It could have been me, or you

"There but for the grace of God go I," was the motto I grew up with whenever I encountered someone less fortunate. And it could just as well be the motto for the author Wes Moore.

THE OTHER WES MOORE tells parallel stories of two African-American boys who grew up in Baltimore at just about the same time. Both were raised by single mothers, both were truants and street-wise. One became a Rhodes Scholar, a White House Fellow and an author while the other is serving life in prison with no possibility of parole.

So what happened? How could two origins, so similar, result in such different endings? That, I think, was what the author Wes Moore wanted to discover. What were the turning points of each young life, what choices and decisions did each kid make? Where was luck and fortuitous happenings? Who stepped in to help and who accepted the offering? How did temperament play its part?

Psychologists have been debating nurture and nature for generations, but if I had to teach that concept to the students in the classrooms I think I'd ask them to read this book and then begin the discussion.