Analysis of The Other Wes Moore Story - Book Report/Review Example

The other Wes Moore The other Wes Moore is a story by Wes Moore about 2 kids living within the same neighborhood, having an identical name. One kid grew up to become a Rhodes Scholar, White House Fellow, business leader and an adorned combat veteran. In a strange twist of fate, the other Wes is in jail serving a prison life sentence for crime murder. It is amazing how the two boys had so many similarities-not only did they have similar names, but also were raised without fathers, born in similar background in Baltimore, Maryland, in the late 70s as well as went through similar encounters as they grew up.

The Other Wes starts in late 2000, when 2 articles were published by the Baltimore Sun. Both of these stories featured Wes Moore. However, the similarities between the 2 Wes Moores end and one article features the successful Wes, and the author of the novel. The other Wes has been involved in a jewelry store burglary in which a policeman ends being shot dead. Even though he is not responsible for the shooting; he still gets a life term in prison. The most important factor in deciding the lives of each Wes Moore was the family influence that they received early in their lives as well as their own decisions in life.

The narrator as well as the author of the book, talks about his life plus that of the “Other” Wes in addition to how their family and decisions they made, completely changed the course of their lives. Whereas one of the Moores was able to shatter the frequent pattern of several kids living and being raised in similar conditions, the other Wes was not so lucky. It is quite apparent how the successful Wes was immensely swayed by his family to become the individual that he is currently. Were it not for his mother, Joy, Wes’s life could have turned out just like that of the Other Wes.

The successful Wes started to change as an individual the moment his mother sacrificed by taking multiple jobs so as to have him in Valley Forge Military Academy. The 2 Moores before this moment were quite similar. Moore’s own decision also to steer away from drugs and concentrate in the military academy also greatly helped in shaping his life. For the Other Moore, however, things were quite different. Whereas his family supported him, they lacked a strong influence as compared to Author Moore’s family.

They in addition gave him mixed messages, for instance, when his brother Tony warned him of staying out of drugs, he(Tony) himself was neck deep into it. The Other Wes fell into the dangerous trap of peddling drugs-which began out because of the need to make extra cash but later turned out to arrests being regular as well as violent. As the story progresses, the audience starts to comprehend how the 2 Moores came into existence. The 2 Moores realize how difficult it is to overturn bad decisions, arrived at in the past.

This Other Moore went on peddling drugs –becoming eminent in the business. These therefore are some of the most important themes in deciding the lives of Wes Moores; family influence and the power of making personal decisions. They are themes that are interesting to analyse since they demonstrate how the situation of a family, either emotionally or economically, as well as personal initiatives can have a profound effect on a person’s future. Works cited Wes, Moore. The Other Wes Moore. New York: Random House Publishing Group, 2010.