Analysis Of The Other Wes Moore

I live a life of considerable privilege. I am a white, upper middle class, straight, young adult, living a comfortable life. I have learned to recognize these facts, and thought I understood the meaning of my privilege; until I read this novel. The Other Wes Moore gave me a new perspective on the meaning of ‘privilege,’ and how it affects the workings of our society. This novel really opened my eyes to some of the troubles in this world, and how everyone has a story that isn’t seen on the surface.

The Other Wes Moore is both a memoir, and a biography. The novel contains the story of two men, Wes Moore and Wes Moore. These two men grew up in the same area, were the same age, and were both raised in fatherless, impoverished families. However,

Yet, despite the length, the book was an enlightening experience. It was very well written, with a quick, intriguing pace. Although I typically avoid non-fiction, Moore’s writing style was captivating. The point of view alternated throughout, switching between the two Wes Moore’s stories. This was a tad confusing to read at first, as there were times that the point of view changes mid chapter. Nevertheless, once I figured out his method, it was easier to follow. When he was writing about himself, he would use first person, and he would use third when writing from the point of view of the other Wes. However, I feel this confusion could have been entirely avoided if there was more organization. Perhaps he could have avoided switching between stories unless at the beginning of a new chapter, or putting some kind of symbol or key on the top of the page to signify who was speaking. However, his formatting did make sense to me after several chapters. This was my only complaint on the book

At fifteen, his life was taking a very different path. He had been slacking in school, barely scraping by, ditching to hang out with kids who were a bad influence. This caused his mother to take action. She had already been sending him to a private school, but this did not prevent the tragic neighborhood trends from influencing him. Consequently, he was sent to military school. After many attempts to escape, Wes adapted to the life, and flourished. Consequently, he entered the army after graduating, and held a high rank, becoming very successful. Yet, his childhood had been the exact same as the other Wes’ up until the point of being sent