Discovering Wes Moore

Gr 8 Up—Wes Moore-two different people from the same area with the same name. One graduated with honors from military school and was the first African American graduate of Johns Hopkins to become a Rhodes Scholar. The other Wes Moore landed in prison; he is serving a life sentence for murder. Both men were children of single mothers who worked hard to keep their sons out of trouble and keep food on the table. Why and where did their paths diverge? In 2010, the author wrote of his experiences and successes in The Other Wes Moore (Spiegel & Grau, 2010), and he has now adapted that book for teen readers. He talks of his own accomplishments and life experiences as a kid who might have gone astray had his mother not sent him to Valley Forge. While he was at Oxford, his mother told him of the other young man, and he never quite forgot about him. He started writing him letters, and, surprisingly, Wes responded from prison. The two men struck up a rapport that continued through letters and visits to the prison. This book is well written and is an interesting and engaging story, although it is a bit rushed, at times. It's a thought-provoking read that will cause teens to question their own lives and decisions, and, hopefully, show how adults can lend help, even when they think it's not necessary.—Traci Glass, Eugene Public Library, OR