Shop Harry Potter in 3D
Add Prime to get Fast, Free delivery
Amazon prime logo
Buy new:
-51% $14.76
FREE delivery Sunday, January 12 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$14.76 with 51 percent savings
List Price: $30.00
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Sunday, January 12 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Saturday, January 11. Order within 1 hr 52 mins
In Stock
$$14.76 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$14.76
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$8.62
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Sunday, January 12 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Saturday, January 11. Order within 1 hr 52 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$14.76 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$14.76
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates Hardcover – April 27, 2010

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 7,250 ratings

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$14.76","priceAmount":14.76,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"14","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"76","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"CrT%2BVZH3V9b82n7uhA1H90tbTCf4y4YpNCSWJ8DsOFnfbCSXckQRXZKbcIzYVw%2F2AieNcQtEsVB9MsMSZir4RUVqVeZJ5OKO1GTN14myUyoyzLTKWWuuWu1vjYvO8Kn2gi8mECFdlAs%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$8.62","priceAmount":8.62,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"62","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"CrT%2BVZH3V9b82n7uhA1H90tbTCf4y4YpQmPSrFjQ3Kwtef6fKtn0dN7SJdJMD6Dgt5zUT%2F0t3UnQlVx0PTmYuIH8AuoE%2FHokeXREZmn%2FEtJXvEJuTAfyWlr%2FwPlrudkJtH5jETF4QoQHtLa8TmBHzpGjfLmPm13z0HdIGZDlNUJ9gszFfDlmdxW6xXODkm8K","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the governor of Maryland, the “compassionate” (People), “startling” (Baltimore Sun), “moving” (Chicago Tribune) true story of two kids with the same name: One went on to be a Rhodes Scholar, decorated combat veteran, White House Fellow, and business leader. The other is serving a life sentence in prison.

The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his.

In December 2000, the Baltimore
Sun ran a small piece about Wes Moore, a local student who had just received a Rhodes Scholarship. The same paper also ran a series of articles about four young men who had allegedly killed a police officer in a spectacularly botched armed robbery. The police were still hunting for two of the suspects who had gone on the lam, a pair of brothers. One was named Wes Moore. 

Wes just couldn’t shake off the unsettling coincidence, or the inkling that the two shared much more than space in the same newspaper. After following the story of the robbery, the manhunt, and the trial to its conclusion, he wrote a letter to the other Wes, now a convicted murderer serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. His letter tentatively asked the questions that had been haunting him:
Who are you? How did this happen?

That letter led to a correspondence and relationship that have lasted for several years. Over dozens of letters and prison visits, Wes discovered that the other Wes had had a life not unlike his own: Both had had difficult childhoods, both were fatherless; they’d hung out on similar corners with similar crews, and both had run into trouble with the police. At each stage of their young lives they had come across similar moments of decision, yet their choices would lead them to astonishingly different destinies.

Told in alternating dramatic 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.

Frequently bought together

This item: The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates
$14.76
Get it as soon as Sunday, Jan 12
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$23.10
Get it as soon as Sunday, Jan 12
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by READ & DREAM and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
$10.98
Get it as soon as Sunday, Jan 12
In Stock
Sold by ZIM BOOKS and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Choose items to buy together.
Popular Highlights in this book

From the Publisher

The Baltimore Sun says, “Startling and revelatory…a rocketing real-life narrative.”

O Magazine says, “Vivid and powerful.”

Chicago Tribune says, “A moving book … a call to arms.”

