The Wes Moores' Map by 2027John Purnell

Baltimore, MD

9962242 — 2025-05-08 14:22:28 UTC

Start of the author Wes Moores lives. Wes Moore, the author, also grew up here and only really remembers this area because of his father, who died at an early age. This was shown when Wes Moore writes, "That is one of only two memories I have of my father. The other was when I watched him die" (Moore 11). This shows the authors early life memories in Baltimore with his father before he moved to the Bronx.

Bronx, NY

9962242 — 2025-05-08 14:23:49 UTC

After Wes Moore's (Author) dad died, Wes Moore's family moved from Baltimore to the Bronx. This change had a big impact on his life. The Bronx was a much tougher place, with a lot of crime, poverty, and worries about safety which was a tough transition for him. This was shown in the quote, "My mother decided soon after our move to the Bronx that I was not going to public school. She wasn't a snob, she was scared" (Moore 47). This shows the danger in the Bronx and that Wes Moore's mom did not feel comfortable sending her son to public school in this area.

Valley Forge Military Academy and College, Eagle Road, Wayne, PA

9962242 — 2025-05-08 14:26:08 UTC

(Author) Wes Moore was having trouble in school and getting into trouble, so he was sent to Valley Forge Military Academy. Here, he started to grow up and become more mature. The strict rules taught him discipline, responsibility, and how to be a leader. It helped him figure out what he wanted to do with his life. A quote that really shows this is, "It was a different psychological environment, where my normal expectations were inverted, where leadership was honored and class clowns were ostracized" (Moore 96). This quote shows the big difference that Wes Moore faced once he realized what strict harsh rules were like compared to living a normal life in the Bronx.

Cape Town, South Africa

9962242 — 2025-05-08 14:29:56 UTC

(Author) Wes Moore visits Cape Town, South Africa. He saw how people were treated unfairly because of apartheid, which was racial segregation that was enforced by the South African government. He walked through poor areas and talked to people who struggled. This helped him see how the past can affect people’s lives, and it made him want to help others in South Africa and become a leader. A quote to support this was when Wes Moore says, "On our third cup of tea, Mama began to tell me about her husband and his role as a freedom fighter during apartheid" (Moore 167). This shows that by talking with his host family, Moore learns about their struggles during apartheid and helps him better understand South Africa’s history.

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

2025-05-08 14:38:04 UTC

Author Wes Moore attended Johns Hopkins University on a scholarship. Played football during his time. Represented a massive achievement for his family, as his mother's scholarship to JHU was cut when they were young. Moore describes the moment when he told his mother, "I read the letter aloud to my mother over the phone, and she screamed in excitement" (160). The achievement symbolizes the accumulation of all the hard work that his mother and Wes himself invested, through all their hardships. Also represents what could've been for the other Wes Moore.

Riverdale Country School, Fieldston Road, The Bronx, NY

9962242 — 2025-05-08 14:41:39 UTC

(Author) Wes Moore’s mom sent him to Riverdale Country School to give him a better chance at life. But when he got there, he felt out of place because most of the students were rich and from very different backgrounds. He didn't fit in at school, and it made him feel disconnected from both the school and his old life in the Bronx. This was shown in the quote, "Everytime I looked around at the buildings and the trees and the view of the river, I was reminded of the sacrifices my mother was making to keep me there. And everytime I looked at my fellow students, I was reminded of how little I fit in" (Moore 52). This quote shows Wes Moore realizing himself not fitting in with the rest even though his mom is doing her best to give him the best opportunity.

Baltimore, MD

9962242 — 2025-05-09 02:00:27 UTC

Incarcerated Wes Moore also grew up in Baltimore but grew up in the Murphy Homes projects, where there is a lot of crime. This was clearly shown in the book on page 26 when the author writes, "The Murphy Homes were built in 1962 and named after George Murphy... but just as often they went by the self-explanatory nickname, Murder Homes. (Moore 26).

Philadelphia, PA

9962242 — 2025-05-09 02:03:36 UTC

The incarcerated Wes Moore gets arrested in Pennsylvania. He was lying low in Philadelphia with Tony, in his uncle's house. He recalls, "he and Tony continued to move through the crowded Germantown streets toward his uncle's house in North Philadelphia. The crime-ridden neighborhood was where Tony and Wes had escaped just days after the murder" (153). Tony and Wes escaping to a place full of crime symbolizes their lives, how even if they try to escape, they cannot run away from their past mistakes. The violence and drugs follow them at every path, until they are eventually thrown into jail

Jessup Correctional Institution, House of Correction Road, Jessup, MD

2025-05-09 02:39:22 UTC

The prison where the Incarcerated Wes Moore serves his life sentence. This is where he writes to the author Wes Moore, shown in the introduction.

Fort Benning, GA

2025-05-09 02:51:27 UTC

The location where the author Wes Moore becomes a paratrooper. Represents a challenge for him, as he recalled "some of the toughest schools in the military take place at Fort Benning, have earned the base the nickname 'the land that God forgot'" (135). Saying this while inside the place highlights his stress and fear for the moment, however the leap of faith that he takes represents the many leaps of faith he and his mother took that enabled him on this path to become Jumpmaster.

Woodstock Job Corps Center, Old Court Road, Woodstock, MD

2025-05-09 03:23:07 UTC

The place where the incarcerated Wes Moore tries to create a decent living for himself and his family. He was inspired to build a house for his daughter, as "he'd learned skills, gained confidence, and finally felt his life could go in a different direction. He stayed at the Job Corps Center so he could provide a better life for his kids" (144). This marked a turning point, one where Wes could turn his life around and make a fair living, but the pressures of his past weighed too much on him and he was forced back into the drug business.