Discovering Wes Moore

“The older kids would pour out a little liquor or leave a shrine on a corner under a graffiti mural, or they’d reminisce about the ones who were locked up. But then life went on. The struggle went on.”

In the Bronx, Moore sees the aftermath of people disappearing from his neighborhood due to drugs, violence, or incarceration. It has become such a commonplace thing that many continue on without anything changing. There is an apathy and expectation for nothing good to happen in places where hopelessness and exhaustion are the norm.

“My mother used it as a hook into a deeper lesson: The written word isn’t a chore. It can be a window into new worlds.”

As Moore had struggled in English class, his mother sends him books while he is at Valley Forge. Moore begins reading non-fiction books about athletes and young adults his age achieving awards and breaking records. He also becomes interested in philosophy and biography books about important historical figures in America, like Malcolm X and Colin Powell. By learning more about topics and people he is already interested in, Moore falls in love with reading and learning in and of itself.

“I had spent so much of my childhood feeling out of place. I’d allowed other people to dictate my expectations of myself. I was finally realizing that I could do better than that. I didn’t need to have different versions of myself for different people.”

Moore understands the directionless feelings that come up in middle school, high school, and in young adulthood. He describes it as feeling pulled in a certain direction and unable to focus on several demands at once, especially in situations that can become dangerous. The division between Moore’s school and his neighborhood confused him as he struggled to find an identity within both places. By understanding that it’s not up to others, it’s up to him to define himself, Moore finds motivation to take control of his life.

“When it is time for you to leave this school, leave your job, or even leave this earth, you make sure you have worked hard to make it matter that you were ever here.”

The advice given to Wes Moore at Valley Forge stays with him as he is writing this book. The tragedy of the two Wes Moores is what they missed out on, but they must continue living regardless of those losses. Writer Wes Moore missed out on having a father growing up, but he overcame obstacles both personally and in society to feel validated by his decisions despite that loss.

“I learned throughout my life that life’s impermanence can be sad and painful. But it is also what makes every single day precious.”

Moore examines how the tragedy that he’s experienced has shaped his understanding of the meaning of life. He believes that in having a purpose, the time spent makes living and eventually looking back on that life feel fulfilling and rewarding.

“I looked down at the trees waving in the distance, and the gorgeous brown Alabama soil that seemed to be rising to meet me. My equipment and training had worked. My faith was confirmed.”

As Wes Moore is about to become a paratrooper, he takes in the image of the ground below him and the parachute above him. He feels relief when he pulls the parachute open, and it is in perfect condition. The reassurance he feels in this moment gives him the self-trust and confidence to keep pushing himself and achieve greater goals. He is actively overcoming his fears.

“For those of us who are lucky enough to move up, it’s our job to pull our brothers and sisters up with us.”

Generations of leveling up helps progress future generations, Moore argues. An example of this passing on of wisdom occurs in South Africa through the weeks spent learning from the elders, and he experiences it on a more personal level in Valley Forge through his training and experiences traveling and studying abroad.

“Even though this land was infinitely more extreme and more dangerous than where I was from, I couldn’t help but think of the broken-down housing projects in the Bronx and Baltimore.”

As the country progresses post-apartheid, there are remaining gaps in wealth in South Africa and communities still struggle with violence and crime. Moore draws a connection between these neighborhoods and the ones he grew up in.

“The hopelessness my people felt during this time […] and knowing the whole time that this segregation, this poverty, this depression was being forced on us. That we had done nothing to deserve it. We were not responsible for it. And yet it was law, we could not escape it.”

Mama describes apartheid and how cruel and unnecessary the trauma caused by the South African government was and how it has set back groups of people not only based on race but now through class systems. The separation of rich and poor and Black and white has led to a continuation of poverty and violence in their community.

“Fighting for your convictions is important. But finding peace is even more important. Humanity and compassion are qualities that every human being is capable of having. That common bond must be stronger than any conflict or fear. Knowing when to fight and when to seek peace is wisdom.”

Moore is in South Africa discussing with Mama what it was like when she lived through apartheid. He has a hard time understanding how she has let go of the hatred she’s seen in her lifetime. She explains that Nelson Mandela told them they should forgive. Acceptance is necessary to move forward.

“My nostalgia always seems to kick in at the end of any meaningful experience.”

Writer Wes Moore experiences a takeaway message from each place he goes. There is a connection he finds right before he starts the next journey. This occurs when he arrives at Valley Forge and misses home and school in the Bronx and again in South Africa when he is to return to the US to start an internship at the White House. Reflection is important for Moore; it helps him understand where he could have done better, to accept it, and move forward to better things despite it all. For Moore, taking a moment to look over his decisions and plans is enough to keep him where he wants to be going.

“Back home, I thought, manhood isn’t guided or celebrated through a formal ceremony. There’s no official passage from childhood to adulthood. In fact, it feels like we enter adulthood almost by accident.”

There is a focus on guidance as a vital aspect in young lives throughout writer Wes Moore’s story. The chaotic push into young adulthood is often a tremendously difficult time filled with uncertainty and mistakes. By contrast, there are other countries, like South Africa, with tribes celebrating the dignity and growth in becoming a man, father, or husband. The validation that Zinzi’s culture provides young men encourages them to find pride, connection, and purpose in their lives and family.

