In chapter 2 the author, Wes Moore, heads out to a local basketball court in the Bronx where he likes to play against some of the older boys. Those who regularly show up at the court present a microcosm of life in this neck of the woods. It's not just street kids and drug dealers who congregate here but also straight-A students who just want to hang out to look cool.

What this episode illustrates is that things are so much more complex than they appear on the surface. This part of the world is ravaged by poverty, crime, and unemployment. And yet, despite the massive and seemingly intractable social problems of the Bronx, there's still a recognizable sense of community where people are able to put aside their differences as they congregate on the basketball court.

Basketball, like hip-hop, is part of a thriving culture in Wes's neighborhood that brings people together, allowing them to see, all too briefly, what they have in common—as opposed to what divides them. This insight will be explored in greater depth later on when Wes establishes contact with his namesake: the convicted murderer.