RISING
From a Mud Hut to the Boardroom—and Back Again
My memoir in hardcover, ebook & audiobook (narrated by me) are available everywhere you buy books!
From the Congo to the United States, public speaker Graci Harkema traces her path of rising to make a difference and find her place in the world.
An identity that spans the globe.
In this astonishing memoir, Graci Harkema revisits her experience growing up as an adoptee from the Congo, moving to 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.
Born amid civil unrest in a mud hut in the Congo and weighing a mere three pounds, Harkema was brought to an orphanage, where she was not expected to live another day. Shortly after her arrival, she was adopted by an American missionary family.
Her 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 sexual orientation a secret. Eventually, she learned to see her identity as her superpower, instead of her shame.
Today, Harkema helps embrace diversity and drive inclusion to ensure open and inclusive work environments. She’s committed to empowering employees to perform to their potential as their authentic selves, as she continues to rise to her own story, returning back to the Congo, to discover another piece of herself.
“A riveting and heart-wrenching memoir. Graci Harkema brilliantly and generously shows us how to unapologetically and fiercely be our true selves.”
“A solid remembrance that offers the engaging perspective of a diversity and inclusion expert.”
“Graci Harkema is committed to making workplaces more safe, welcoming, and empowering for all.”
—Forbes
“An inspiring memoir of self-discovery, identity, and embracing your own path.”
—BookLife (Publishers Weekly)
Rising
Chapter One: Divine Timing
Chapter Two: Learning to Wear the Mask
Chapter Three: Liberation & Violation
Chapter Four: The Oscar Worthy Role
Chapter Five: To Love
Chapter Six: Interview of a Lifetime
Chapter Seven: To Live
Chapter Eight: My Child. My Child. My Child.
Chapter Nine: The Beauty in Belonging
Chapter Ten: Courage Over Comfort
Chapter Eleven: Rising in Purpose
“Rising: From a Mud Hut to the Boardroom — And Back Again
Graci Harkema
Diversity, equity, and inclusion expert Harkema dedicates this memoir “to anyone who has been overlooked, marginalized, and underrepresented.” That sets the inviting tone for this inspiring life story. As an adoptee from Congo in a white American family, Harkema, though loved and cared for, had to work to find a place and be true to her identity. Now she draws on her lived experience as a globe-traveling DEI consultant, committed to ensuring open, safe, and inviting work environments. Featuring welcome insights on themes of race, diversity, inclusion and acceptance, Rising is an engaging, relatable book for readers from all walks of life.
Harkema takes readers on a remarkable story of self-discovery and self-acceptance, of the challenges of “learning to wear the mask” to the deep joy of feeling confident in presenting her true self. Chronicling her life from her birth in the Democratic Republic of Congo to a teenaged mother in a mud hut to attending college, exploring her sexuality, and eventually securing her dream job, Harkema’s story is one of beating the odds while finding success—and one’s’ self. Filled with on-point quotes from thinkers like Maya Angelou and personable, honest anecdotes, this well-rounded memoir shares Harkema’s story with an openness and vigor that will have readers rooting for her.
The story comes full circle when Harkema journeys back to Africa to meet her birth mother. She writes, touchingly, “For the first time in my life, the anxiety of trying to fit in, not looking like anyone else in the room, hoping to be liked, or seeking others’ approval wasn’t even a thought that came into my mind.” Those words, and this story, illuminate not just Harkema’s journey but the urgency for workplace inclusion. At times heart-wrenching and heart-warming, Rising is an inspiring, touching read for anyone just trying to make a way for themselves in the world.
Takeaway: An inspiring memoir of self-discovery, identity, and embracing your own path.
Great for fans of: George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue, Janet Mock’s Redefining Realness.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A”
About the Author
Graci Harkema is an international public speaker and best-selling author of her memoir, Rising: From a Mud Hut to the Boardroom—and Back Again. Her work with Fortune 500 companies to small businesses inspires all to rise in authenticity, inclusion, and belonging. She has been featured in Forbes and Harvard Business Review. Crain's Grand Rapids Business has recognized Harkema as a two-time 40 Under Forty Business Leader in West Michigan, one of the 50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan, and five-time 200 Most Influential Business Leaders in West Michigan. A graduate in communications from Grand Valley State University, Harkema enjoys giving back to the community by volunteering with local boards and organizations. Harkema resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her dog, Teddy Roosevelt.