The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
The book, The Other Wes Moore, by Wes Moore was a very interesting read. The novel is about two men both with the same name Wes Moore. They also grew up in the same neighborhood of Baltimore with the same family type. The question is how did the both end up with completely different lifestyles? Even though they both grew up with a rough life, one ends up in prison for life, and the other one is a Rhodes Scholar. The two Moore’s had very similar lives as a kid and a teenager. When they were both young they didn’t have dads, only there moms were there to provide for them (15). Also, they both lived only a few blocks away from each other in an urban area in Baltimore. Wes, the one who ended up in prison, had a brother who had started selling drugs and becoming a well-known gang affiliate at just the age of ten. Both Wes’s grew up with gangs and drugs always around or in the picture whether it was in school or just in the neighborhood, but only one of them was influenced. The Wes who became the Rhodes Scholar interviews the other Wes, for the novel, while he is in prison for life off of an armed robbery. I thought this novel was very interesting and it makes you ponder about how fate can be very different. Even though both boys were raised basically with the same households it’s odd to see them grow up to be entirely different people. This is one of the better non-fiction novels I have read. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys books that keep you wanting to read. People who enjoy a good story with a lot of suspense and mystery should also have this book in mind. This is some pure Oprah's Book Club bullshit.Ironically, drawing any kind of worthwhile conclusion from the fact that two guys both named Wes Moore could have such vastly different lives despite being born into somewhat similar circumstances seems to be beyond the author's pay scale intellectually, despite the fact that he was a Rhodes Scholar.This guy's not that smart. It makes you wonder why and how he was chosen and what role that played in the creation of this book and the success it achieved. I'm a more conspiratorial person as a result of having read this book.Beyond all that, the other Wes Moore seems like a piece of shit in ways the author may not have realized when he set out to write this book. You're actually kinda glad he's off the street, where he can't pop a cap in someone's ass. The connection between this guy and the author was rather tenuous to begin with.The author might have waited until he actually accomplished something in life other than being selected by the Illuminati and then written a book about himself.
What do You think about The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates (2010)?
This was an amazing autobiography that gave me an idea of what life can be like for some people.
—Sharon
Its a good book if you are into these kind of stories (im not) it was a bit to boring for me.
—nunu
