Review - The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore

Title: The Other Wes Moore
Author: Wes Moore
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Publish Date: April 27, 2011
Hardcover, 233 pages

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I feel a bit odd giving a review of a book that details two men's real lives. Especially since I really didn't like the book. I thought the concept of the book was fantastic. Two boys with the same name, born in the same neighborhood only to grow up totally different choices and lives. But ultimately the book fell short. It had some good information, good history and great stuff on the insides of gang life. Sadly, it didn't pull me in and make me want read more. I finished it because I respected these men and their lives.

Summary -
The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his.
Two kids named Wes Moore were born blocks apart within a year of each other. Both grew up fatherless in similar Baltimore neighborhoods and had difficult childhoods; both hung out on street corners with their crews; both ran into trouble with the police. How, then, did one grow up to be a Rhodes Scholar, decorated veteran, White House Fellow, and business leader, while the other ended up a convicted murderer serving a life sentence? Wes Moore, the author of this fascinating book, sets out to answer this profound question.
In alternating narratives that take readers from heart-wrenching losses to moments of surprising redemption, The Other Wes Moore tells the story of a generation of boys trying to find their way in a hostile world.