The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

At many points, this was a difficult book to read. I kept wishing for the other WES to make different decisions. It was like watching a disaster happening in slow motion. Heartbreakingly sad. Definitely makes the reader think. There but for the grace of God, go I. So glad I read this book.

I gave this as gifts to friends living in Maryland, and then read it again myself. The reflection and insight shown by the author is moving. He emphasizes his own luck, and the combination of luck and decisions by the adults who affected him, to help explain why two demographically-similar people can have such extremely different lives. A real eye-opener, especially for anyone who believes a person’s own choices are the reason they end up impoverished, or addicted, or incarcerated, or all three. Thank you, Gov. Moore, for doing the research and connecting to the people you needed to, and then taking the time to write this book.

Very well written and an engaging book. Loved it. It gave two very interesting perspectives of two you men trying to find their way

In this story we read about the diverging lives of two black men who happen to have the same name. An interesting premise, albeit unrelatable to the average reader. I’ll try to keep this review short, as to avoid inadvertently revealing spoilers. Firstly, going into this book, I advise you to keep a good eye at the time stamps, and allow yourself to gage the periods of time at which events take place. The pacing, at first read, struck me as odd, but after re-reading it is clear as to why it was intended. Also, when reading be sure to carefully identify the ‘chapter’ titles and try to find the connection between it and the chapter itself. With this being a two-perspective story, the author does a great job at summarizing whilst simultaneously connecting the two perspectives of the chapter in one word or more. Identifying the connection and meaning behind the chapter titles will undoubtedly enrich the reading experience. Lastly, when beginning this book, I advise you to approach it with an open mind. Many of my expectations for this book were evaded—quickly. Whether this uncertainty factor brings intrigue or boredom, that is entirely up to the reader. However, to avoid all that entirely, just go in with an open mind, free of expectation or standards. It’s a unique story that professes in unorthodox ways. That is why I gave The Other Wes Moore a 5/5 on the star rating scale. Even after the epilogue, I found myself researching more details about the two stories, intrigued as to what more there is to the story. Also a side note - many of the other reviews you will see regarding this book are entire true. The author does become a little attached to his story. Regardless of this bias, he still (seemingly) keeps the integrity of the story of the Other Wes Moore, not drowning in shame or glorifying it in any way.

