Author: Wes Moore
Title: The Other Wes Moore
Genre: Nonfiction
Publication Date: 2010
Number of Pages: 182
Geographical Setting: Baltimore, the Bronx
Time Period: late 1970s to present
Plot Summary: Two boys grew up in West Baltimore at the same time. Neither of them had a father figure, both were in low-income households, both struggled in school and were pressured to make poor choices. Both of them are named Wes Moore. One of them is now serving a lifetime prison sentence, whereas the other is a Rhodes Scholar and businessman in New York City. This book tells the story of parallel lives that turned out drastically differently.
Subject Headings: Memoir, African American, coming of age story
Appeal: engrossing, issue-oriented, layered, vivid, well developed, tragic, hopeful, urban, gritty, candid, frank, unembellished
3 terms that best describe this book: Honest, inspiring, real
3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors
- My American Journey by Colin Powell: The author mentions this as a very influential book in his life and about how much he admires Colin Powell, a fellow soldier.
- Losing My Cool by Thomas Chatterton Williams: A memoir about a young black man growing up on the poor side of town and the decisions that led him to a successful life.
- Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble and Coming of Age in the Bronx by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc: Journalist LeBlance spends ten years with two impoverished families in the Bronx, where Wes Moore spent his middle school years.
3 Relevant Fiction Works and Authors
- Monster by Walter Dean Myers: Like the Wes Moore that participated in a robbery and ended up in prison, this book portrays the social and economic struggles of a young African American man who makes a few bad decisions.
- Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton: Set in South Africa, where Wes Moore studies abroad, the prize winning book describes a father’s pain upon learning that his son was sentenced to the death penalty.
- The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon: An urban youth growing up in the early 80s struggles with the issues of race and violence.
Laura Melton
Tags: candid, engrossing, frank, gritty, hopeful, issue-oriented, layered, tragic, unembellished, urban, vivid, well-developed
