Not Far From The Tree is a Memoir by Eric Otis Simmons, a Black man raised by a single mother (Jean) whose teachings enabled him to overcome racism and go on to excel academically, athletically, and in Corporate America. In his book, Simmons shares his life story through a series of smaller stories that range from shocking to calamitous to sorrowful to triumphing. He opens up about microaggressions (i.e., indignities) he experienced from whites and shares that his mom was brutally assaulted at gunpoint when he was thirteen. After suspecting a recently released convict had committed the attack, his mother caught him leaving the house with a butcher's knife. After talking her son out exacting revenge, Jean knew she had to do something drastic to save him from a potential life in the penal system. Within days, the two moved to Montgomery, Alabama, leaving Little Rock and all of their belongings behind, save the two suitcases of clothes they had taken with them. After initially struggling in his new hometown, Simmons channeled his inner anger towards something more constructive - academics and athletics. He would go on to graduate in the "Top 10%" of his high school and college classes and become a varsity basketball letterman at Auburn University.
After graduating with a degree in business from Auburn, Simmons went on to a stellar career in sales/sales management with some of America's "Most Admired" companies. At IBM, he became the first Black to be named Class President of the organization's prestigious sales training program. Remarkably, he also sold an IBM computer system to the Governor's Office of the State of Alabama while segregationist Governor George Corley Wallace was still in office! Simmons also shares how he closed sales of $1/2 million, $1 million, and $25 million in Paris, Brussels, and Hong Kong during his international business travels.
Throughout Not Far From The Tree, Simmons masterfully ties together how he was able to use his mother's "schooling" to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds in the face of racism and other adversities.
"If you love inspiration, heartfelt stories, and laughter, this book is right up your alley."
- Michael McCree (Best Selling Author - "Mind of a Superior Hitter: The Art, Science and Philosophy")
"It's a must-read for young and old who were or are being raised by a single parent. I give it 5 stars and plan to purchase more for sharing."
- Linda F. Cunningham, MD
"It's a quick look into an accomplished man's life that will leave you inspired to be bold and go after the things you want in life."
- Andrea Humpherys