This book compares the life of two boys who have similar backgrounds having two different fates, one successful one go to jail. Just like a lot of stories we heard from communities struggling in poverty, especially the Black community. Lack of money for better education, lack of love for good mental health, lack of good role model for supervision and life advice, lack of vision to the future, lack of social support, lack of awareness and wise in advance, and lastly lack of ACTION to CHANGE. Related to this topic of poverty and race. In my opinion, what the Black community really needs is not higher education (college +) but GOOD AND AFFORDABLE K-12. Dont get me wrong, I am not saying that college doesnt matter but there are some deep reasons for the extremely low enrollment of black students in colleges. I graduated from Oakland High School and went to community college, this isnt the first time I saw people, especially poor kids, struggling in classes because of their family conditions. This academic struggle isnt just about race or ethnicity but about MONEY and CAPITALISM. Latino/Latinas, black, Southeast Asian, eastern Asians (often older immigrants who dont speak English and can only do the entry-level jobs with little payment, same for other immigrants), and even poor white (mostly in rural places, where traditional jobs are getting substitute by machines or big companies move to other cities) all of them struggle because the way our education system is functioning. School fund is related to student test performance and average tax income so this is why poor neighborhoods always have a lower quality of education. The classes are overcrowded, lack of educational materials, lack of teachers, lack of funding for other supportive programs, lack of quality school lunch, etc. All of these somehow contribute to ones academic failure but it is the student THEMSELVES and their FAMILY conditions that affected their future the most. I cant say all teachers are good but at least from my high school, most teachers care about their students and they help their students whenever possible. They wouldnt treat you badly just because your grades are low (they will just ask you to not distract the class). I know it is hard to focus on academics when you struggle for a lot of things but do you truly struggle? I know that some people, not to be offensive but often black, use the average poor living condition of the black community as EXCUSES for EVerything, especially for not putting in effort for school and job (skip job/ class, turn in stuff late, steal stuff, etc), sometimes even racial discrimination to other races (usually Asians get attacked the most, sometimes beating to death). What I feel deeply sad about is that some people refuse to change for the better and even stops others to get a better future. Yep, I get it, human transfer their own frustration, anger, and jealousy to others. They only feel better when they see others are doing worse than they do. You can tell this happens when a kid is hiding his good test scores and always staying up late to do HW because he doesnt want his friends to know that he put in the effort and care about grades since they might bully him for not being the cool kid but a nerd. If you have the internet access to use social media, time, and energy to chat with friends for days long, and not worrying about eating and housing, then focus on academics and work. Yes, education cant get you rich but it can help you get a better job, smarter and higher and larger vision, and a better future for not just you but future generations. In America, you dont really have other options to get a better life besides taking higher education. But getting in college itself isnt enough, doing well in college and learn the skills you needed is the most essential, and this isnt going to happen in a day for someone who skipped all classes, get extreme low grades, and barely graduated from high school (you can still do well in college but more effort and time). Change isnt going to happen in a moment, thats why I think that k-12 is what the black community needs to focus on more. Higher education is expensive but lots of time worth it (not just universities, community colleges too) since you dont have a rich daddy to support you to open a business, great talent (only a few people, cant apply to the entire population) for the long-lasting field, or professional financial knowledge and judgments for the stock market. These are quicker ways to earn money but only a few people will succeed and most will have debts or other losses. So getting a better job is the most appropriate way for people to get out of poverty and eventually change their lives. I know that there a lot of problems in the Black and Latino community but dont forget there are lots of resources, scholarships, people that can support black students specified, only if you start to look for them and USE them. Asians usually have the least social support because most American media portrait Asians to be the minority role model (helps transfer systemic hatred from white to Asians) and ignore the fact that Asians is a very diverse community and some of them are struggling - especially the southeast Asians who struggle in poverty. I know that some Americans have the myth that Talent is only Inborn, which is WRONG. Do you think Asians are born smart? sorry, not, they work their ass off every day after school, get a beating or yelling by their parents when they dont do their hw, get lower grades, or skip classes. Because Asians have a traditional value of honor knowledge and they know this is nearly the only way for them to climb from the bottom to top in this capitalist society. Dont say someone is a natural talent when you dont see the pain, effort, and things they have done to get those accomplishments. You will become the person that others expect you to be and you internalized these ideas until you realized that. This is why you need to slap and break those black stereotypes by doing the opposite thing, be good at academics, be good at work, and just be a good role model for your community. You cant change peoples bias and discrimination all at once but once your entire community improves overall, the wise, open-minded, and kind people will see you and welcome you. There are a lot of racists but there are even more kinder people in the world, the world isnt just about Americans. This is why I encourage people to always try their best, regardless of your background. It is not always about the ended results, but the consistency, learning, patience, and abilities that you developed during that working process. There should be more support programs for poverty communities such as mental health programs, healthy communication classes, healthy relationships classes, sexual exploitation, over drug and sex education because all of these can relieve the common problems that caused poverty. Just like the Black female professor who settled this book as the class reading. I wish yall have think about these things and wish you all a good future. Sorry for the long review, I just couldnt stop to write about this. I didnt get all these knowledge and understand from this book but it was a good overview of the struggling black peoples life and this inspire me to write about this review.

