Many individuals say that a person is a product of its surroundings. And for two young men from Baltimore, this could not be any more accurate. In “The Other Wes Moore” by Wes Moore, the author talks about two young boys who shared the same name and the contributions they did in their lives that made them turn out the way they are. Both Wes’ grew up in similar environment with tough childhood and without the presence of a father. Where one becomes very successful and a Rhodes Scholar, and the other is heavily involved in the drug game and receives a life sentence in prison for serving a part in a murder of a former police officer. This book is a major example of how certain decisions can affect one’s life. Both Wes’ had similar lives, yet they ended up in different paths. There are few factors why they ended up having different paths and those factors are; parental support and figures, the environment style, and the social influences. In The Other Wes Moore, family ties are very strong and both families of the two boys had certain expectations for them, but one family more than the other. Moore asserts that family support shapes one’s identity …show more content…
And both Moores had positive and negative social influences. This essay by now established the influence family members can make in a person’s life, and in TOWM, family influence is a major key. Both Wes’ were influenced by at least one family member and respectively shaped the people they became. Similarly, the boys had friends who impacted them positively and negatively. When the author Wes started attending Riverdale all the students around him were white, therefore, he felt left out. Until, he met Justin who was the only other black kid in the school. “My mother saw Riverdale as a haven, a place where I could escape my neighborhood and open my horizons. But for me, it was where I got lost” (Moore