Author, educator and entrepreneur Wes Moore will present the One Book One Campus keynote lecture at the Illini Union at 7 p.m. Dec. 8. An informal reception and book signing will immediately follow the presentation.
Moore will speak about his New York Times’ best-selling book, “The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates.” The book tells the story of two men who grew up with remarkable similarities: They shared the same moniker, had difficult childhoods without fathers, and were raised in Baltimore neighborhoods just miles apart. Both ran into trouble with the law.
Author Wes Moore grew up to be a Rhodes Scholar, an esteemed veteran and a White House Fellow, while the other Wes Moore went to prison for the murder of an off-duty police officer. After a series of interviews, Wes Moore wrote this fascinating story chronicling their individual narratives in an attempt to uncover why each individual had such opposite outcomes after beginning their lives in parallel circumstances.
Wes Moore is a youth advocate, social entrepreneur and the host of “Beyond Belief” on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Moore was elected Phi Beta Kappa at Johns Hopkins University and founded the organization STAND! that works with Baltimore youth involved in the criminal justice system.
Created in 2005, One Book One Campus is a program that promotes and encourages campuswide engagement. Programs are built around the book with lectures and discussion groups creating dialogue. “The Other Wes Moore” was chosen by the Office of the Chancellor from several finalist books that were selected by a committee comprising students, faculty and staff members.
The lecture is lecture and open to the public.
