book report [the other wes moore]

Did you have a good holiday weekend? Good! We were busy busy busy. But this post is about reading, not projects. This was a quick read, so maybe this will be a quick post...This book is getting passed around the In-Law side of the family, starting from Oregon...the public library in Portland has a program called Everybody Reads where they name a book for the year, you read it, then pass it along to whomever else you think ought to read it...with no late book fees.  There are discussion groups and talks you can attend too.  Portland folks can tell you more about it I'm sure.  It's a neat idea...similar to San Francisco's One City One Book program. 

The Other Wes Moore is a non-fiction account of two boys with the same name who started life just a few streets away from each other but as a product of the choices they made & the support systems they had went down very different paths in life (life in prison vs. Rhodes Scholar). The story is a good reminder to reach out and offer guidance or direction to someone who is straying, or to tell anyone, hey, you can do better.  There is a huge list of youth advocacy groups and resources in the back of the book. I'll add one to the list: A Home Within.  They help foster kids get someone (a professional) to talk to...a little mental and emotional stability for a potentially chaotic life. Seems like a good idea, right? As forThe Other Wes Moore, I actually wouldn't be surprised if it gets made into a movie...the story is like a split screen of The Wire and The Blind Side (sort of).