Never Far from Home

My Journey from Brooklyn to Hip Hop, Microsoft, and the Law

By: Bruce Jackson

Narrated by: Bruce Jackson

Microsoft’s 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 pre-gentrified 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 Nooyi’s My Life in Full and Viola Davis’s 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 company’s 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 Manhattan’s 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 Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, and its founder, Bill Gates, to advising some of the biggest stars in music, Bruce Jackson’s 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).

Quote From the Author

Sadly, I learned that many things I believed to be true were summarized by the author Bruce Jackson. He said,”Unfairness is the DNA of our society.” I strongly recommend this book if you are an intelligent human open to learning how you might learn how to make a difference.

Powerful, moving, and inspiring memoir

I really enjoyed learning about Bruce Jackson's journey and hearing his story in his own words and voice. Never Far From Home is an inspiring, honest, and deeply personal story full of poignant reminders of both how far we've come and how big divides and inequity remain in corporate America and beyond.

Excellent perspective!

Bruce gives an amazing performance of his life and experiences! I felt like his perspective is so important to hear and be shared.

A Peak into the World of a Legal Trailblazer

Bruce does an outstanding job of detailing the transformational power of education. His life was changed by it and it opened up a whole new world. He did a great job of letting his passion chart a path for his success. He also speaks truthfully about being Black in America and the impact of race on his life.

Wonderful story

Mr. Jackson that was a awesome story. I told Mr. Henderson how much I enjoyed the story and saw a lot of the things in this book that mirrored my life. Thank you for sharing your story with the world.