Poverty is not something a child can control. You can't control whether your parents work or whether there is substance abuse in your family because a child is just a child. This is a story based on two children, born in Baltimore and raised in very similar circumstances with identical names: Wes Moore. One of the boys went on to live a successful life and pulled himself out of the hole he was put in with no choice, and the other seemed to dig his hole deeper. After researching and tracking down "the other Wes Moore", Moore visits him in prison where he will serve a life sentence after committing murder during an armed robbery of a jewelry store. After converting to Islam, the other Wes Moore assists Moore in researching this non-fiction novel to spread his story and hopefully help kids out of their holes. The author, Wes Moore (known as Moore) grew up with a mother and two sisters and soon lost his father to a heart attack. After his father's death, Moore's family moved to the Bronx to be with his mother Joy's parents. Joy soon realizes that the Bronx isn't what it used to be, and Moore explains her new neighborhood as a "war zone." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the long run, Moore faces many challenges both academically and mentally as he tries to escape the drug epidemic in the Bronx. He is eventually sent to a military school (after receiving probation from his private school) where he learned to appreciate the opportunity that saved his life. Wes on the other hand grew up with a mother and an older brother Tony who got involved in the drug dealing game at an early age. Wes' first experience with the police was when he was just a kid and got into a fight with a neighborhood boy. When Wes pulled out a knife, the police handcuffed him and that was his first arrest. Following in his brother's footsteps, Wes turns to weed and then sells other drugs like cocaine. Wes becomes a father of four with two different mothers and now has a lot of pressure to provide for his family. Wes describes the feeling of becoming a young father as “a point of no return.” Wanting to regain his life, Wes attends and graduates from the Labor Corps and then receives a series of temporary jobs, but none that can pay the bills. Wes goes back to square one and starts cooking crack. When Wes decided Job Corps wasn't for him, his last resort was robbery, for which he earned a life sentence. The story switches from the author's point of view, to him telling the story of the other Wes Moore. Moore compares their hardships and compares their ways to get out of the bad news they were living in. It shows the point of view of both mothers and how much they tried to guide their boys in the right direction. Moore creates a narrative aimed at giving hope to kids who need it, and Wes shares his story to explain what happens in reality if you get trapped in the games he was trapped in. I liked how the author incorporated both sides of his childhood. He did a good job explaining how he found himself in the situations he found himself in and how each experience shaped him into the man he is now. I appreciate Wes' willingness and vulnerability when he openly shares stories of his life while behind bars. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Without his part of the story, it would be more of a personal anecdote than a parable.