The Work

April 6, 2015
Moore's memoir, a meditation on what makes various types of work worth doing, is an intriguing follow-up to his bestselling The Other Wes Moore, which explored success and failure for black youth in American society. After embracing the messages of service, self-confidence, and risk-taking found in Gen. Colin Powell's inspirational autobiography, Moore earns a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University, does a stint as a trader at Deutsche Bank, and eventually goes off to military duty in one of the most dangerous areas in Afghanistan. While a Citibank employee, Moore saw the financial collapse up close, and he mourns the loss of jobs and fortunes during the crisis. Moore takes advantage of every opportunity to try something new, but he sometimes skimps on his descriptions of his experiences, giving the broad headlines rather than revealing details. However, he does engage in sincere soul-searching and analysis that make the less satisfying sections of the book worth slogging through.Moore makes a convincing case that work has the most value if it's built on a foundation of service, selflessness, courage, and risk-taking.

December 1, 2014
Moore further explores his life's accomplishments and struggles and the everyday significance of "fate and meaning." Following a best-selling debut juxtaposing his mentored childhood against that of a ne'er-do-well namesake in Baltimore (The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates, 2010), the author's second book charts his personal history through active military duty and time on Wall Street. Though a less-charismatic offshoot of that former effort, Moore's writing remains consistently articulate and escorts readers through a decade of pivotal years when he left his childhood home for academic study at Oxford University in England in 2001, through a data-analysis internship with the Department of Homeland Security and a promising career in investment banking, which he sacrificed for deployment as a soldier in the war in Afghanistan. Moore's wartime experiences provide a compelling narrative of personal determination and dedication to lead others with strength, yet he also deftly examines his comprehension of the larger impact and ironies of global conflict and American foreign policy. The author continues to chronicle his personal history with an often frustrating stint as a White House Fellow ("[m]oving the deep bureaucracy of lifelong civil servants was more like steering a tanker than a speedboat"), work in finance, and finally as a husband, father, public speaker, entrepreneur and youth advocate. Though the memoir's timeline meanders and Moore's sense of focus occasionally drifts, the book is ultimately unified by generous profiles of upstanding "workers" whose consistent acts of youth mentorship, veteran rehabilitation, product development and selfless humanitarianism are remarkable yet often overlooked or underappreciated in contemporary society. The takeaway is crystal clear: Take pride in your endeavors, and make every attempt to discover the "meaning of success in a volatile, difficult, and seemingly anchorless world." An inspired story of a passionate American who has delved into a variety of livelihoods and made a distinctive mark on each.

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December 15, 2014
In his best-selling memoir, The Other Wes Moore (2010), Moore recalled an extraordinary life story of adolescent stumbles in inner-city America that might have cost him his life or freedom but instead led him to study at Oxford. In this follow-up book, Moore ponders the journey beyond changes in life circumstances to a search for meaning in life through work and career. He tells his own whirlwind story of Oxford, investment banking, military service, a White House Fellowshipall the while questioning how the work he did contributed to the lives of others. Moore recounts similar quests by others, including a retired air force lieutenant colonel who is now the principal of an inner-city school, two returned vets who build homes for disabled veterans, an associate director of the Peace Corps, for-profit social venture entrepreneurs, and the maker of KIND snack bars. Moore has created his own nonprofit to help students adjust to that crucial first year in college. This is a beautifully philosophical look at the expectation that work should bring meaning to our lives through service to others.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2014

An American student at Oxford after 9/11. A combat officer in Afghanistan. Special assistant to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. An Obama campaigner. A Wall Street banker. And now a community activist in his hometown, Baltimore. As already suggested in his hugely best-selling first book, The Other Wes Moore, Moore has come far from his days as a fatherless boy on the streets, and he's had some cliff-hanging moments along the way. Here he tells his life story to help others, especially young people, struggling with the question, "What is my work?" A 12-city tour; pushed back from April 2014.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2013

A Rhodes scholar, combat officer in Afghanistan, special assistant to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Obama campaigner, Wall Street banker during the crash, community activist, and best-selling author (The Other Wes Moore), Moore has had some cliff-hanging moments in his rise from a fatherless boyhood on the streets. He tells his life story to help others with the question, "What is my work?" With a 12-city tour.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.