This powerful memoir chronicles Lewis's remarkable journey from a challenging childhood in 1970s Washington, DC, to becoming a transformative corporate leader and advocate for social change. With unflinching honesty and compelling narrative skills, Lewis weaves together accounts of personal struggles, professional triumphs, and breakdowns of hard-won convictions to create an inspiring roadmap for achieving success without compromising one's values or identity.
The book surprises—it’s much more emotionally impactful than most business memoirs, and Lewis plays smartly with readers’ expectations, as in the way the expression of blunt toughness on the cover contrasts with the humanity and tenderness within, especially when it comes to pushing for racial and gender equity in the business world or frankly addressing abuse in his childhood.Striking detail abounds as Lewis describes his beginnings, struggling to feed his family, investing himself in his wife’s place of work, Taco Bell, both to support her and to master the logistics of the business as he began his ascent up the ladder at Pepsi Co. Branding himself the “enterprise go-to guy,” he made a name for himself as he earned his MBA, refusing to be intimidated by the corporate world. Lewis covers his rise with heart and insight about losses, setbacks, monetary struggles, and some harder travails, too. Readers will feel the impact of witnessing his mother, during his childhood, defend him and his siblings from abuse. Through it all, Lewis’s determination and resilience pulse on every page.
Some formatting issues and attention paid to niche experiences diminish narrative momentum that could have been more personable. Readers not invested in the life lessons one can derive from golf may find themselves impatient on occasion, though the story of having to participate in a charity golf tournament despite never having swung a club proves rousing: “Watch, learn, socialize, and, most importantly, have fun,” Lewis told himself. This empowering memoir serves as a testament to personal resilience and a blueprint for achieving success while holding firm to what matters.
Takeaway: Inspiring memoir of business and personal growth and a commitment to justice.
Comparable Titles: John Daymond’s Rise and Grind, Aurora James’s Wildflower.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
