Gustavus Adolphus College has selected The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore as its Reading in Common book for the 2012-13 academic year. Moore is tentatively scheduled to make a public appearance on campus on Tuesday, Sept. 11.
The Other Wes Moore tells the story of two kids with the same name, living in the same city. One grew up to be a Rhodes Scholar, decorated combat veteran, White House Fellow, and business leader. The other is serving a life sentence in prison for felony murder. Told in alternating dramatic narratives that take readers from heart-wrenching losses to moments of surprising redemption, the book tells the story of a generation of boys trying to find their way in a challenging and at times, hostile world.
The author Wes Moore graduated Phi Theta Kappa as a commissioned officer from Valley Forge Military College in 1998 and Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in international relations. He completed a master of letters degree in international relations from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in 2004. He went on to be a paratrooper and Captain in the United States Army, serving a combat tour of duty in Afghanistan with the elite 1st Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division in 2005-06. A White House Fellow in 2006-07, Moore served as a Special Assistant to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Following his time at the White House, Moore became an investment professional in New York at Citigroup, focusing on global technology and alternative investments.
Wes Moore
Next year will be the 13th year of the Reading in Common program at Gustavus. All first-year students are expected to read the chosen book during the summer and then meet with faculty members and other Gustavus students during New Student Orientation to discuss it. New Student Orientation is also loosely based around the themes found in the book.
Books for the Reading in Common program are chosen based on their literary quality, reading manageability, interdisciplinary nature, and the author’s availability for a campus appearance. The Other Wes Moore will double as the fall selection for the St. Peter Reads program.
Copies of The Other Wes Moore will soon be available for purchase in the Book Mark. For more information about the Reading in Common program at Gustavus, contact Ruble at 507-933-7597 or mruble@gustavus.edu.
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Media Contact: Director of Media Relations and Internal Communication Luc Hatlestad
luch@gustavus.edu
507-933-7510
Sounds like a great choice! Can’t wait to read it!