The Work: my search for a life that matters by Wes Moore

On Monday, October 5th, the Booked for the Day Book Group met to discuss, The Work: my search for a life that matters.  Here are a few things we discussed during the meeting:

• We started our discussion with the question, did this book inspire you? Most of the group thought that this book’s main target was younger adults.  We thought that this book would be wonderful for someone in their late teens or 20's who was seeking a way to make a difference.
• Our main take away from this memoir is that family support or support in any means is key to reaching your potential. And one of the greatest avenues to a meaningful life of our own is to give that same support to others. Moore had a supportive extended family who sacrificed to make sure Moore was able to have the opportunities that he had. In addition, his life experiences showed what a difference connections can make for career success.
• We all like the quote of his grandfather, “People need to think that you care before they will care what you think.”
• One note that he struck with us was his perception of government service and how there really are competent people in government whose mission is to help and serve the public. We liked his explanation of why the U.S. provides foreign aid and he gave us a better understanding of the philosophy behind it.
• We also appreciated his stories about his service in Afghanistan. The fact that he felt most fulfilled during his time there was a surprise to most of us. We talked about the catch phrase that is used, “Thank you for your service.” Moore told us that instead ask, “What was it like, tell me your story.” He emphasizes that their stories deserve to be heard.  
• We also liked when he talked about doing what you are passionate about. The fact that he mentioned families made us feel a little better about ourselves.
• Some of us thought that this book was a prelude to a political career and we discussed whether we would vote for him.
• We did think that this book was poorly edited with very confusing chapter titles. There are meaningful stories throughout, but the context and connections between them was difficult to understand.
• Most of the group read Wes Moore’s book, The Other Wes Moore and did not think that this book was as interesting. Most of the group thought that they would recommend the book but perhaps to a younger audience.

These are just a few things mentioned during the discussion. Please feel free to add any of your thoughts in the comment section.