The chilling truth is that Wess story could have been mine; the tragedy is that my story could have been his. This oft repeated quote from The Other Wes Moore written by Wes Moore sums up the message of his book better than I can. Since its publication I have read numerous articles about The Other Wes Moore, intrigued instantly about this book. Wes Moore, the author, is an accomplished athlete, a Rhodes scholar, a military officer. He grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, in a single parent family after his fathers untimely death from a treatable illness. As a troubled youth, his mothers worry escalated to the point that she borrowed money and sent Wes to a prestigious school - away from the influences of their neighborhood. However, Wes found it impossible to fit in and caused trouble there, too. While some might think her next step to be extreme, Joy was so concerned about her son, she sent him away to military school. At first Wes resisted the people in this new environment, wanting nothing more than to return home, but after time passed, Wes was able to see the respect that the men there earned - not from fighting or physical intimidation, but from the way they carried themselves. He was impressed. Wess mothers intervention probably saved his life. Another young man by the name of Wes Moore was growing up in Baltimore at the same time as the author. The two didnt know each other, but lived oddly comparable lives. Wes was raised by a single mother and had very little contact with his father. He, too, began to cause his mother problems at a young age, and she, like Wess mother tried to intervene. However, her intervention was not to send her son away to school (and that is not necessarily why Wess life didnt turn out like the authors), and Wes continued to slip into criminal activities, often under the influence of his older stepbrother, Tony. Wes Moore finds himself in prison, serving a life sentence for the attempted murder of a young police officer who died while trying to stop a burglary, leaving behind his wife and five young children. Tony, Wess brother was the trigger man in this murder. In adulthood, author Moore becomes aware of Wes Moore and the fact that another young Baltimore man with the same name is wanted for a crime. Eventually, he decides to contact him and the two develop a friendship of sorts, composed of meetings in prison. While the two share a name and background, their paths diverge dramatically after childhood. What caused one man to turn to a life of crime? Why did one man choose to pursue education and a military career? Luck? Chance? Moore does not provide any answers, and there is no way anyone can decide why certain things happen in life. However, as Moore states in his book (and I have restated above): The chilling truth is that Wess story could have been mine; the tragedy is that my story could have been his. This book is hard to put down. While I knew from the outset that Moore would be arrested and in prison for life, it is still tragic to see his life unfold, knowing that he will make decision that will be disastrous to him later on. Author Moore is also very quick to share that the true victim in this book is not Wes Moore, but rather, Officer Prothero who was killed at the age of thirty five, leaving his children to grow up without a father. This book reads much like a story, but it provides a lot to think about as well, as we look at urban neighborhoods that are impoverished and lack male role models. And finally, this book ends with a call to action by Tavis Smiley: Fundamentally, this story is about two boys, each of whom was going through his own personal journey and searching for help. One of them received it; the other didnt. And now the world stands witness to the results. Small interactions and effortless acts of kindness can mean the difference between failure and success, pain and pleasure- or becoming the people we loathe or love to become. We are more powerful than we realize, and I urge you to internalize the meaning of this remarkable story and unleash your own power.

Although Mr. Moores two stories reveal nothing new in our general knowledge of the heartbreaking results of poverty, they still lucidly bring us into the disparity of opportunities in the black community. Yes, I do believe that each person is responsible for his own actions and it is possible to pull oneself up with determination. However, there has to be some encouragement somewhere along the line. There also has to be something to spark that determination. Mr. Moores family was educated and intelligent. His mother was determined that he not go down that bleak road, and went to extreme measures to ensure that. For the other Wes Moore, there was nothing, no father, an addict mother who loved her sons, but had no idea HOW to love them, and mentorship that took him to the wrong places. If there is not family, there is sometimes a teacher or minister as a mentor or an inspiration. The other Wes had neither of these. He had only the glittering motivation of money made from drug dealing. With absolutely nothing else satisfying in his life, he could not see any other way to go. Blame him, if you will, but I really cant. His life is contrasted to Mr. Moores not by poverty: both were impoverished. Not by neighborhood: both lived in tough neighborhoods. Not by street influece. I will go so far as to say not entirely by education: many young impoverished children have grown up to be healthy hard-working adults without advanced education. But yes, education to a certain point. The other Wes could not find a reason to continue in school. Blame him for that or not; his circumstances overcame any light he might find in the educational system. They were contrasted by the support of family. I will also say that family is not always able to make a difference. Family must work very hard and actively to keep children away from the dangers of the street. The other Wess mother had no desire or even knowledge of how to do that. Mr. Moores family did, from the beginning. Wes Moores writing style is not an inspired literary work. Dont expect that. But he tells his story with straightforward honesty and sincerity of feeling. He is sympathetic for the other Wes Moore without excusing him, using pathos, or becoming maudlin. I feel that his style and tone are objective and clear. This directness in his writing makes the stories of the two men stand on their own merit, thus making them stronger. I do not see judgment of the other Wes Moore in this story, nor do I see anything self-congratulatory in Mr. Moores own story. It is a valuable book that brings the depressing reality of hopelessness or near hopelessness of a life in poverty. I would like to see this book on all school library shelves, in classrooms, and encouraged reading by teachers who care at all about their kids. One spark, one little spark can make the difference. I know.