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Two hauntingly similar boys take starkly different paths in this searing tale of the ghetto. Moore, an investment banker, Rhodes scholar, and former aide to Condoleezza Rice, was intrigued when he learned that another Wes Moore, his age and from the same area of Greater Baltimore, was wanted for killing a cop. Meeting his double and delving into his life reveals deeper likenesses: raised in fatherless families and poor black neighborhoods, both felt the lure of the money and status to be gained from dealing drugs. That the author resisted the criminal underworld while the other Wes drifted into it is chalked up less to character than to the influence of relatives, mentors, and expectations that pushed against his own delinquent impulses, to the point of exiling him to military school. Moore writes with subtlety and insight about the plight of ghetto youth, viewing it from inside and out; he probes beneath the pathologies to reveal the pressures—poverty, a lack of prospects, the need to respond to violence with greater violence—that propelled the other Wes to his doom. The result is a moving exploration of roads not taken. (May 4)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* In 2000, Wes Moore had recently been named a Rhodes Scholar in his final year of college at Johns Hopkins University when he read a newspaper article about another Wes Moore who was on his way to prison. It turned out that the two of them had much in common, both young black men raised in inner-city neighborhoods by single mothers. Stunned by the similarities in their names and backgrounds and the differences in their ultimate fates, the author eventually contacted the other Wes Moore and began a long relationship. Moore visited his namesake in prison; he was serving a life sentence, convicted for his role in an armed robbery that resulted in the killing of an off-duty policeman. Growing up, both men were subject to the pitfalls of urban youth: racism, rebellion, violence, drug use, and dealing. The author examines eight years in the lives of both Wes Moores to explore the factors and choices that led one to a Rhodes scholarship, military service, and a White House fellowship, and the other to drug dealing, prison, and eventual conversion to the Muslim faith, with both sharing a gritty sense of realism about their pasts. Moore ends this haunting look at two lives with a call to action and a detailed resource guide. --Vanessa Bush

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ One World; First Edition (April 27, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385528191
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385528191
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 990L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 0.88 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 7,250 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Wes Moore
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Wes Moore is an Army combat veteran, social entrepreneur, and national bestselling author. His first book, The Other Wes Moore, became an instant New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller as a story that conveys the importance of individual decisions alongside community support.

Wes graduated Phi Theta Kappa from Valley Forge Military College and Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University. He completed an MLitt in International Relations from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. Wes served as a paratrooper among the elite 82nd Airborne Division in the United States Army and retired as a Captain after having participated in a combat tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Wes has been featured by USA Today, TIME Magazine, People Magazine, “Meet the Press,” “The Colbert Report”, “The View,” MSNBC, and NPR, among many others. He is a consistent news contributor to programs such as Morning Joe, Hardball with Chris Matthew, NOW with Alex Wagner, Andrea Mitchell Reports, and many others. He has also hosted programs such as “Beyond Belief” on the Oprah Winfrey Network, as well as two shows on PBS: “American Graduate Day 2014” and “Coming Back with Wes Moore”, for which he was the Executive Producer.

Today, Wes Moore’s mission is to help young people succeed and make the right choices through education and awareness alongside the support of their parents, teachers, and mentors. Moore is the Founder and CEO of BridgeEdU, an innovative college platform that addresses the college completion and job placement crisis. BridgeEdU reinvents the freshman year in a way that engages students in real-world internships and service-learning opportunities in addition to core academic classes.

Wes is also the author of a new book, The Work, which was released in January 2015. The Work picks up where The Other Wes Moore left off and follows Wes’s journey to the point where he discovered meaning in his work through service. While detailing his own path to purpose, The Work also profiles a dozen other inspiring people who have found their mission by uplifting their communities.

Currently, Wes lives in Baltimore with his wife and two children.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
7,250 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers find the book compelling and thought-provoking. They describe the story as interesting and fascinating. Readers appreciate the engaging pacing and engrossing narrative. The book is considered a worthwhile purchase and an emotional read.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

786 customers mention "Readability"763 positive23 negative

Customers find the book engaging and thought-provoking. They say it's well-written and a good read for young adults. The story is told in an authentic manner, keeping the integrity of the story intact.

