Discovering Wes Moore

by Wes Moore

Overview

Through the telling of events from his own life, Wes Moore (author of the bestselling adult title The Other Wes Moore) explores the issues that separate success and failure. He also counterpoints his story with another man, someone who shared the same name, was almost the same age, grew up fatherless in a similar Baltimore neighborhood, but is serving a life sentence for murder. Compelled to write to the other Wes, the author was surprised to receive a reply. And so began a friendship, as letters turned into visits and the two men got to know one another. This compelling story about the challenges of growing up and the responsibility for the choices we make, is sure to inspire. Includes an 8-page photo insert.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780385741675
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	09/11/2012
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 5.70(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	840L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

WES MOORE is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and was a Rhodes Scholar. He served as a paratrooper and captain in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan and as a White House Fellow in the U.S. Department of State. He was named one of the top young business leaders in America and has appeared on the cover of Time magazine, which featured him in the article "The New Greatest Generation." Wes lives in Baltimore with his wife and daughter.

Table of Contents

A Note from the Author 1

Chapter 1 For Keeps 5

Chapter 2 Courtside in the Bronx 19

Chapter 3 The Chameleon 29

Chapter 4 Kid Kupid's Last Strike 41

Chapter 5 Plebe 57

Chapter 6 Refuge 71

Chapter 7 Airborne 81

Chapter 8 Full Circle 93

Chapter 9 Watende 103

Chapter 10 The Other Wes Moore 113

Chapter 11 The Return 135

Acknowledgments 149

Resources 151

Editorial Reviews

Moore adapts his bestselling adult title, The Other Wes Moore, for teens in this thought-provoking and personal narrative about two men with the same name. Moore begins with his own story, which starts in Baltimore and moves to the crack-infested Bronx, military school, Johns Hopkins, and a Rhodes Scholarship. The second part of the book tells the other Wes Moore's journey, which also begins in Baltimore but leads to drug dealing, brushes with the police, and a life sentence for murder. Anecdotes from Moore's early years convey his struggle to form an identitywithin his violent and impoverished surroundings; his love for his family and his core optimism shine through even the darkest moments he recounts. The story concludes with Moore's questions and ruminations about how, regardless of limitations and societal expectations, the decisions an individual makes determine who he or she will become. Moore wisely opens the door for teens to contemplate their own answers and beliefs, while laying out his own experiences honestly and openly. Ages 12–up. Agent: Linda Loewenthal, David Black Literary. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

This story, an adaptation for young people of the adult memoir The Other Wes Moore (2008), explores the lives of two young African-American men who share the same name and grew up impoverished on the same inner-city streets but wound up taking completely different paths. Author Moore grew up with a devoted mother and extended family. After receiving poor grades and falling in with a bad crowd, his family pooled their limited finances to send him to Valley Forge Military Academy, where he found positive role models and became a Corps commander and star athlete. After earning an undergraduate degree, Wes attended Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. When the author read about the conviction of another Wes Moore for armed robbery and killing a police officer, he wanted to find out how two youths growing up at the same time in the same place could take such divergent paths. The author learns that the other Wes never had the extensive family support, the influential mentors or the lucky breaks he enjoyed. Unfortunately, the other Wes Moore is not introduced until over two-thirds of the way through the narrative. The story of the other Wes is heavily truncated and rushed, as is the author's conclusion, in which he argues earnestly and convincingly that young people can overcome the obstacles in their lives when they make the right choices and accept the support of caring adults. Though awkward, this adaptation still makes for a hopeful and inspiring story. (Memoir. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Discovering Wes Moore

"This adaptation . . . makes for a hopeful and inspiring story."—Kirkus Reviews


Praise for The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

“Moore vividly and powerfully describes not just the culture of the streets but how it feels to be a boy growing up in a world where violence makes you a man.”—O: The Oprah Magazine

“A moving exploration.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
 
“A haunting look at two lives.”—Booklist, Starred Review
 

From the Publisher

Wes Moore recognizes that the decisions of a boy in a poor urban neighborhood had life-changing effects. Moore grew up in the Bronx with a single mother who was determined to protect him. Lousy grades and a run-in with the law convinced his mother to borrow the money to send him to military school. It saved him—Moore became a military officer, a graduate of Johns Hopkins, and a Rhodes Scholar. By contrast, another man of the same name, from a similar background, is in prison for life for felony murder. Moore narrates his story with some occasional over-dramatization, but overall he delivers a heartfelt performance filled with gratitude. This production is an adaptation of his bestseller, THE OTHER WES MOORE, for young adult listeners. A.B. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2013 - AudioFile