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The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates - Wes Moore, Tavis Smiley
The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates
by: (author) (author)
3.64 70
Two kids with the same name lived in the same decaying 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. Here is the story of two boys and the journey of a generation. In December 2000, the... show more
Two kids with the same name lived in the same decaying 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. Here is the story of two boys and the journey of a generation. 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 grown up in similar neighborhoods and 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. 
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Format: hardcover
ISBN: 9780385528191 (0385528191)
ASIN: 385528191
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Pages no: 233
Edition language: English
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Community Reviews
Sheila's Reads
Sheila's Reads rated it
5.0 THE OTHER WES MOORE: ONE NAME, TWO FATES by Wes Moore
Interesting story about two boys named Wes Moore, born in Baltimore around the same time. One starts dealing drugs, is in and out of jail and prison, and finally receives a life sentence for the murder of a cop during a robbery. The other has problems and is acting out but has adults who step in to ...
~WhimsyLibrarian~
~WhimsyLibrarian~ rated it
3.0
I wish there was more. I mean, this would be a great biography to read as a teen, but...I wish you had more into the "why" their fates were different. It's great for discussions for socio-economic problems, school systems, etc... BUT! I felt the only reason the other "Wes Moore" made it...was his fa...
What I Happen to Be Reading At the Moment
What I Happen to Be Reading At the Moment rated it
3.0
The Other Wes Moore was required as part of my university's summer reading program. The premise of this double memoir is that two outwardly similar young men, both African American and who both lived close to each other in Baltimore, Maryland, end up in two very different positions in life (one is ...
Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud
Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud rated it
3.0
Rating: 3* of fiveThe Book Report: Chronic overachiever and Marine Wes Moore gets captivated by the fate of his fellow Baltimorean and convicted murderer Wes Moore. They meet and become friends, leading to this book.My Review: More's the pity. This damn thing is like getting a sunshine enema. One fe...
nutz4books
nutz4books rated it
4.0 The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates
It's amazing how just a few decisions made early in life can have lasting effects. It's a very sad story, especially since you know that not only is it true, but it gets repeated everyday, many times over.
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