"...Now what was in the book was truly amazing. As a life long Marylander I wanted to know more about Governor Moores story and this didn’t disappoint...." Read more

"...Now I won't ruin the book, because it is so worth reading that you need to experience the deep stories and important narratives from reading it first..." Read more

"...It was written to prompt thought and discussion on how to keep children from falling between the cracks..." Read more

"...This book reads much like a story, but it provides a lot to think about as well, as we look at urban neighborhoods that are impoverished and lack..." Read more

346 customers mention "Thought provoking"346 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and engaging. It provides them with an insight into living in the world. Readers say the book powerfully illustrates the impact of choices and is eye-opening. They find the stories dramatic and interesting, with a compelling premise that gets under their skin. Overall, customers say the book has made a positive impact on their lives.

"...So many lessons to learn from 2 lives. This is a book I’ll tell my future children to read. If you’re thinking about getting it, please do!" Read more

"...Throughout the entire book, I was consistently engaged in his thought-provoking anecdotes and moving stories of the crime and violence prevalent in..." Read more

"...to this is that the book also demonstrates how surrounding a child with positive role models can help to ensure that the child matures into a moral..." Read more

"...reading for anyone seeking a second chance, as it powerfully illustrates the impact of our choices...." Read more

56 customers mention "Story quality"47 positive9 negative

Customers find the story interesting and engaging. They find it an insightful portrayal of two lives that differed at the same time. The book explores the background stories of two men with similar beginnings whose lives take different paths. It's a thought-provoking look at life choices and how they impact one's perspective.

"This is an unusual book...." Read more

"This book is very interesting and depicts the true story of two boys, both named Wes Moore, both father-less and similar backgrounds, and weaves a "..." Read more

"This book is both eye-opening and troubling. The reality of living in a crime and drug infested neighborhood is painted perfectly...." Read more

"...While reading it, I told everyone about it. It's just such a sad and fascinating story, and a true story...." Read more

49 customers mention "Reading pace"37 positive12 negative

Customers find the book engaging and interesting. They find it keeps their attention from the beginning and is a great story that keeps them busy in free time.

"...is well written, well organized, easy to read, and it holds your interest.....I could not "put it down."..." Read more

"...by the newly elected Maryland governor, I figured it was the perfect time to dive in...." Read more

"...Wes Moore, is a riveting and well thought out book that held my attention in entirety...." Read more

"...An interesting premise, albeit unrelatable to the average reader...." Read more

36 customers mention "Pacing"32 positive4 negative

Customers find the book's pacing fast and engaging. They find it easy to follow along and full of action, adventure, and thought-provoking themes. The book is described as a quick and easy read that quickly immerses the reader in the story.

"...The book was well written and pulled me in. I was interested in learning more about the variables and life choices between these two young men...." Read more

"...The reflection and insight shown by the author is moving...." Read more

"...It was very easy to read and follow along. It had so many details that I felt like I was there...." Read more

"The Other Wes Moore, is a riveting and well thought out book that held my attention in entirety...." Read more

26 customers mention "Value for money"26 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a good value. They say it's a great purchase and worth the effort. Readers mention it provides interesting insights and provokes thought.

"...If you haven't read this, it's well worth it...." Read more

"such a beautiful book and worth of money" Read more

"...It was well worth the effort, too...." Read more

"I needed this book for a criminal justice class, I got a cheaper price then the college was charging.. I thought it would be a boring book but when..." Read more

24 customers mention "Emotional content"21 positive3 negative

Customers find the book empathetic and thought-provoking. They appreciate the author's compassion and self-examination. The book is honest and real, with a spirit of forgiveness and acceptance.

"...It is stunning and shocking. Biography is well written featuring events, people, locations from multiple angles...." Read more

"...This book brought so much humility, while it reminded me of all those who do not have the freedom to do as they please during this time, but also..." Read more

"...The novel brings out emotions that makes you feel like it is you who is going through the adversities that are faced...." Read more

"...The author is obviously a talented, passionate person and this book is an easy, quick read....it will force you to be reflective about a lot of..." Read more

23 customers mention "Book value"23 positive0 negative

Customers find the book useful for group reading, book clubs, and class discussions. They find it appealing to young people and parents. Readers also mention it's a good resource for teachers, young leaders, and parents.

