I didn’t know it at the time, but I started writing this book on a plane ride in December 2016 from Accra, Ghana, where I had spent some time with three girls I had been working with since 2009. Our time together, as always, left me in awe. My goal was simply to write a short journal entry about it, but I ended up writing for eight hours. So, first, I want to thank those three girls. All the content for this book has been conceived over the course of knowing them. They let me into their lives and taught me so much not only about gender, education, and public policy but also about empathy, humility, and especially faith in God. They have made me a better scholar, friend, daughter, and person. I am forever grateful for our friendship.
Before this book was a book, it was an idea that my time at the Women and Public Policy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School allowed me to flesh out. I presented an initial chapter at a seminar in January 2017, and it was their generous feedback and positive reception that made me believe it was something I could develop into a potential book manuscript. Special thanks to my mentor there, Iris Bohnet, academic dean and co-director of the Women and Public Policy Program, for our many conversations in her office, and especially to Nicole Carter Quinn, the director of research and operations of the program at the time, for her specific advice and continued help as I began to navigate the process.
At this point I must thank Thomas LeBien, executive editor-at-large at Harvard University Press, who believed in the project very early on and continued to be invested, even as it radically transformed. I am deeply appreciative of his accessibility, which was critical to this first-time author, and the lengths he took to be an advocate for this project in unprecedented ways. He made the process of writing an exciting one. A huge thanks to the entire Harvard University Press team!
On a related note, special thanks to Amy Reeve, who talked with me and edited earlier rough versions of the manuscript. Her serious engagement with my ideas helped convince me the book was a real thing. Thank you also to Jessica Hinds-Bond, who also helped to pull the manuscript together before and after the tremendously helpful feedback I received from anonymous reviewers.
Portions of Chapter 3 were first published online on June 28, 2018, as “Achievement Oriented: Developing Positive Academic Identities for Girl Students at an Urban School,” in American Educational Research Journal. They are reprinted here with permission of Sage Publishing.
I thank my friends Kevin Levay, Oreoluwa Badaki, and many others who at some point read work related to this project. Similarly, I thank many colleagues and mentors at the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, and Princeton University, whom I admire and have the privilege of knowing. This list is long but especially includes Sigal Ben Porath, Traci Burch, Dan Gillion, Jane Mansbridge, Reuel Rogers, and Cecile Rouse. They each, at some point, encouraged me to move forward with the book when I felt stuck or feared that it was not the right time. I also want to thank my longtime mentor from the George Washington University, Professor Steve Balla, for his unrelenting support throughout my career.
I want to thank my dad for checking in on me during the writing stages. And a very special thanks to my amazing partner, Zeke, who helped me cross the finish line. For the past year and a half, at any given point he has acted as my chapter reader, spiritual counselor, part-time editor, full-time chef, and just all-around source of support. He joined me on my trip to South Africa, when I decided that I needed to return to collect more data right before the manuscript was due. While pursuing his own research, he somehow managed to help me story-board arguments on white boards and flash cards and even made them into fun games. He cooked meals, made tea, prayed, and just did whatever else I needed as I stayed up all hours of the night thinking through ideas. His help during the development of this book was invaluable.
Finally, I want to thank my closest friends on the planet: my mom, Afua Serwaah, and my brother, Robert Nuamah. The unconditional love and support that I have received from them since Day One is unmatched. I am especially grateful for our daily three-way phone calls, during which my mother reminds me that “I got it,” or my brother exclaims, “you the best, Sal.” It makes me feel as if nothing anyone else says matters. I thank God for their love; it’s like a shield that protects me every day.
Routinely, my work reminds me that so many kids never get the chance to experience this type of love. Through my work, I am striving to share this love with others. This book is a small offering. So, thank you for reading it.