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kimball_hansen's review against another edition
3.0
I thought I would like this book a whole lot more but I didn't. The writing was a bit too flowery for me. Some authors (like [a:Malcolm Gladwell|1439|Malcolm Gladwell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1224601838p2/1439.jpg]) include way more details than they need to and it over-saturates the story. It's neat to think that this book happened all because Good Wes thought to write a letter to Bad Wes.
It was tricky for me to distinguish the two stories. I would be confused and think "OK, who's Mom did what, and which friends were Bad Wes's?" Speaking of Bad Wes, I didn't like how his older brother, Tony, was such a jerk and hypocrite to him. Tony acted like he cared about him and wanted him to change but he really didn't. All Tony did was project his own crappy regrets and life. Dumb. I was baffled at the end how this "Rhodes Scholar" wasn't able to figure out and pinpoint specific things that distinguished his life and lifestyle from Bad Wes. It was pretty obvious. In a nutshell: One had an OK family and the other had a pretty crappy family. I wished he had delved more into personality types so we could get a better look at how rebellious each one was in relation to the other. What attracted Bad Wes to convert to Islam in jail? That's neat that he leads the Friday prayers in the jail.
I have an old classmate that is rotting in a Federal Prison right now in Florence, AZ. I wonder if I ought to visit him.
It was tricky for me to distinguish the two stories. I would be confused and think "OK, who's Mom did what, and which friends were Bad Wes's?" Speaking of Bad Wes, I didn't like how his older brother, Tony, was such a jerk and hypocrite to him. Tony acted like he cared about him and wanted him to change but he really didn't. All Tony did was project his own crappy regrets and life. Dumb. I was baffled at the end how this "Rhodes Scholar" wasn't able to figure out and pinpoint specific things that distinguished his life and lifestyle from Bad Wes. It was pretty obvious. In a nutshell: One had an OK family and the other had a pretty crappy family. I wished he had delved more into personality types so we could get a better look at how rebellious each one was in relation to the other. What attracted Bad Wes to convert to Islam in jail? That's neat that he leads the Friday prayers in the jail.
Spoiler
Good job for the police for getting him and his brother off the streets. Yay.I have an old classmate that is rotting in a Federal Prison right now in Florence, AZ. I wonder if I ought to visit him.
jimmacsyr's review against another edition
5.0
Book made me think a lot about the influence our environment has on us.... and the importance of guidance and involved.... not really the right word....parents.
gabbyjo's review against another edition
5.0
I saw the interview Wes Moore did with Oprah Winfrey when this book was first published and was intrigued. What are the odds of meeting someone with your name? For me and my name the odds are none existent, before I was married and now that I am.
But for Wes Moore, there was another Wes Moore and while their lives ended differently, for a moment they were almost on the same track. This book follows both Wes Moores, their childhood and adulthood and the choices each made that lead one to be a Rhodes Scholar and the other to be an inmate.
While reading I saw parts where each Wes Moore could've been the other if different choices were made and that was a little intriguing to me. Choices play a huge role in helping you become who you are. Those choices can also lead you to people who can help you even more.
Now Wes Moore is Governor Wes Moore of Maryland. Choices.
But for Wes Moore, there was another Wes Moore and while their lives ended differently, for a moment they were almost on the same track. This book follows both Wes Moores, their childhood and adulthood and the choices each made that lead one to be a Rhodes Scholar and the other to be an inmate.
While reading I saw parts where each Wes Moore could've been the other if different choices were made and that was a little intriguing to me. Choices play a huge role in helping you become who you are. Those choices can also lead you to people who can help you even more.
Now Wes Moore is Governor Wes Moore of Maryland. Choices.
alumeng's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. It lost steam for me towards the end, especially as it started to focus more on Author Wes than Other Wes. I also wish it had continued beyond Other Wes’s imprisonment, instead of just declaring that the end of Wes’s fate
nglofile's review against another edition
3.0
Thought-provoking, with strong promise for both individual reflection and group discussion. To be honest, I found the introduction and closing call to action more moving than the main text. That said, I also realized that the story holds more power once the reader steps back and assesses it as a whole rather than in the somewhat contrived back-and-forth structure. This is a narrative that will challenge preconceptions and endure.
[split reading between ebook and audiobook]
[split reading between ebook and audiobook]
karimorton33's review against another edition
2.0
I was hoping more for this book. Individually I enjoyed the story about each person, but I didn’t see how they were linked other than having the same name. I wish there had been more of them talking to each other. (Read for Central Book Club)
theonionboy's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, just read this, please. I think everyone needs to read this. I think it can point us in the right direction to turn around our society. It has impacted me, given me a lot to think about, and challenged me to do something about it. All that without appearing to set out to do so. What more could you want in a non-fiction book?
I listened to the audiobook by the author. Wes Moore may not be a professional book narrator; there are some pauses and awkward phrases, but it doesn't detract from the message of the book. I am glad the author narrated it, and he did a very good job.
At one point, when the author was attacked and was making the split-second decision to escalate the situation or drop it, he mentioned many of the things that went through his mind. Part of it was the influence of his father and the meaning of the middle name his father insisted on giving him. He made the right choice that day. The other Wes didn't appear to have such a moment.
Here are a few of the lines that stood out to me:
"Young boys are more likely to believe in themselves if they know that there is someone, somewhere, who shares that belief."
"In third grade I was reading at a second grade reading level. Later in life I learned that the way many governors projected the number of beds they'd need for prison facilities was by examining the reading scores of third graders. The elected officials deduced that a strong percentage of kids reading below their grade level by third grade would be needing a secure place to stay when they got older. "
"Boredom in teenage boys is a powerful motivation to create chaos."
I listened to the audiobook by the author. Wes Moore may not be a professional book narrator; there are some pauses and awkward phrases, but it doesn't detract from the message of the book. I am glad the author narrated it, and he did a very good job.
At one point, when the author was attacked and was making the split-second decision to escalate the situation or drop it, he mentioned many of the things that went through his mind. Part of it was the influence of his father and the meaning of the middle name his father insisted on giving him. He made the right choice that day. The other Wes didn't appear to have such a moment.
Here are a few of the lines that stood out to me:
"Young boys are more likely to believe in themselves if they know that there is someone, somewhere, who shares that belief."
"In third grade I was reading at a second grade reading level. Later in life I learned that the way many governors projected the number of beds they'd need for prison facilities was by examining the reading scores of third graders. The elected officials deduced that a strong percentage of kids reading below their grade level by third grade would be needing a secure place to stay when they got older. "
"Boredom in teenage boys is a powerful motivation to create chaos."
elysareadsitall's review against another edition
3.0
This book was interesting, but it wasn't world-changing like the hype made it seem. I liked the exploration of two men who started in similar places but then ended up with entirely different lives.