"...A great book to read with a book club! I have so many side notes that I want to discuss written in my book's margins...." Read more

"The Other Wes Moore will be a great discussion book for Everybody Reads...." Read more

"...This book should be a "must read" for teachers, youth workers and suggested reading for middle school students." Read more

"...It's fine - don't get me wrong. And it was aimed at college students (I'm 35). It just feels like I've heard it all before...." Read more

This Book Is Now A Part of My Curriculum
5 out of 5 stars
This Book Is Now A Part of My Curriculum
Have you ever encountered a book that truly changes your life? For me, this is that book. As an instructor working with incarcerated individuals seeking their High School Equivalency, I can attest to the profound impact Wes Moore's words have had on thousands behind bars. Each time I revisit this book, it gives me pause and deep reflection. I pull the quote by the current Governor of Maryland from my now worn copy, “But even the worst decisions we make don't necessarily remove us from the circle of humanity.” This book is essential reading for anyone seeking a second chance, as it powerfully illustrates the impact of our choices. It belongs in every High School Social Studies classroom and ELA circle.
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2024
    Book came in perfect shape and good packaging. Now what was in the book was truly amazing. As a life long Marylander I wanted to know more about Governor Moores story and this didn’t disappoint. I read it in less than 24 hours, from the time I picked it up I couldn’t put it down. So many lessons to learn from 2 lives. This is a book I’ll tell my future children to read. If you’re thinking about getting it, please do!
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2011
    About five weeks ago, I attended a "Building Leaders" conference in Richmond, where I was able to hear Wes Moore speak about his book and the major lessons he has learned in his lifetime. Wes was one of the most charismatic and intriguing speakers I have ever seen, so it was not surprising that I was simply unable to put his book down. Throughout the entire book, I was consistently engaged in his thought-provoking anecdotes and moving stories of the crime and violence prevalent in inner-city neighborhoods. Most importantly, though, he caused me to step back and re-evaluate the way I view the privileges I have and opportunities I am presented with every day.

    The way that "The Other Wes Moore" is set up is for the purpose of slowly building up to the final and crucial points he wishes to make, which I will mention later on. He opens up in his introduction discussing the basis for his book: how he came from a poor, rough background living on the streets of Baltimore and the Bronx, but with the support of his mother and others advocating for a brighter future for him, he eventually graduated from Valley Forge military academy, John Hopkins University and graduate school at Oxford University with the prestigious acknowledgement as a Rhodes Scholar and became a second lieutenant in the Army in Afghanistan. In contrast, there was another Wes Moore who similarly grew up not far from where he used to live in Baltimore and lived a troubled teenage life, but ended up getting in deeper trouble and serving a life sentence in prison for robbery and first-degree murder charges. The rest of the book was spent switching back and forth between both Weses, telling stories about their childhoods and the major determining events that led up to their fates--one as a prisoner, and one as a successful journalist, father, and social figure. He ended the book with discussing how to pinpoint where both Weses split in their fork in the road and managed to end up in completely different places--this part is what troubled me the most--and closed with a "Call to Action" section, with lists of organizations and ways to help better the future of our country's youth.

    Moore's conclusion on what exactly split both Weses' fates was not what the reader wants to hear, and he probably realizes that. He gave a similar answer at both the conference and in his book: that he just doesn't know. At that point, I had to pause and set down my Kindle out of utter shock. How is it that we can't figure out a single driving force that leads to success or failure? And how can we sit back and allow this world of drug, crime, and violence to continue without knowing how to guide it in the right direction? Now, I will give the author this: he breaks down the complex system of the drug activity in cities for us from the runners, hitters, and suppliers, to the game of hiding from parents and "jakes" (police), to the big money and high-profile, violent deals. It becomes obvious how easy it is to get sucked into, and seemingly impossible to get out of. But the author did, so why couldn't the other Wes Moore?

