Hitting the Books: Meet the man who helped Microsoft break into the entertainment business

Some of us are destined to lead successful lives thanks to the circumstances of our birth. Some of us, like attorney Bruce Jackson, are destined to lead such lives in spite them. Raised in New York's Amsterdam housing projects and subjected to the daily brutalities of growing up a black man in America, Jackson's story is ultimately one of tempered success. Sure he went on to study at Georgetown Law before representing some of the biggest names in hip hop — LL Cool J, Heavy D, the Lost Boyz and Mr. Cheeks, SWV, Busta Rhymes — and working 15 years as Microsoft's associate general counsel. But at the end of the day, he is still a black man living in America, with all the baggage that comes with it.In his autobiography, Never Far from Home (out now from Atria), Jackson recounts the challenges he has faced in life, of which there are no shortage: from being falsely accused of robbery at age 10 to witnessing the murder of his friend at 15 to spending a night in lockup as an adult for the crime of driving his own car; the shock of navigating Microsoft's lillywhite workforce following years spent in the entertainment industry, and the end of a loving marriage brought low by his demanding work. While Jackson's story is ultimately one of triumph, Never Far from Home reveals a hollowness, a betrayal, of the American Dream that people of Bill Gates' (and this writer's) complexion will likely never have to experience. In the excerpt below, Jackson recalls his decision to leave a... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2023-02-19 15:30:33 UTC ]
News tagged with: #television shows #thousand miles #black culture #civil rights #bill clinton #digital media

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Hitting the Books: Meet the man who helped Microsoft break into the entertainment business'


Hitting the Books: Dodge, Detroit and the Revolutionary Union Movement of 1968

After decades on the decline intro, America's labor movement is undergoing a massive renaissance with Starbucks, Amazon and Apple Store employees leading the way. Though the tech sector has only just begun basking in the newfound glow of collective bargaining rights, the automotive industry has... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-05-01 14:00:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #male counterparts #book club


People Who Shaped the Book Business

A glance at the movers and shakers over a century, and some who have starred in the past 25 years (reprinted from PW's 125th Anniversary issue in July 1997) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book business


Meet the P.I. who helped unlock key testimony in a sexual assault case

In the masterful "Tell Me Everything," Erika Krouse explores her uncanny ability to elicit candor, even from perfect strangers. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-03-29 11:00:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #perfect strangers


Books That Help Us Talk With Children About War (shelftalker)

Conversation starters to help kids understand and process our world’s most dreadful events. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-04 13:52:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Can a Self-Help Book Really Change Your Life?

The genre promises easy fixes for intractable problems, but some conflicts can’t be solved by individuals alone: Your weekly guide to the best in books Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2022-02-25 15:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #weekly guide #self-help book


Britney Spears lands ‘record-breaking’ book deal for tell-all memoir

Pop star’s memoir was subject of a massive bidding war, and comes weeks after she sent a cease-and-desist letter to her sister over her own autobiographyBritney Spears has landed a “record-breaking” publishing deal for a tell-all memoir about her rise to fame, her relationship with her family... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-02-22 01:12:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pop star #cease-and-desist letter #publishing deal #memoir #book deal


Hitting the Books: Lab-grown meat is the future, just as Winston Churchill predicted

From domestication and selective breeding to synthetic insulin and CRISPR, humanity has long sought understand, master and exploit the genetic coding of the natural world. In The Genesis Machine: Our Quest to Rewrite Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology authors Amy Webb, professor of strategic... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-02-19 16:30:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #trader joe #detective work #wide variety #good chance


Want to help stop book bans? The Authors Guild has tools for you.

If you’ve been paying attention to local news in the past year, you’ve likely noticed the concerning wave of book bans sweeping the nation. Books by authors of color; books that acknowledge historical atrocities; books featuring LGBTQ+ characters; sex education books for teens; all are under... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-02-09 19:49:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #paying attention #local news #authors guild


How Reading John McPhee’s Book on Tennis Helped Me Write About Skateboarding

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” –Arthur Ashe * Years ago, when I was still a budding fiction writer, I published an essay about how hard skateboarding is to write about. I focused on a few novelists who had skater characters in their books but who clearly didn’t skate […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-02-09 09:55:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #novelists


Hitting the Books: 'Miracle Rice' fed China's revolution but endangered its crop diversity

Feeding the planet's 8 billion people is challenge enough and our current industrialized commercial practices are causing such ecological damage that we may soon find ourselves hard-pressed to feed any more. For decades, scientists have sought out higher yields and faster growth at the expense... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-02-05 16:30:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book written


Hitting the Books: The decades-long fight to bring live television to deaf audiences

The Silent Era of cinema was perhaps its most equitable with both hearing and hearing-impaired viewers able to enjoy productions alongside one another, but with the advent of "talkies," deaf and hard-of-hearing American's found themselves largely excluded from this new dominant entertainment... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-01-29 16:30:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #public affairs #important step #super bowl #tv shows #fairfax


Hitting the Books: Amiga and the birth of 256-color gaming

With modern consoles offering gamers graphics so photorealistic that they blur the line between CGI and reality, it's easy forget just how cartoonishly blocky they were in the 8-bit era. In his new book, Creating Q*Bert and Other Classic Arcade Games, legendary game designer and programmer... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2021-12-25 16:30:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #greatest thing #holy grail #libraries


7 beautiful books that transport you to the worlds of Bond, Tolkien, Spider-Man and beyond

Critic Michael Dirda picks illustrated books that won’t just sit on your coffee table. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-01 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #coffee table


‘Stories From the Malaysian Archipelago’—And Kuala Lumpur’s Book Business

As the Malaysian Book Council promotes international rights availabilities for books from its market, one publisher there talks about his company's pandemic experience. (Sponsored) The post ‘Stories From the Malaysian Archipelago’—And Kuala Lumpur’s Book Business appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-12-01 10:22:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post stories #kuala lumpur #book business


Help Us Choose the Best Book Cover of 2021

Back by popular demand, Electric Literature is hosting our second annual “Best Book Cover of the Year” tournament, where readers determine which cover designs impressed in 2021. Just as the Italian Renaissance was born of the bubonic plague, will covid’s enduring grasp on society inspire... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2021-11-29 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #electric literature #year tournament #book cover


It’s Not About the Latte: Business and Personal Finance Books 2021

New personal finance guides eschew penny-pinching admonishments in favor of empowering readers to shift their money mindsets. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


The Great and Powerful Oz(zes): Business and Personal Finance Books 2021

These new books draw back the curtain to depict the individuals pulling the levers at some of the past century’s most powerful organizations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #past century


Do the Right Thing: Business and Personal Finance Books 2021

It’s time for a kinder, gentler C-suite, suggest consultants and coaches in these new books on applying the Golden Rule to the bottom line. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #golden rule #bottom line


The Way We Work: Business and Personal Finance Books 2021

Covid-19 has irrevocably redefined the phrase “office space,” and new books assess what it means for the future of employment. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


At Sharjah: A UNESCO World Book Capital Network Meeting

Delegates from 16 of UNESCO's World Book Capitals convened in Sharjah to explore the WBC network and what it can offer. The post At Sharjah: A UNESCO World Book Capital Network Meeting appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-11-22 19:44:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #world book