It’s been a little longer than I would have liked to write this post, but I had to finish this book in its entirety as well as develop my thoughts. The book: The Other Wes Moore One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore was an incredible tale. To generalize (which is not giving the book the credit it deserves) would be to simply say that this is a memoir of sorts about two men each named Wes Moore. While that is true it is much deeper than the surface of their lives.

I highly recommend this book to everyone – teachers, students, adults, professors. I believe everyone can gain a little knowledge about themselves and the society around them. As you may have already established, I am passionate in my views regarding the disparities of society surrounding race and economics. In the telling of the lives of each Wes Moore I found so many of the things I felt about society come alive in their life stories. Wes Moore presents the book in chapters with two sections to every chapter – his story and Wes’ story. The side by side portrayal allows the differences in their lives (and possibly their fates) to come alive and the disparities glare at you with unapologetic reality.

One thing that remains with me is a question Wes Moore poses to the imprisoned Wes and Wes’ response. The question is in the introductory section of Part III of the book “Paths Taken and Expectations Fulfilled.” Each part has an introductory section, which is an excerpt from an interview conducted at the prison by Wes. Wes asks, “Do you think we’re all just products of our environments?” The imprisoned Wes answers, “I think so, or maybe products of our expectations.” Wes elaborates on his point saying, “… others’ expectations that you take on as your own.”

I keep thinking about this. Mainly because I am one of those people that believe you are a product of your environment – both the environment inside and outside of your home. But I also think about this because I believe there is validity in the statement. For those that have succeeded, most have done so because they have had people rooting for them – believing in them. They have had mentors or family and friends that believe their success is probable. There are exceptions to this of course – where people want to prove others wrong and show them in spite of the lack of support and belief in them they will succeed. But those exceptions are not what kept this in my mind.

I haven’t always had the easiest life. I was fortunate to have a two family household – so people tell me, but my parents fought constantly. To my mother’s heartbreak in my adulthood I shared a sad truth, I do not have one happy memory with both my parents in it. My happiest moments of my childhood are with my friends, my grandmother, or my parents separately. They eventually separated, when I was 14 and going to high school. My mother lost a husband. I lost a father. I moved in with my grandparents. Even with the instability at home one thing that remained constant was the push from my mother to do well in school. She always told me I could be anything I wanted to be in life and to let nothing stop me from true success. My teachers, in the private school my parents could hardly afford, instilled this same belief – I could be anything. Enough people told me this that I believed and sought out this expectation of me.

The imprisoned Wes Moore was never told those things. His criminal brother Tony did tell him to stay in school, but when you’re in and out of prison and your actions aren’t positive those words hold no meaning. His mother simply asked him not to be like Tony, but never gave him guidance on what he could be. I am not placing blame on his mother… she too was a product of this same reality. The low expectations society places on certain people (the economically repressed and forced urban dwellers) become instead [of positivity] what is ingrained in the budding minds of the youth.

Wes writes, in a section about his life, “‘Justin, you are a good kid, you need to stay away from Wes or you will end up going nowhere like he will.’ Justin simply shook his head and ignored him. It amazed Justin how easily they would write off a twelve-year-old.” This quote details an interaction between Justin (Wes’ best friend) and a teacher. At twelve-years old teachers had a remarkably low expectation of Wes. Fortunately his fate provided strong mentors and people who believed in his success. His mother was always a stronghold in this belief.

And so it makes me wonder, are we the products of our expectations?

Please read the book, you will more than love it. You will be inspired. http://theotherwesmoore.com/

Thank you Wes Moore for sharing your story as well as Wes’.

notjustmythoughts