    Now I won't ruin the book, because it is so worth reading that you need to experience the deep stories and important narratives from reading it first-hand. However, I need to make sure that you realize the true point to his book before delving into it, which I have noticed many other reviews have confused. It is not to tell us exactly how to move the youth towards success, point out the single deciding moment in which both men's paths diverged, or for the author to indulge on his success and scorn the other Wes Moore's decisions/ultimate failure. Instead, Wes Moore longs to make readers thankful for our privileges as Americans, learn to seize onto every opportunity we are presented with and not let one pass by because it could be the biggest improvement of our future, and to highlight ways that we can control ours and others' fates as self-motivators and mentors. Wes talks again and again about mentors, family, and friends he had in life that helped guided him in the right direction. He also notes the way he regained control over his future, instead of letting his low expectations or his environment determine it. As a reader, all you have to do is remember these important themes Wes includes in this book so that you enter with an open mindset and a heart ready to accept a powerful message.
    35 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2014
    This book brought me to tears in the first hundred pages. The author was talking about the Wes Moore who ended up in jail, and how one of Wes’s friends had a father, and how it was so unusual for a little boy in that neighborhood to have a father. That’s just so sad to think about, how there are whole communities where being from a broken family is the norm.

    Throughout this book, we see how this lack of family support helped the “Rhodes Scholar Wes Moore” to succeed, and how absent this family support, “criminal Wes Moore” started down the wrong path. Although it’s not entirely accurate to say the “criminal Wes Moore” didn’t have family support, his big brother was present in his life and encouraged him to stay in school and not get involved with the drugs business. Unfortunately, the older brother sold drugs himself, and as the most positive influence in Wes’s life, Wes emulated his brother and wound up following in his footsteps.

    Coming from a background of relative wealth, growing up in a safe neighborhood with an in-tact family and every academic advantage, it’s unnerving to think that perhaps what separates me from the criminals in jail is partially beyond my control. Yes, it was his choice to pursue a life of crime, but if a life of drugs, violence, and poverty was all I had been exposed to, who knows if I would still have chosen to pursue a life of academia rather than a life of crime?

    The corollary to this is that the book also demonstrates how surrounding a child with positive role models can help to ensure that the child matures into a moral and successful adult. (Of course, there’s no guarantee that a good upbringing will yield a morally upstanding adult, just as a bad upbringing doesn’t guarantee a life of crime.) But the book definitely emphasizes the influence that a parent can have on a child’s life, and the difference that a good role model can make in a troubled child’s life.

    I guess this review ended up being more about my reaction to the book than the actual book. The book is engaging, though I can certainly think of nonfiction books that are more engaging. What sets this apart from a lot of books is that it was written with a larger purpose than to entertain. It was written to prompt thought and discussion on how to keep children from falling between the cracks (the author says this himself at the beginning of the book, though admittedly I’m paraphrasing). Given that motive, I’d say this book was a success, because he’s certainly prompted me to take a deeper look at things.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2024
    I read this in high school and I wanted to get it for my fiancé

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • C.D.
    5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing story of perseverance!
    Reviewed in Canada on September 26, 2021
    I introduced this novel to my grade 12 class several years ago. Even my most reluctant readers devoured it!
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars This book was amazing. I really enjoyed reading it and told all ...
    Reviewed in Australia on February 11, 2017
    This book was amazing. I really enjoyed reading it and told all my family what I'd read each time I saw them.
  • D. Pelz
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sehr lesenswert
    Reviewed in Germany on May 21, 2013
    Eine bewegende Geschichte, die gute Einblicke in die traurige Realität vieler Afroamerikaner ermöglicht. Erfolg und Misserfolg liegen oft nah bei einander. Nicht jeder hat dieselben Voraussetzungen um ein glückliches Leben zu führen.
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Love it but find the print a little smaller than ...
    Reviewed in Canada on April 15, 2018
    Reading it now! Love it but find the print a little smaller than usual!
  • Barbara
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sehr empfehlenswert!
    Reviewed in Germany on January 27, 2013
    Sehr gut erzählte Geschichte - fesselnd von der ersten Seite an! Das Buch regt einen auf jeden Fall zum nachdenken an....