I recently learned of a book entitled The Other Wes Moore. [1] The book tells the true stories of two men. Both men are named Wes Moore. Both grew up in Maryland. Both were raised by single mothers. Both had run-ins with police as youngsters. But that’s where the similarities end. One Wes Moore became a graduate of John Hopkins and a Rhodes Scholar. He eventually served as a White House Fellow under former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. The other Wes Moore was sent to prison. He is serving a life sentence for his involvement in the killing of a police officer. The book The Other Wes Moore tries to understand why these two men with the same name and similar backgrounds had such different lives. The author concludes that the difference was caused by one thing: one Wes Moore had people on his side, and the other did not. Though the successful Wes Moore’s father died when Wes was only three, he had other family members and teachers who intervened in his life and supported him. The imprisoned Wes Moore saw his father only three times. It was during the third and final visit that this Wes Moore’s father looked up from a drunken stupor and asked, “Who are you?” One Wes Moore grew up with people who were on his side. The other did not. That made all the difference.Read More »Fringe: The Fringe Condition of Poverty God Favors (Matt. 5:3)
