Lessons Beneath the Mask: From Pain to Promise

What do a little Iranian girl with a dream, a white boy from Detroit on his way to alcoholism, a church girl suffering from sexual abuse, and a black boy from the inner city have in common? They all wear a mask that hides their pain. "Lessons Beneath the Mask" is a book that chronicles the of journey of these four individuals in search of their destiny. They have each agreed to at least partially tell their stories so that we may learn the lessons hidden beneath their masks. We often go through life hiding our emotional scars and acting as if everything is just fine. We dare not show our hurt for fear that others may take advantage or blame us for not being stronger. If we are not careful we soon lose our real identity and begin to take on the identity of our protective masks. If you have ever felt like giving up or that your situation was beyond repair, this book was written for and to you. If you have ever hidden behind a false identity, this book was written for you. This book will encourage you to see that if you have the courage to commit to achieving the dream that lies within you then maybe just like the four individuals within this book, you will discover that the pain of your process was never powerful enough to negate the promise of God's plan for your life. This is the lesson to be found beneath the mask.

An established organizational development specialist with over twenty years of corporate experience. As an Assistant Vice President of a Fortune 500 corporation, he had direct responsibility for the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of organizational development strategies and activities. Mr. Barksdale had functional and operational responsibility at regional and corporate levels for managing Human Resources, organizational development, and training in areas of sales and marketing, management and diversity. Reuel Barksdale is a tenured full Professor in the Business Programs Department at Columbus State Community College where he teaches Organizational Behavior, Human Resources Management, Business Management and Interpersonal Skills Management. He is Coordinator of the Human Resources Development Degree and Certificate Programs. Professor Barksdale is also an adjunct professor at Ohio Dominican University where he teaches Organizational Management and Leadership courses. As a motivational speaker and organizational development consultant, Mr. Barksdale has addressed audiences across the country on the topics of change management, diversity, management, strategic planning, conflict resolution, leadership, and employee development. Reuel Barksdale received his Bachelors of Science degree from Franklin University and a Master's of Science in Administration degree from Central Michigan University.