A masterclass in embracing where you came from to reach the heights of where you can go from legendary music executive Tommy Mottola

For a neighborhood you can cross in a cab ride, the Bronx has had a staggering influence on American life. This single borough produced the likes of Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Sonia Sotomayor, Jennifer Lopez, Fat Joe, Grandmaster Flash, Billy Joel, Luther Vandross, Big Pun, Chazz Palminteri, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Stanley Kubrick. Hip-hop was born there, and American culture has kept drawing from it ever since.

Wanting to understand how one place could produce so many extraordinary alumni, Tommy Mottola—the legendary music executive behind some of the biggest artists of the modern era—began looking back at the education he received before anyone called it one. The Bronx School of Business resulted, and it is nothing less than a sweeping blueprint for achieving extraordinary success, regardless of where you come from.

Each idea begins in the neighborhood and then unfolds in a vast array of high-stakes environments where entertainment careers were made and business icons were born. Structured like a curriculum Mottola never knew he was taking, this classroom is unlike any other, teaching readers:

• How to sharpen judgment when the stakes are high
• How to turn pressure into an advantage instead of a liability
• Why trust is one of the most valuable assets in business
• How to distinguish a smart risk from a reckless one

For fans of The Diary of a CEO, The 48 Laws of Power, and Think Again, The Bronx School of Business is a transformative guide from a leader who rose to the pinnacle of the entertainment industry by realizing his greatest advantage came from the blocks that first shaped him.