Wes Moore, author of Gustavus Adolphus College’s Reading in Common selection for 2012, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates, will speak publicly at the College at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11 in Christ Chapel. Moore will also sign books after his speaking appearance. The event is free and open to the public.
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.
2012 marks 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.
Questions regarding the Gustavus Reading in Common Program or Wes Moore’s speaking appearance on Tuesday, Sept. 11, can be directed to Director of Student Activities Megan Ruble at mruble@gustavus.edu.
Moore’s lecture will be live streamed through the College’s Stretch Internet portal.
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