Reviews - The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

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The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

I first heard about this book about a year ago when the author came to speak in Columbia. I didn't have a chance to read it then or to attend the event, but when I saw the ebook on sale, I snagged it!

Reading this book was truly like entering a whole new world. The experiences of Wes and Wes were dramatically different from my own childhood, and the author Wes really digs into his own childhood and that of the other Wes to share with the reader such a unique perspective. Their stories began with certain similarities, but as they grew up, they took different paths that made lasting impressions on their lives.

I gained a better understanding of drug culture and the challenges faced by black men in this new Jim Crow era. I appreciated the thorough investigation the author conducted in researching this book.

As a young adult, the author was told "that our blood-soaked and atrocity-littered past was important but that the future didn't have to be its slave." That's inspiring and hopeful!

purak007's review

3.5

challenging emotional inspiring

commasynapse's review against another edition

3.0

This book was recently assigned as a common read to freshmen classes that I tutor. It's a great way to try to get students interested in reading and give them an entryway into discussing many social issues.

This book is interesting. There are a lot of things to consider in thinking about how each Wes Moore ended up as he did, but, truthfully, the sections written by the author Wes Moore sounds like there should be "#humblebrag" at the end. Instead of using the stories of each Wes Moore as a framework for talking about the many issues of family/peer background, socioeconomics, the influence of neighborhoods, race and race relations, etc., Wes Moore just tells the stories. As such, the books feels half-baked. The text says something, but it's circling without ever landing.