about the book
Two men are about the same age. They look similar. They were both brought up in the same tough neighborhood by good single mothers who worked hard to keep a roof over their heads, food on the table, and them out of trouble. Both are named Wes Moore.
One became a Rhodes Scholar, and the other dealt drugs. How did they end up so different?
The first Wes Moore was born in Baltimore, but was brought up in the crack-infested Bronx. Though he had a caring and supportive single mom, he made a lot of mistakes and started to get into trouble. To get him away from the bad influences, his mother sent him to a military academy. He graduated with honors and saw combat with the U.S. Army. He continued his schooling at John Hopkins and Oxford, winning the prestigious Rhodes scholarship. Then his life took a dark turn. He was arrested and charged with murder!
The other Wes Moore also started out in same troubled Bronx neighborhood. He, too, had a loving mom, but he chose the wrong friends and ended up in juvie. He got caught by the lure of narcotics, the promise of fast wealth dealing drugs, and the false perception that he was outside the law and could outwit the police. At times he wanted to straighten his life out and support his kids, but making that kind of change is very difficult. He was also arrested for the same felony murder!
Same name. Two very different men. One of these men shot an off-duty policeman. Which Wes Moore is now serving a life sentence in prison, without the possibility of parole?
In this book, the author adapts his bestselling adult autobiography The Other Wes Moore for younger readers. He hopes his book will help children realize how a single childish mistake can have dire consequences on one’s entire life.
about the author
Wes Moore was born in 1978 in Baltimore, Maryland. His full name is Wesley Watende Omai Moore. Wesley was his father’s first name; Watende, a Shona word meaning “revenge will not be sought,” was his peace-loving dad’s choice. Omai, which means “the highest”, came from his strong-hearted mother.
His mother’s first marriage ended when her husband became physically abusive. Later she remarried and had Wes and a daughter. When he was three years old, Wes’s dad died in front of him. He, his mother, and sisters Nikki and Shani were forced to move to a rough Bronx neighborhood. Though the family remained close, Wes started to get into serious trouble, and his mother made a life-changing decision. Working multiple jobs to pay for the tuition, she sent him off to a military school in Pennsylvania, where Wes turned his life around.
Wes graduated with honors from Valley Forge Military College and John Hopkins University. A Rhodes Scholar, he earned a master’s in International Relations from Oxford. (He is considered an authority on the “rise and ramifications of radical Islamism in the Western Hemisphere.”) Wes enlisted in the Army, became a paratrooper, saw combat in Afghanistan, and rose to the rank of Captain.
At the White House, he served as an assistant to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He then joined Citigroup working in global technology and alternative investments. He is now the host of “Beyond Belief” on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
While he was at Oxford, his mother told him about the other Wes Moore, just two years older and now serving a life sentence in prison. After writing to and visiting this fellow, Wes discovered the parallels in their lives. He was struck how a few simple decisions led them on very different paths. His adult book elicited so many responses that he knew he had to rewrite it for younger readers.
Sources:
Author website
Author interview : PBS News Hour
Author biography: Wikipedia
Also by Wes Moore:
The Other Wes Moore : One Name, Two Fates. Spiegel & Grau. 2010.
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In his original autobiography, Wes discusses how he met and interviewed another man with his same name. Seemingly simple childhood decisions led each of them in different directions. The other Wes Moore ended up in juvie, got involved with drug dealing, shot a police officer, and is doing a life sentence in prison. How did they end up so different?