The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore

Shirley J.                                 Adult Non-Fiction                        Two People, Same Name, Same Town

The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore         256 pages  

This is the true story of two men both born in the same town, having the same name but two opposite futures.    Wes Moore, who is writing the details of these two lives is a Rhodes Scholar, he is a decorated combat veteran, a White House Fellow, a business leader, author and speaker.   The newspaper that ran a story of praise for this Wes Moore for his accomplishments also ran the story of another Wes Moore who the police were looking for in connection with two other young men in a botched robbery and killing of a policeman.   When Wes the Rhodes Scholar read the article it unsettled him.   He was disturbed by the fact that the article could have been about him and how if fate had played a different hand the other Wes Moore could be receiving accolades instead of police searching for him and his brother.  Wes stayed with the story of the youngman who shared his name and followed it through the other Wes' capture, trial, conviction and sentence life in prison without the possibility of parole.    The story haunted him until he finally wrote to Wes Moore in prison.  He was so moved by the story he had to find out who this man was and what led to his being in prison.   How could their two fates be so different when they started out in the same place?   What led to that killing moment in Wes Moore's life.   Through letters and prison visits the two Wes Moores got to know each other and find out how similar their circumstances had been, hanging out on the same corners with the same types of friends, growing up fatherless, both had difficult childhoods and run ins with the police.   What led to such vastly different lives?   Their choices is what accounted for the vastly different destinies.   Wes Moore wanted the world to know the other Wes Moore's story and so he has told it here.  A heart wrenching telling of how fate can deal such unimaginable outcomes from similar beginnings.   I recommend this to middle schoolers on up.   Reality based it shows how hard it is growing up for young black men.  The two Wes Moores remain in contact in what is now a decades long alliance.