• On pg. 66, the non-author Wes says "...both of us had second chances. But if the situation or the context where you make the decisions don't change, then second chances don't mean too much, huh?" How right is he? Is this true for most people?—KM

• On p. 70-72 Tony beats up Wes and their mom ignores Tony's warning. Do you think this reaction furthered Wes' belief that dealing drugs was ok?—SM

• page 81 Wes explains the strained relationship between blacks and the police, so why does he still resist arrest?—BH

• Do you guys think the other wes moore would have come to the same realization as the author had he been arrested while selling drugs? Chapter 4—RA

• Toward the beginning of chapter 5 when Joy send Wes to military school, do you think that was appropriate action? Because Wes sees it otherwise and he feels betrayed.—SC

• On page 96 where the author Wes learns about the sacrifice his Mom went through to get him to Military school, he gains a lot of perspective. Is it experiences like this that lead to the vast difference in the lives of the two Weses?—JB

• On pages 99-101 the other Wes Moore has gotten Alicia pregnant. If put in Wes' shoes, how would you react to this news?—LK

• My question comes from page 104 (talking about the other Wes). Wes was chasing Ray and firing a gun at him. He may or may not have been the one to hit Ray, but Ray was shot nonetheless. As Wes was firing the gun in an unsafe manner, he could have killed Ray. In a hypothetical situation where Wes manages to kill Ray, would his actions have been more immoral? Why is it that we do not consider Wes to be a murderer even though his decision was just as poor as that of a murderer?—CD

• At the end of chapter 5 pg 107 other Wes's mother asks Tony to come down to see Wes after he came home covered in blood with the gun. She tells Tony "It's too late, Wes is already gone" as he gets taken away by the cops. This is obviously a metaphor for how Wes is already too far off the path to a good future. Is this true? If we didn't know that other Wes would commit murder and receive a life sentence, is it be likely that he would ever change?—JP

• p. 113: What do you think was going through Wes's mind when he decided to try to sell drugs to the guy that was obviously a cop? Was he really that desperate for a buck or just wasn't thinking straight or what?—KW