers must be 2-4 sentences in length) 70. How did Denver learn of Deborah s illness? 71. Explain how Denver felt about Deborah s illness and why it reminded him of his past. 72. How did people at the mission band together to help Deborah after her surgery? 73. Explain how Denver went about keeping an all-night prayer vigil for Deborah and tell how Ron reacted to the news that Denver was sleeping during the following day. 74. How much money did Denver take to Colorado? Which how much did he return? Explain. 75. For the Colorado trip, Ron trusted Denver but feared he might not return. Describe the valuable items with which Denver was entrusted. 76. When Denver failed to arrive in Colorado on time, what thoughts and fears plagued Ron? Chapters Short Answer (Answers must be in complete sentences) 77. What promise did Denver make to Deborah? 78. Why did Ron leave the hospital room when he brought Denver to visit Mr. Ballantine? 79. Though Deborah had not spoken in five days, what did she suddenly cry out to Ron? 80. What was Manna to Denver? 81. Why did Mr. Ballantine treat Denver at first?

5 82. What did Deborah tell Ron to do after she died? 83. When Scott disliked the idea of bringing cigarettes to Mr. Ballantine in the hospital, how did Denver respond? Chapters Short Essay (Answers must be 2-4 sentences in length) 84. Explain why Denver s trip with Ron to the annual Cowboy Spring Gathering was a turning point in Denver s life in which he overcame a life-long fear. 85. Describe Ron s and Deborah s 31st wedding anniversary when Deborah was dying of cancer. 86. While Deborah was in the final days of her life and in terrible pain, what message from God did Denver deliver to Ron? Why did he believe this message was from God? 87. What new mission did Denver feel called to pursue as Deborah lay dying? Chapters Short Answer (Answers must be in complete sentences) 88. According to Debbie s instructions, what was the tone of the memorial service? 89. Where was Deborah buried? (Give the proper noun.) 90. Why did Ron tell Denver that he did not feel right about having a building named after Deborah? 91. After Deborah s death, what was Denver s prayer for Ron and his children? 92. Why was Denver s presence at the ceremony for Deborah a reminder to him of his past? 93. What did Bob Crow tell Ron they planned to build? Chapters Short Essay (Answers must be 2-4 sentences in length) 94. Normally soft-spoken, explain how Denver defied his usual custom of keeping to himself at the memorial service for Deborah that was attended by a thousand people. 95. Why was Denver s passionate speech about Deborah surprising? How was it not surprising? 96. Explain why Denver s name being on the Invited Guests list at The Worthington Hotel was a monumental moment for Denver. 97. What was Deborah s message to Denver when she appeared to him after her death? What was your interpretation of this visitation scene? 98. Describe two major events for Ron and Denver that took place after Deborah s death. Chapters Short Essay (Answers must be 2-4 sentences in length) 99. In the final chapters of the book, explain the relationship that had developed between Ron and Denver.

6 100.Explain why Ron was so surprised by Pearlie Mae s house when he and Denver visited it at the end of the book. 101.What made Ron and Denver leave the Hershalee house in a hurry? 102.What historical event opens chapter 66? How does this national event parallel to Denver and Ron s tasks that week? 103.At the end of the book, where did Ron go to live and why? Why did Denver come with him? 104. In the conclusion of the story, what did Denver tell Ron about being homeless? (Quote the line here.) Post-Reading Short Essay Questions (Answers must be 2-4 sentences in length) 105.Based on your answer to question #1, did you see the themes you expected? Give examples. 106.Which character do you most relate to? Why? 107.The book was written through alternating narrators. Why do you think Hall and Moore chose this? Was it effective? Why or why not?