About five weeks ago, I attended a Building Leaders conference in Richmond, where I was able to hear Wes Moore speak about his book and the major lessons he has learned in his lifetime. Wes was one of the most charismatic and intriguing speakers I have ever seen, so it was not surprising that I was simply unable to put his book down. Throughout the entire book, I was consistently engaged in his thought-provoking anecdotes and moving stories of the crime and violence prevalent in inner-city neighborhoods. Most importantly, though, he caused me to step back and re-evaluate the way I view the privileges I have and opportunities I am presented with every day. The way that The Other Wes Moore is set up is for the purpose of slowly building up to the final and crucial points he wishes to make, which I will mention later on. He opens up in his introduction discussing the basis for his book: how he came from a poor, rough background living on the streets of Baltimore and the Bronx, but with the support of his mother and others advocating for a brighter future for him, he eventually graduated from Valley Forge military academy, John Hopkins University and graduate school at Oxford University with the prestigious acknowledgement as a Rhodes Scholar and became a second lieutenant in the Army in Afghanistan. In contrast, there was another Wes Moore who similarly grew up not far from where he used to live in Baltimore and lived a troubled teenage life, but ended up getting in deeper trouble and serving a life sentence in prison for robbery and first-degree murder charges. The rest of the book was spent switching back and forth between both Weses, telling stories about their childhoods and the major determining events that led up to their fates--one as a prisoner, and one as a successful journalist, father, and social figure. He ended the book with discussing how to pinpoint where both Weses split in their fork in the road and managed to end up in completely different places--this part is what troubled me the most--and closed with a Call to Action section, with lists of organizations and ways to help better the future of our countrys youth. Moores conclusion on what exactly split both Weses fates was not what the reader wants to hear, and he probably realizes that. He gave a similar answer at both the conference and in his book: that he just doesnt know. At that point, I had to pause and set down my Kindle out of utter shock. How is it that we cant figure out a single driving force that leads to success or failure? And how can we sit back and allow this world of drug, crime, and violence to continue without knowing how to guide it in the right direction? Now, I will give the author this: he breaks down the complex system of the drug activity in cities for us from the runners, hitters, and suppliers, to the game of hiding from parents and jakes (police), to the big money and high-profile, violent deals. It becomes obvious how easy it is to get sucked into, and seemingly impossible to get out of. But the author did, so why couldnt the other Wes Moore? Now I wont ruin the book, because it is so worth reading that you need to experience the deep stories and important narratives from reading it first-hand. However, I need to make sure that you realize the true point to his book before delving into it, which I have noticed many other reviews have confused. It is not to tell us exactly how to move the youth towards success, point out the single deciding moment in which both mens paths diverged, or for the author to indulge on his success and scorn the other Wes Moores decisions/ultimate failure. Instead, Wes Moore longs to make readers thankful for our privileges as Americans, learn to seize onto every opportunity we are presented with and not let one pass by because it could be the biggest improvement of our future, and to highlight ways that we can control ours and others fates as self-motivators and mentors. Wes talks again and again about mentors, family, and friends he had in life that helped guided him in the right direction. He also notes the way he regained control over his future, instead of letting his low expectations or his environment determine it. As a reader, all you have to do is remember these important themes Wes includes in this book so that you enter with an open mindset and a heart ready to accept a powerful message.

Two Wes Moores from the same neighborhood in Baltimore went two different directions in life. One’s dream died while the other Wes Moore has now become the governor of Maryland! Their tales show how strong families, goals, and the guidance of mentors make all the difference in young men’s lives.

I had heard about this book for years and once I realized that it was written by the newly elected Maryland governor, I figured it was the perfect time to dive in. The book is a beautiful story of how to varying factors impact the trajectory of our lives. So many people tend to think that we could never been on the end of the not so favorable path but there are systemic forces that can just as easily impact our fate. I appreciated this book, the narrative, the honesty, and as a Marylander am looking forward to Governor Moores work!