{"product_id":"rising-from-a-mud-hut-to-the-boardroom-and-back-again-9781774582510","title":"Rising: From a Mud Hut to the Boardroom -- And Back Again","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn identity that spans the globe.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this astonishing memoir, Graci Harkema revisits her experience growing up as an adoptee from the Congo in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She traces her path to claiming and living her own story, becoming a successful consultant on diversity, equity and inclusion, racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, and women in business. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBorn amid civil unrest in a mud hut in the Congo and weighing a mere three pounds, Harkema was left at an orphanage, where she was not expected to live another day. But that afternoon, a visiting American missionary saw her sleeping in a doll's bed and heard a voice inside her say, \"This is your daughter.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHer childhood was spent wishing to be lighter and blonder, like her siblings and classmates. Out of fear of standing out even more from her peers, Harkema kept her sexuality a secret, only coming out of the closet years later--during a job interview! Eventually, she learned to see her identity as her superpower, instead of her shame. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eToday, Harkema helps embrace diversity and drive inclusion to ensure open and safe work environments. She is committed to empowering employees to perform to their potential as their authentic selves--setting an example as she continues to live her own story, journeying to meet her birth mother, to discover one more piece of herself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Page Two Books, Inc.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/18\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781774582510\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 216\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eForeword\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/17\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePW Booklife Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/06\/2023\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Graci Harkema","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42745978486965,"sku":"9781774582510","price":22.91,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_6eb10a1b-a8df-4e3e-b657-241516758a6a.jpg?v=1676995204","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/rising-from-a-mud-hut-to-the-boardroom-and-back-again-9781774582510","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}