Have students read about the two themes.  Have them support the underlined portion of the text with specific examples from The Other Wes Moore.  Ask them to choose another theme and explain how it was represented in the text. 

Themes 

Identity

Because the author became wrapped up in a story about another man with a similar background and name, the examination of the other Wes Moore then, by comparison and contrast, became an examination of himself. The story also ponders the effects of race, location, socioeconomic status, family and community on an individual’s identity, as well as the labels and/or status that get attached to a person as they move through their lives: delinquent, Rhodes Scholar, father, soldier. The essential question the book attempts to answer is why these two men had such different lives, and by investigating these factors that contribute to the individual’s future, it presents a clearer picture of the whole person as a summary of these “parts,” personalities aside.

Choices vs. Fate

Crucial to Moore’s point and “call to action” is the notion that there are crucial moments and decisions in a person’s life that sets him/her on a particular trajectory. This is what makes the subtitle of the book problematic (“one name, two fates”) because the inclusion of “fate” implies that the Wes Moores’ lot in life was destined and set without their stir. However, the author argues that there were deliberate choices made in his life (some without his control) that were critical in the difference between himself and the other Wes Moore. He is clear to argue in the Afterword that it isn’t necessarily one moment or choice that determines a person’s success, rather a series of points or crossroads.