Never Far From Home
By Bruce Jackson
Pub Date Feb 7, 2023
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I’m a sucker for a good rags-to-riches memoir and Jackson did not disappoint. I was inspired by the way Jackson was able to succeed even though his home life did not value education as a path out of poverty. His success was supported by mentors in his life,
Great book and I recommend it.
4 stars

I’m a sucker for a good rags-to-riches memoir and Never Far From Home did not disappoint. Jackson grew up poor, in the NYC projects. He repeatedly faced racism, and a slew of adults who underestimated his intelligence as well as his resilience, grit and determination. “It was, in some ways, the worst sort of racism, the kind based not on hatred but on assumptions and ignorance.” I was inspired by the way Jackson was able to transcend a home life that did not value education as a path out of poverty. As an advocate for youth in foster care, Jackson’s perspective opened my eyes to issues that I had never thought about. The high school co-op program, a program that essentially put a ceiling on Jackson’s goals and aspirations, and the lessons that he learned from that experience, was one example. Additionally, Jackson has an important view on diversity in the workplace, and this book would be a valuable read for companies interested in supporting true inclusion.

Jackson’s success was supported by mentors and trusted advisors, a real village. Towards the end of the memoir, it began to feel more like a thank you note to those individuals, taking me out of the narrative of the story.

My thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in any way.

My thanks to Net Galley, Atria, and the personal invitation I received to review this book and open my mind to something I would not have originally picked up. Bruce s story is full of emotion, support, and inspiration. A much needed lift during these tough times. Recommend.

What an interesting and uplifting story! Bruce Jackson grew up in the projects, and as a young person his life was definitely headed in the wrong direction. Thanks to his family, especially his grandmother, education for hims was a priority. Eventually, he graduated from Georgetown Law School. held various positions in the entertainment and technology industries (among others), and even started his own company. He is now the associate general counsel at Microsoft.

Bruce had a lot of encouragement from many people — as well as a few good breaks — along the way, but it was his tenacity that kept him going and got him where he is today. His memoir, which is beautifully written, should serve as a shining example to others, giving any reader mounds of hope the he/she can definitely achieve his/her dreams..

This is a story of hope and tenacity. You will find that Bruce Jackson rose from a very poor background only because of his continued strength and never giving up. It looked as if Bruce would be subjected to a life of
crime or poverty. But with the urging of others (and some big breaks) this would not be his outcome. Bruce rises from the lowly projects in Crown Heights NY to Assoc. General Counsel of Microsoft. Many stops along the way will teach him about life, love and how a small break can change ones life. Read this story to inspire you to become all that you can be.....never give up....

Never far from home by Bruce Jackson is the story of his life and survival. Bruce was a poor African American kid raised in the projects of New York. Most of his life he lived with his mother and siblings in New York City and at times with his grandmother in Brooklyn. He had a very supportive over-extended family.

Growing up in the projects he saw it all, theft, drugs and murder just to name a few. He had friends that skipped school, sold drugs, used drugs, stole things and got themselves killed. He was involved in some not so legal activities also, mainly to raise money as that was something there was never enough of in his family. His life could have gone in a very different direction if not for his family. His Grandmother was his biggest supporter of education. She wanted him to do well, go on to college, and make something of himself.

Bruce met many people along the way that wound up rooting for him, helping him find ways to access what was needed to better himself. That isn’t to say that he didn’t make mistakes, even getting himself arrested a couple of times and thrown into jail even though he was not guilty. What this brought out was how the African American people are constantly profiled by the police with the assumption being that they are guilty mainly because of who they are.

Bruce went on to Graduate from Georgetown law with both a law degree and masters in law. He worked in the entertainment business, technology, starting his own company as well as working for others. In most of places outside of his own, he found that he was the minority lawyer in the companies.
This aided in his push for more diversity and inclusion in the companies. Bruce is currently the associate general counsel with Microsoft.

I found his life story to be interesting and informative. I had no idea about the challenges the African American population faced and from what you see today, it has not changed much. So much more needs to be done. I thank Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this before release in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend it.