Published in 2011, The Other Wes Moore is a memoir that describes the lives of two men named Wes Moore. Similarly, both men grew up in the 1980s and 1990’s in Baltimore with single mothers, but we learn over the course the book how their lives evolve in vastly different ways. Wes, the author, attended military school, graduated from Johns Hopkins, became a Rhoades Scholar and a decorated Marine veteran, and ultimately works as a successful business man while the other Wes Moore was convicted of murder as a young adult and sentenced to life in prison. In 183 pages, the author chronicles both men’s lives from early childhood through adulthood and alternates between telling his own story to telling the story of his counterpart.

Relevant to EQ, the book raises questions of identity, and makes readers think about how much control we have over the circumstances of our own lives and how the consequences of our choices profoundly shape who we are and the trajectory of our lives. As we learn more about both Wes Moores, readers seek to understand what exactly made the difference in the lives of these two men.

Before reading the book, it could be helpful to have students think about the following quote from the introduction: “It’s unsettling to know how little separates each of us from another life altogether” (p. xi).

Included at the end of the book is a “Call to Action” encouraging readers to consider reaching out to help youth who do not have effective support systems. This section could be used to bridge the first part of EQ (questions of identity) to the second part (questions of how we live in the world). The author includes a list of organizations aimed at helping youth, and other resources can be found at the website: http://theotherwesmoore.com/.