"The Other Wes Moore" by Wes Moore is the story of two black men who have a lot in common. The same name, lived in the same city of Baltimore, but whose lives took two completely different paths. The author, who is Wes Moore, graduated from college, became a Rhodes Scholar and gave a speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention which is a pretty big deal. The other Wes Moore became a drug dealer and later sentenced to life in prison for his actions in the robbery and killing of an undercover police officer. What is interesting about this real life story is the journey of how both Wes Moore's grew up in quite similar circumstances: both had single mothers, grew up in poor neighborhoods, disinterested in school, and slight run-ins with crime. But, their lives  turned out very different. The book I feel  raises the old debate about whether people's lives are shaped by genetics or environment or even both. The book reflects images on choices that both men faced growing up and how they coped with these choices, second chances and expectations. Both Wes Moore's are faced with choices about school. The author Wes Moore's mother sends him to a private school  to escape the criminal activities that occur in public schools in the Bronx where the family relocated after Moore's father dies. However, he doesn't like the school at all and doesn't fit in. He felt he was becoming too 'rich' for the kids from the neighborhood and too 'poor' for the kids at his private school. He had forgotten how to act naturally, thinking way too much in each situation and getting tangled in the contradictions between his two worlds." Soon enough he is kicked out of the private school for poor academic judgment and misconduct. In a crazy move, his mother decides to send him away to a military school in Pennsylvania to protect him from the streets. Meanwhile, the other Wes Moore, fails his way out of school, becomes a teenage father and starts selling drugs ultimately following in his older brother Tony's footsteps despite his brother's effort to keep him out of the "game." Wes then rationalizes his decision to become a drug dealer, stating "This game didn't require studying for exams. He said it doesn't require a degree or vocational skills. All he needed was a lot of ambition." The story quickly changes between each man's life and the choices presented to them and the consequences of each one  experiences as a result of their decisions. An important theme of the book is second chances. Wes decides that he wants to do something more with his life than sell drugs. He then enters a program called: Job Corps, obtains his GED, and learns carpentry skills. However, when he goes back to his old neighborhood and is unable to seek employment as a carpenter, he is forced to bounce from one  minimum wage paying job to another; Wes turns back to selling drugs. Which is not only another bad choice, but a bad decision as well. At the military school, Wes eventually gets used to his new surroundings and is mentored and coached by others who expose him to opportunities he probably would not have encountered in his old neighborhood back home in the Bronx. He then graduates from high school, does an internship with the Mayor of Baltimore, graduates college and