I Got There by JeVon McCormick

"I'm not a drug dealer. I'm not a rapper. I'm not an athlete. But I am very successful." That's not how you're supposed to open a speech if you're a successful businessman. Especially if you're a successful minority businessman in America. But I'm no ordinary businessman, this was no ordinary speech, and I've had no ordinary life. JT McCormick shouldn't have succeeded. He was born the mixed-race son of a negligent, drug-dealing pimp father and a struggling, single mother. He was raised in the slums of Dayton, Ohio, suffered incredible abuse and racism, and had multiple stints in the juvenile justice system. He barely graduated high school and has no college degree. But succeed he did. Starting by scrubbing toilets, JT hustled and worked his way into better opportunities, eventually finding incredible success in the mortgage industry. He was on top of the world. And then it all fell apart. He lost his job, and his money. But instead of stopping him, this setback became the springboard for him to reach even greater heights—eventually becoming President of a multimillion-dollar software company, and then CEO of a multimillion-dollar book publishing startup. Gripping, heartbreaking, enlightening, and ultimately uplifting, I Got There proves that no obstacle is too difficult to conquer--and that the game can be won by anyone, from anywhere.