Memoir traces a journey from Chicago’s South Side to leadership roles at Microsoft & Amazon, with launch events in Chicago and conversations planned in Seattle
SEATTLE, WA, UNITED STATES, February 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Seattle-based author Chris J. Parker has released his debut memoir, Building Bridges, during Black History Month. The book reflects on growing up mixed-race on Chicago’s South Side and how early lessons about family, identity, and place shaped a life that would later include leadership roles at IBM, Microsoft, and Amazon.
In Building Bridges, Parker explores how childhood observation—watching adults, institutions, and neighborhoods adapt and sometimes fracture—became a foundation for navigating reinvention, responsibility, and creative work later in life. Moving between Chicago neighborhoods, corporate boardrooms, and creative spaces, the memoir examines how early environments continue to shape who we become long after we leave them.
The release coincided with a series of Chicago events, including readings and conversations at Lange’s Lounge and the historic Woodlawn Tap—still affectionately known as Jimmy’s—where Parker’s personal history and the book’s themes of place, memory, and continuity resonated with local audiences.
Parker moved to Seattle in 2006 to work for Microsoft, a transition that expanded his perspective on leadership and the intersections of identity and opportunity. Now based in Seattle, he plans to bring Building Bridges to Pacific Northwest readers through bookstore events, book clubs, and community conversations.
Building Bridges speaks to readers interested in memoir, Black history, leadership, creativity, and the often-unseen ways early environments shape personal and professional paths.
About the Author
Chris J. Parker is a Seattle-based writer, technologist, and creative professional whose career has spanned journalism, technology, and leadership roles at global organizations including Microsoft and Amazon. Raised on Chicago’s South Side, his work explores memory, place, identity, and reinvention. Building Bridges is his first memoir.
Availability
Building Bridges is available through Ingram and can be ordered by bookstores, libraries, and readers nationwide.
ISBN: 9798901196250
Media Contact
Chris J. Parker
Email: chris@chrisjparker.com
www.chrisjparker.com
Chris Parker
Author
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