The Other Wes Moore, a story of two boys with the same name living in West Baltimore, epitomizes the struggles of growing up in a tough low income area. From a young age, both Wes Moore, and the other Wes are raised by only their mother. Without a father, the life’s of each Wes’s mother becomes harder to manage. As the story carries on, Wes Moore moves to the South Bronx, where his mom is supported by his grandparents. Meanwhile, the other Wes remains in Baltimore for the remainder of his adolescence, watching his mother raise two boys without help. With the support of the author’s mother, Wes is pushed to succeed. At a young age he is sent off to attend military school. Meanwhile, the Other Wes finds himself getting involved in city drug trade. After high school, Wes enrolls in Johns Hopkins, and decides to travel abroad to South Africa. Not only does Wes gain exposure to a different part of the world, but he begins how similar his youth is to the life of his host family. He understand how the challenges facing the young men in both South Africa are nearly identical to the confrontations in West Baltimore and the …show more content…
As Wes grew up, he had to mother who demanded effort or academic rigor. His mom had given up on life, and so did Wes. He looked for a new role model, and all he found was his brother Tony, a powerful drug dealer in Baltimore. Although Tony did not want Wes to follow in his footsteps, Wes decided to embrace the drug trade surrounding him. Instead of continuing to push Wes away from drugs, Tony eventually capitulated, and no longer decided to push his brother to be better. Moreover, without the demand for success in the Other Wes’s life, he lost the need to work hard anymore. Similarly, those in Africa can find themselves giving up on the world if the world gives up on