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Rabenberg pens book about being different


A 2006 Mobridge graduate has ventured into yet another adventure in life, writing a child’s book about embracing your differences.
Krista Rabenberg, whose credits include counselor, TV star, model, motivational speaker, standup comedian and now author, recently released her first children’s book “A Head Above the Rest.”
She was encouraged to write the book by a producer on a reality show, “My Giant Life,” on which Rabenberg was featured.
Growing up in Mobridge, Krista, who is unusually tall for a woman at 6 foot 6 inches, faced bullying from many different sides.
“Being a head above the rest of class in a small town, I thought I was the only tall girl around,” she said. “My Giant Life changed that.”
She decided to use her experiences while growing up to help others deal with similar situations.
Rabenberg said it took a while but somewhere along the line she had an “aha” moment and decided to embrace the fact that she was different and use it to her advantage.
The book is the story about embracing our differences and that it is okay to be different from others. She tells the story of young, tall giraffe named Grace who finds her height to be a challenge.

She encounters a beautiful butterfly (who represents Rabenberg’s mom, Karen), who helps to guide her through the process. In the process of embracing her differences, Grace learns to put up a shield against the bullying.
In the book Grace encounters other animals who have either bullied or have been bullied. She helps them realize that the reason they bully is because they aren’t happy with who they are. The animals admit to what they don’t like about themselves and they help each other learn to love the things that make them special.
“Everyone struggles with insecurities,” said Rabenberg. “Bullies are hiding their insecurities by acting out against others. The book touches on all issue, race, height, body issues.”
The book has been a success and has great reviews on Amazon. Rabenberg is formulating an idea for her second book, which will tackle the issue of people getting in their own way. She said it will be a guide to confidence.
“In so many different ways we stand in our own way,” she said. “It will be about conquering yourself and being okay with who you are.”
Rabenberg’s stand up career is blossoming and she plays venues in Las Vegas, where she currently lives, four or five times a week. She did a tour of Australia (she played pro basketball there) and has a gig planned in Bismarck in the near future. Rabenberg said she loves being a comedian and uses her life’s experiences growing up in South Dakota as part of her act.
She said her mom’s guidance and support of her dad throughout her life helped her to become the confident person she is today.
As Grace the giraffe learns in her book, when you learn to love yourself, you can be ahead above the rest no matter how tall you are.

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