Wes Moore and Wes Moore are two real life young Black men living in the same community who obviously have the same name. Later in life, Moore writes this non-fiction essay, explaining that The Other Wes Moore ended up in prison, sentenced for life. He explains this book's purpose is to investigate what led them to two radically different fates.
The essay explains that they had more commonalities than just their name. Both were raised in fatherless home. The author watched his father die of an allergic reaction when he was only three; the Other Wes's father abandoned the family. Other Wes was almost alright, because his mother almost finished her degree, but money troubles stopped her just short of graduation. From his older brother, he learned the game of selling drugs on the street.
The author continues his own story, moving to be with his grandparents following his father's random, tragic death. He goes to private school where he feels ostracized by the other kids. After struggling in that school, they send him to military school. He does not enjoy military school, and although he attempts escape, he fails escaping and ends up graduating instead.
On the street, The Other Wes learns the difficult truth about street life and crime. He ends up selling heroin to his own family, and he goes to prison for settling a domestic dispute for one of his girlfriends—by murdering the man who was bothering her. After escaping, he watches his baby momma overdose in front of him. During a botched jewel heist, he commits first degree murder and finds himself in prison for life. To end the book, the author shares his awards and accolades.
