Plunging readers into disturbing and contemporary terrain of the human heart, the author (a daughter of Jewish refugees) interviews individuals from Lincoln University-the first degree-granting historically Black university-where she grew up before passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. From a prominent Black civil-rights leader to the White son of an alleged KKK member, her interviews form an original history that illuminates our strengths and our universal difficulty with diversity. We have become so guarded and careful-so concerned about saying the wrong thing-that we do not interact or communicate genuinely with each other. Fear and dishonesty, politically disguised as kindness and sensitivity, abort the possibility of real change. But the down-to-earth community portrait that emerges in Different, and the author's realistic and refreshing perspective on the human beings we are, create a breathing space and a way to move forward. Ever wonder why we have always had a troubled relationship with the fact that we're different-the very fabric of human existence? Here's why, and here's hope.