I love the sharing of books. Some of my students read one book a semester, others read twenty. But it is not the quantity of the books read, but the sharing of the experience in reading. It is important to model as well. I inspire them, they inspire me, they inspire each other. Currently, I am reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I would never have picked up this book if I didn't want to push one of my learners (the one who read twenty books last semester) to read a more challenging selection. Here is my latest book talk.
The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore
What if there is a person with your name... living in your neighborhood, living a life similar to yours, but made the bad choices you struggle with in your own head. Instead of things turning out fine, because of your better choices or luck, the other you is in jail.
Two kids with the same name lived in the same decaying city. One went on to be a Rhodes Scholar, decorated combat veteran, White House Fellow, and business leader. The other is serving a life sentence in prison. Here is the story of two boys and the journey of a generation.
I identified with both Wes Moore’s in many ways. Their journey to manhood, their relationships with their mothers, their missing fathers. I have watched people and family end up in similar situations based solely on the decisions they made and the decisions their parents made for them.
Quote:
Things have not been perfect for me in the years since this book’s story ended. Like many boys who grow up without a father in the home, I searched for ways to fill that hole, sometimes in places I shouldn’t have looked. I made some tremendous mistakes along the way. I have done things I deeply regret, said things I wish I could take back, and disappointed people in ways that still embarrass me. I have fought battles I should not have engaged in, and walked away from causes that needed and deserved a champion. But I’ve had the freedom to make those mistakes, and the freedom to seek redemption for them.
P. 179 Epilogue
Excellent story! Even after all his success, Wes More shares he is still not perfect. He can do better.
I wonder if the Wes Moore in prison was ever able to own up to the choices he made. At times, he seemed still in denial that it was by his choices that he ended up in life in prison.
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