Book Review: The Other Wes Moore

The Other Wes Moore has made me realize that the individuals you surround yourself with will either influence your life in a positive or negative way. The author Wes had a supportive mom who truly cared about him. Joy was constantly encouraging him and wanted the best for him. Joy made sacrifices for Wes so he could have a better education. Wes and his family moved all the way to the Bronx to live with his grandparents so Wes could turn his life around. Because she believed in him and wanted him to be successful, she encouraged Wes to keep trying. She worked two jobs to support her family. This showed Wes determination and resilience. Joy positively impacted Wes and his future because she was invested in his success. However, the other Wes …show more content…
If you surround yourself with individuals who deal drugs, and do not care about their futures, you will start to become just like them. This is because the individuals we chose to get involved with, we are affected by their support or influence on us. When you have individuals around you who want you to be successful, you do not want to let them down. You feel the need not to let them down because they want the best for you. If you fail or make a mistake, you will still have them to support you and motivate you to keep trying. If you surround yourself with negative influences, you will not have anyone to help you back up when you fall. You will not have anyone who believes in you or wants you to be successful. Whatever battle you may be going through, you will feel like fighting that on your own because those negative influences will not care about helping you. I realized how lucky I am to have such great influences on my life to push to become a better person everyday. I have taken away from The Other Wes Moore that the individuals we chose to surround ourselves with will either lead us towards a successful future or one that we will