“How was it that he wound up on his path and I on mine? Why wasn’t it the other way around?”

This is the central question of the book. Moore is asking the reader to question, as he has, why at specific moments each Wes Moore made the decisions they made. Looking for patterns in what possibly led up to those points can lead to prevention and opportunity for young readers. The act of placing yourself in someone else’s shoes is an activity for growth and perspective in your own life. Writer Wes Moore finds gratitude and humility when hearing another person’s life story.

“However, even if we make bad decisions, even the worst kinds of decisions, we are still human.”

Wes understands there could be a lack of empathy toward the other Wes Moore due to his decisions and the tragic and unnecessary loss of life he was a part of. Writer Wes Moore believes there are aspects of the other Wes Moore’s story that offers an understanding of what led up to that day and how they can be prevented for younger generations who may be dealing with chaotic events around them.

“If he couldn’t come up with any better plans, how could he expect Wes to?”

This quote is about Tony spending time with his father in the Murphy Project, selling drugs and ending up in and out of the hospital with bullet wounds. Tony dropped out of middle school and Wes is frustrated that his brother tells him he has to do well in school while he’s buying jewelry and shoes and has no plans to further his education. The easier way out, at this point to Wes, is to follow in his brother’s footsteps.

“The playhouse represented his way of protecting his little girl, sheltering her even when he wasn’t there next to her.”

The other Wes Moore’s interest in carpentry gives him a sense of purpose and keeps him busy doing something he enjoys and has a talent for. The jobs he was working couldn’t cover the cost of his family, and the hours were so long that by the time he was home, he had to sleep instead of spend time with his children.

“Maybe because it’s almost impossible to tell the difference between second chances and last chances.”

There is a cautionary tale aspect to the story of the other Wes Moore. Everything in his life changed in an instant. He hadn’t been prepared for a guilty sentence, let alone remaining in prison without a possibility for parole. Having to make decisions that can’t be undone and at the expense of other’s lives should be a warning that something needs to change, especially in desperate financial situations. There are services to help, and it doesn’t have to be the harder way out with a support network and better opportunities.

“Because when we try to better understand individual stories, it is amazing how thin those lines can be between our life and another life altogether.”

The ability to take the time to empathize with others will lead to discovering multiple commonalities. Through discussion, connection and understanding evolves. Realizing that division within a community will only breed a further divide, Moore wants to understand others to help understand himself. The arc of Moore’s character as he grows into adulthood and his career provides examples of role models as inspiration, listening to family stories, and reading books on topics that interested him at the time, like basketball. Sharing interests and childhood memories connects us all and can lead to great progress and change.

“It’s been eye-opening, because when you start your day reading letters from someone who will spend the rest of his life in prison, or by reading articles about a police officer and father of five who went to work one day and did not come home, your life and problems are put into a different perspective.”

Moore’s compiling of research and discussions with the other Wes Moore changes his perspective on life in several ways. He thinks about the families who are suffering behind the scenes, the loss of life, and the fear they all must have felt that day. Choosing to resort to violence in completely unacceptable and preventable situations causes immense loss in a community. The community as a whole suffers.

“All around me, reunions were taking place. One inmate, a young man in his early twenties, sat across from a woman with a baby squirming in her arms—he was apparently meeting his child for the first time. Another inmate listened wide-eyed as his grandmother ran down a list of his friends from the neighborhood, updating him on what they’d been up to since he’d gone away. He hung on her every word.”

Moore describes images of incarceration as he enters the prison to visit the other Wes Moore. The images Moore provides the reader are humbling. He is making the point that small things in life add up, and if we should never take even the small things in life for granted.

“Your father wasn’t there for you because he couldn’t be. My father wasn’t there because he chose not to be. We’re going to mourn their absence in different ways.”

The other Wes Moore differentiates the childhoods they each had without a father in their lives. The topic of decisions is discussed here, as the other Wes Moore’s father chose to walk out on his mother and children. Writer Wes Moore’s father remained his father despite his unexpected while he was still so young. The other Wes Moore is holding onto anger, which fuels the theme of aggression in this novel. Writer Wes Moore holds no anger toward his father; he wishes he was still there but knows his father would be proud of him.

“But other people’s expectations of us matter, too, even if we don’t want them to. We will wind up doing what they expect us to.”

This quote is said by the other Wes Moore during a prison visitation. This is a perspective that each Wes Moore disagrees on. Here, Moore is arguing that there is no way out; the environment you are placed in dictates where you will end up. Writer Wes Moore disagrees; he knows there were people in his life that did not expect him to succeed, but he proved them wrong. He views the other Wes Moore as an individual who has potential and had many skills to offer had different decisions been made.

“If you always try to follow the path other people lay out for you, you will never excel. Following your passion and your heart is important. But hard work and putting in the effort to be good at something matters.”

Moore offers sound advice to young readers feeling confused or at a crossroads, unsure of a good outcome. The theme of aggression as power throughout the book exemplifies how being persuaded or feeling obligated by others to live a certain way can never end well, as it’d be heading in the completely wrong direction. Moving toward personal goals, studying interests, asking questions, and putting time in will pay off, Moore says.