Discovering Wes Moore

Writer Wes Moore hopes the book provides motivation and hope to young people who feel there is no way out. The other Wes Moore tells his story as an example of all that an individual can lose out on when blinded by desperation and aggression. He had children at the time, and now as a grandfather he is missing out on these vital moments with his growing family. The officer killed in the burglary lost his life, and his children and wife lost their father and husband.

To understand the other Wes Moore is to understand choice. He was in a terrible situation, under an immense amount of stress. He felt defeated by seeing the lives lost in his neighborhood over drugs and violence. He was heartbroken over the fact that his children’s mother became addicted to heroin. The other Wes Moore tried; he went to Job Corps, he found carpentry and felt empowered by his education and opportunity. There was a downside to this time lost, however. The bills were adding up at home for his mother, who was raising Tony’s kids and her own young child and helping with Wes’s children, and having two mothers of his children in need of money was too much for one man. The long hours he worked amounted to exhaustion, and it still not enough money to pay the bills.

One of the most tragic aspects of the other Wes Moore’s situation is when he builds the playhouse for his daughter. This is a selfless act, an example of him being a loving and hardworking father. He explains that he was too tired to play with his children after work. These dismal working situations made him feel as if there was no point to working hard, as it wasn’t paying off in any sense of the term. It’s understandable that he went back to what he knew would bring in money fast. The unfortunate part is that it led to a horrific event, a loss of life, and four men imprisoned for life over what started as a jewelry store robbery.

These experiences leave the reader with many examples of how things can end up certain ways. The themes of identity and suffering and endurance come up again and again for both of the Wes Moores. Although their lives are different, it could have gone the other way for both, and that’s what writer Wes Moore hopes can be a call to action for the reader. If everything feels as if it’s going wrong, what if a frame of mind can change that, or a decision to walk away completely redirects one’s life.

The dissection of issues surrounding race, poverty, and inner cities reaches broader societal questions; Education and opportunity, mental health and addiction services, healthcare, careers, and travel. Choices mean that certain outcomes are preventable. We see this again and again through the choices of Joy, her parents, and the civil rights leaders mentioned throughout the book. To find new opportunities, hardship is inevitable, as change is inevitable. There are support networks everywhere, although some may not know how to access them. For the young readers, keeping an open mind and believing in oneself can change everything, and for older readers, Wes hopes providing young individuals with opportunities for them to learn something about themselves can completely redirect how they find motivation and inspiration.