The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

Moore provides statistics of graduation rates in Maryland, which are as high as 85% in some years. However, in Baltimore where Wes lived, “it was a dismal 38 percent” (108). Moore describes the graduation of Wes’s friend Woody, “who made it across the finish line kicking and screaming” (109).

After spending six months looked up for shooting Ray, Wes came home to Dundee Village. His sentence was so light because Ray suffered minor injuries, and so Wes was only charged with attempted murder as a minor, since the judge believed “he would not be a potential threat to the community” (110). Wes returned to school immediately, but he knew he wouldn’t last long. Because he hadn’t finished high school and had a criminal record, he found it very difficult to get a job to support his new baby. He lived with his Aunt Nicey and “[made] himself scarce” to avoid her strict conditions (110).

While he was out of the house, he ran his drug operation, which had a specific hierarchy of players. His team earned $4,000 a day at their peak. Statistically, “there was an obvious glut of addicts” (112), with more than 100,000 people using drugs in Baltimore alone. Given that incredible demand, “it was hard not to make money” (112).