{"product_id":"oakland-hills-milwaukee-rivers-a-memoir-of-survival-identity-and-purpose","title":"Oakland Hills, Milwaukee Rivers: A Memoir of Survival, Identity, and Purpose","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOakland Hills, Milwaukee Rivers: A Memoir of Survival, Identity, and Purpose (Second Edition)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\nBy Dr. Keyimani L. Alford\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIt began with a knock.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eNot loud. Not frantic. Just steady.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn a dim room in East Oakland, a boy sat on a dusty carpeted floor. No lights. No food. Just silence. He traced imaginary roads in the carpet, searching for an escape. Then came the knock. And with it, the beginning of everything changing.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn this \u003cstrong\u003ebold and emotionally raw\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003esecond edition\u003c\/strong\u003e, Dr. Keyimani L. Alford revisits his critically acclaimed memoir with new chapters and deeper reflections—offering an unflinching look at survival, identity, silence, and redemption. He gives voice to the weight of parental absence, the ache of broken promises, and the inner turmoil of hiding one's true self. With piercing honesty, he opens up about the moments that nearly broke him—and the quiet, unwavering presence of one woman whose faith and love offered an unexpected path to healing. This memoir stands as a masterfully written blueprint for reclaiming your power after life's most heartbreaking moments.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the fractured sidewalks of Oakland to the riverside stillness of Milwaukee, this is not just a coming-of-age story. It's a journey of truth-telling, grief, and the fight to reclaim one's own voice.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's New in the Second Edition?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cul\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eA healing fishing trip with Aunt Grace that redefines legacy\u003c\/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eThe silence after coming out to a mother who once said, \"You'll always be my baby\"\u003c\/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eLosing belonging in church, and rediscovering sacred faith anyway\u003c\/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eUnmasking generational trauma to fight for identity on your own terms\u003c\/li\u003e\r\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Hills\u003c\/strong\u003e were abandonment, hunger, and fear.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Rivers\u003c\/strong\u003e were resilience, family, and hope.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cul\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eThis memoir is for anyone who:\u003c\/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eGrew up too fast\u003c\/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eStayed quiet to stay safe\u003c\/li\u003e\r\n\u003cli\u003eStruggles with identity, loss, or reconciling their past\u003c\/li\u003e\r\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIs still learning how to forgive—and be free.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEarly Praise for the Second Edition:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\"Keyimani dives even deeper in this powerful second edition of Oakland Hills, Milwaukee Rivers. Raw, reflective, and emotionally gripping –this version hits harder and reaches places the first one didn't dare to go. With every turn of the page, I found myself pausing to reflect on my own life. His vulnerability isn't just shared - it's served, inviting us to grow through his truth. A must-read journey you won't want to put down.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e– Playwright and Independent Filmmaker, Milwaukee\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBolder, deeper, and more transformative than ever.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Note from the Author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"I didn't write this from the finish line. I'm still healing, still becoming. But I wrote this for the child in me—and for the version of you who still needs to hear: You are not too broken to be whole.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOakland Hills, Milwaukee Rivers\u003c\/em\u003e isn't just a memoir.\u003cbr\u003e\r\nIt's a mirror. A reckoning. A declaration.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIt's not about who Keyimani was—it's about who he's becoming.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAnd it dares you to ask the same of yourself.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Kobo eBook","offer_id":46307595190482,"sku":"fb63f7a0-0bc0-3983-9e18-bfc35b0ca7a9","price":6.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/image_acbeb242-f5e6-4552-81eb-8c2dd7a39d8c.jpg?v=1762618077","url":"https:\/\/www.indigo.ca\/products\/oakland-hills-milwaukee-rivers-a-memoir-of-survival-identity-and-purpose","provider":"Indigo","version":"1.0","type":"link"}