Never Far from Home: My Journey from Brooklyn to Hip Hop, Microsoft, and the Law

In this earnest debut, lawyer Jackson recounts his rise from living in public housing to becoming associate general counsel for Microsoft. Growing up in 1970s New York City, Jackson developed his drive after his high school history teacher told him that he wasn’t “college material.” After graduation, he attended Hofstra University, where he experienced the “culture shock” of being around “so many white folks,” and, later, he declined accounting job offers to attend Georgetown Law. Jackson recalibrated his career aspirations after two years of being “the only Black attorney at an otherwise all-white law firm” and forged a decade-long career in entertainment law before he was recruited by Microsoft. Jackson is incisive as he describes the isolation he felt at predominantly white universities and law firms, and at Microsoft, which compelled him to advocate for inclusion and diversity in the workplace. He pulls no punches when discussing the racism he’s experienced throughout his life, but he remains determined to rise above the “unfairness in the DNA of our society”: “If you want to move forward in life, there’s no option: you’ve got to keep moving.” Readers will be inspired. Agent: Frank Weimann, Folio Literary. (Feb.)