The Other Wes Moore - Wes Moore

The Other Wes Moore

By Wes Moore

  • Release Date: 2010-04-27
  • Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 537 Ratings

Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the governor of Maryland, the “compassionate” (People), “startling” (Baltimore Sun), “moving” (Chicago Tribune) true story of two kids with the same name from the city: One went on to be a Rhodes Scholar, decorated combat veteran, White House Fellow, and business leader. The other is serving a life sentence in prison.
 
Selected by Stephen Curry as his “Underrated” Book Club Pick with Literati


The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his.

In December 2000, the Baltimore Sun ran a small piece about Wes Moore, a local student who had just received a Rhodes Scholarship. The same paper also ran a series of articles about four young men who had allegedly killed a police officer in a spectacularly botched armed robbery. The police were still hunting for two of the suspects who had gone on the lam, a pair of brothers. One was named Wes Moore. 

Wes just couldn’t shake off the unsettling coincidence, or the inkling that the two shared much more than space in the same newspaper. After following the story of the robbery, the manhunt, and the trial to its conclusion, he wrote a letter to the other Wes, now a convicted murderer serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. His letter tentatively asked the questions that had been haunting him: Who are you? How did this happen?

That letter led to a correspondence and relationship that have lasted for several years. Over dozens of letters and prison visits, Wes discovered that the other Wes had had a life not unlike his own: Both had had difficult childhoods, both were fatherless; they’d hung out on similar corners with similar crews, and both had run into trouble with the police. At each stage of their young lives they had come across similar moments of decision, yet their choices would lead them to astonishingly different destinies.

Told in alternating dramatic narratives that take readers from heart-wrenching losses to moments of surprising redemption, The Other Wes Moore tells the story of a generation of boys trying to find their way in a hostile world.

Reviews

  • The Other Wes Moore

    5
    By RaeQueen
    What an AWESOME book. I couldn’t put it down. Looking forward to reading more by Wes.
  • The other Wed Moore

    5
    By Josedelreyes
    You guys have to read this, Best book i’ve ever read. This books relates a lot to me, yes that’s bad but it’s very inspirational.
  • Freshman Year

    5
    By Lizzy43542
    Reading it over the summer for OSU. I love it!
  • Real

    5
    By lloj32
    What an awesome view of two different people from closely the same environment with the same name! A real perspective of lives that go down the road not taken. A must read, will recommend!
  • Full of Topics for Discussion

    4
    By stackhouse.ecks
    I read this book with my soon-to-be-fourteen son. I loved the fact that with each reading session, there were plenty of topics for us to talk about. The author does a great job of showing the importance of individual choices, but also makes the reader wrestle with the notions of support, opportunities, and resources. The author also does not finish the book with some grand position of having all the answers. Instead, he makes us each think about the possible “answers” ourselves (and perhaps have us reflect about what we can do as individuals and communities). The book was mature enough to hold my attention as an adult, yet fast-paced enough to keep my teenaged son engaged (not an easy task). I recommend this book for any and all parents of young children (regardless of gender or race) because it helps springboard conversations that parents and children should have.
  • Fix your problem Apple

    1
    By Retarded Apple stupid company
    Do not download if your using a MacBook Pro it will not work. Apple is getting worse and worse in my book.
  • Cool

    4
    By Rinnegan508
    I think the book was great for a summer reading book and I finished it in just 2 days..
  • Very good

    4
    By Fireysullus.com
    My highschool had to read this book as our summer reading, and it was a very good book. I enjoyed it quite a lot.
  • Went to school with him

    5
    By crazycadet02
    Know the author and his real life and struggles. And then reading this book. Makes you wounded if someone else out there might have your name also. Way to go Wesly. Hope to hear from you
  • The Other Wes Moore

    5
    By Kisgryf
    Wow! What a great read - Highly interesting and incredibly thought provoking. My book group chose this book kind of randomly, but it turns out to be the best one we've read yet. Wes, the author, tells the two stories in such an engaging way that you are anxious to hear about the next stage of their lives. You almost forget that the ending isn't happy for both Weses. In the end, the message is clear, but as the story is told, you develop an understanding through the life Wes has chosen and the realizations he presents. Differences are made every day. Be a difference.

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