Description

Microsofts associate general counsel shares a story that is as nuanced as it is hopeful Hakeem Jeffries House Minority Leader about his rise from childhood poverty in pregentrified New York City to a stellar career at the top of the technology and music industries in this stirring true story of grit and perseverance For fans of Indra Nooyis My Life in Full and Viola Daviss Finding Me

As an accomplished Microsoft executive Bruce Jackson handles billions of dollars of commerce as its associate general counsel while he plays a crucial role in the companys corporate diversity efforts But few of his colleagues can understand the weight he carries with him to the office each day He kept his past hidden from sight as he ascended the corporate ladder but shares it in full for the first time here

Born in Crown Heights Brooklyn Jackson moved to Manhattans Amsterdam housing projects as a child where he had already been falsely accused and arrested for robbery by the age of ten At the age of fifteen he witnessed the homicide of his close friend Taken in by the criminal justice system seduced by a burgeoning drug trade and burdened by a fractured impoverished home life Jackson stood on the edge of failure But he was saved by an offer That offer set him on a better path off the streets and eventually on the way to Georgetown Law but not without hard knocks along the way

From public housing to working for Microsofts president Brad Smith and its founder Bill Gates to advising some of the biggest stars in music Bruce Jacksons Never Far from Home is an important story extremely well told that should serve as a lesson on how we got here and where we need to go Fred D Gray activist and civil rights attorney