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I’m Not Broken: a 4-part Fireside PRIDE Adventure with author and social impact consultant Jesse Leon
July 12, 2022 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm PDT
Free – $20.00
About the Event
Join us for an unforgettable 4-part series with author and social impact consultant Jesse Leon, as we discuss his unflinching and inspiring memoir, I’m Not Broken. As Jesse shares his extraordinary story of resilience and survival while shining a light on his childhood spent devastated by sex trafficking, street life, and substance abuse, you are invited and encouraged to participate in the conversation on Fireside’s unique platform that allows for live dialogue on our virtual stage.
Our I’m Not Broken virtual Fireside Adventure by the Book series, featuring the author in conversation with Adventures by the Book founder Susan McBeth, will focus on four different aspects of Jesse’s identity that are described in his book while detailing the possibilities of self-transformation and self-acceptance, including coming to terms with his queer identity and finding community, the journey of addiction/recovery/mental health, being the child of Mexican immigrants and The American Dream, and turning points in his life.
Pre-order your book below for shipping to you upon publication on August 23, and then tune in to Fireside for this important four-part episodic mini-series during PRIDE Month, including a follow-up book club style conversation in late summer after the book has been released and you have had an opportunity to read Jesse’s story. We hope you will come away with a deeper and richer understanding of the inherent challenges Jesse and so many others face. Bring your questions, your stories, your open mind, and your heart.
Upcoming I’m Not Broken Schedule
To join all (or part) of this series on the exciting new storytelling platform, Fireside, simply pre-order a signed copy of I’m Not Broken below to be shipped directly to you upon publication in late August. Prior to the event, we will send you a private VIP link to attend the virtual event. If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can be part of the virtual audience to chat live with Jesse and Susan. With other devices, you can still listen live to the broadcast.
About the Author and Book
Jesse Leon is a social impact consultant to foundations, impact investors, non-profits, and real estate developers on ways to address issues of substance abuse, affordable housing, and educational opportunities for at-risk youth. Since receiving a master’s degree from the Harvard Kennedy School, Jesse has managed multi-million dollar philanthropic grantmaking for various foundations and banking institutions, managed over $1B in public sector investments for affordable housing, and built thousands of units of mixed-income housing as a real estate developer for Bank of America.
Jesse recently moved back to San Diego to be closer to his mother and to pursue his dream of publishing this book. He is a native Spanish speaker and fluent in English and Portuguese.
Jesse’s unforgettable memoir, I’m Not Broken, is an inspirational portrait of one young man’s indomitable strength and spirit to survive—against all possible odds.
Born to indigenous working-class Mexican immigrants in San Diego in the 1970s, Jesse Leon’s childhood was violently ruptured. A dangerous and harrowing encounter at a local gift shop when he was eleven years old left Jesse with a deadly secret. Hurt, alone, and scared for his life, Jesse numbed his pain by losing himself in the hyper-masculine culture of the streets and wherever else he could find it—in alcohol, drugs, and prostitution. Overlooked by state-sanctioned institutions and systems intended to help victims of abuse, neglected like many other low-income Latinos, Jesse spiraled into cycles of suicide and substance abuse.
I’m Not Broken is the heartbreaking and remarkable story of the journey Jesse takes to win back his life, leading him to the steps of Harvard University. From being the lone young person of color in Narcotics Anonymous meetings to coming to terms with his own sexual identity, to becoming an engaged mentor for incarcerated youth, Jesse finds the will to live with the love and support of his family, friends, and mentors. Recounting the extraordinary circumstances of his life, Jesse offers a powerful, raw testament to the possibilities of self-transformation and self-acceptance.
About Fireside
We are thrilled to announce that Adventures by the Book has been invited to host a literary series on Fireside which will include book discussions, author talks, book clubs, special presentations, and much more. During the course of WWII, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt instituted a series of “fireside chats” on the radio, as a way to regularly communicate self-assurance and calm during times of despair and uncertainty in our country.
While once a thing of the past, thanks to the brilliant collaboration of billionaire entrepreneur and Shark Tank TV star, Mark Cuban, and Falon Fatemi, former CEO and Founder of Node.ai, Fireside Chats are back, bigger and better than ever, and in a technological format that allows YOU to actively participate!
Fireside Chat is the exclusive, invite-only new podcast platform for the next generation – a socially responsible space for us to come together in real-time to collaborate and create meaningful conversations. Together, we will engage in discussion, debate, and discourse in a public forum and make it a thing of celebration and beauty. We are ready to share our microphone with you and hope you’ll join us as we collaborate in the world’s most dynamic auditorium.
