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ceciltgrace's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Drug abuse and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Racism, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Cursing and Domestic abuse
peachani's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Confinement, Gun violence, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, and Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
dbuoih's review against another edition
3.25
I wish there were more interjections of the Wes Moore in prison. But his existing quotes were poignant, especially about performing expectations without knowing if they’re yours or not.
I was hesitant to read what I deemed as “black trauma” but it only skimmed the surface of that. It’s not gratuitous.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
4.0
In the 1980s and 1990s there was a young fatherless Black boy growing up in Baltimore. He got into some trouble but grew up to became a Rhodes Scholar, White House Fellow and an investment banker. His name was Wes Moore. Living not very far away in Baltimore was another fatherless Black boy. He got into some trouble but grew up to commit armed robbery and was sentenced to life in prison. His name was also Wes Moore.
From this coincidental beginning the book looks at the lives of both men, especially the similarities and differences at key junctures, trying to figure out what factors resulted in such different endings for these two men. Family support and expectations, choice and luck all factored into the mix. It really was fascinating to read and identify places where each life could have gone in a different direction. What if his mother hadn’t been able to rustle up the money for the military academy? What if he’d been empowered and motivated to use contraception (and what if it was free and readily available) and therefore didn’t have children to support from a young age? What if the Pell Grant scheme hadn’t been cut?
But the biggest question of all is what can we as a society do to ensure that all children (and therefore their families), especially those who lives are starting to veer down risky paths, get the necessary support so that they can go on to lead happy and productive lives, rather than ones of incarceration.
Moderate: Gun violence
cebradley843's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, and Violence