The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates”, this story is about two young men who lived in the heart of Baltimore. Both young men were African American males who were named the same name and shared some similarities, but their lives went in two completely different paths. Mary’s Wes Moore ended up in prison for a robbery that went wrong and Joy’s Wes Moore, he became a bestselling author of several books (Moore xi). These young men were raised by two strong willed mothers that were educated, but shared different family values (Moore 9 and 17). These things helped and hindered the shaping of their character. Clearly, the impact of their mother’s choices in men had such a drastic impact on both young men. Wes Moore, the son of Joy; his father was loving and provided
This book highlights some modern problems affecting most African American men and families. It also sheds light on how important the family unit is and having a thriving support system when trying to raise children in a society where parents are forced to work two and three jobs just to make ends meet. Both parents of both Wes Moores, they were single-parents doing the best that they could with what they had. Both mothers had to work jobs that required them to spend precious time away from their children. This sounds like the fate of most single-parents and their children (Moore 48). Joy, she worked two jobs in order to send her children to private school and Mary worked to provide for her family (Moore 47). Each families support system became very important. Joy’s son support system was mainly his grandparents when she was at work (Moore 47). However, Mary’s son support system was his older brother who was not a positive role model (Moore 71). The lessons that both young men had an impact in their lives and help to shape their