Leaving South Dakota is the tale of Beryl Radin and her experience growing up as a first generation Jewish American in the Midwest. From her small Jewish community of Aberdeen, South Dakota, to her career as a successful academic and professor in and out of Washington, DC, Radin weaves together the threads of a life of feminism, civil rights, Americanization, and activism. Spanning eight decades, Radin's memoir offers a vision of the twentieth century through the lens of a woman defined by multiple identities attempting to define her place in a shifting world.

Beryl A. Radin (born 1936) is an American public administration author, researcher, and academic. An elected member of the National Academy of Public Administration, she was the Managing Editor of the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory from 2000 to 2005. She created and served as the Editor of the Georgetown University Press book series, Public Management, and Change. Her government service included two years as a Special Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Management and Budget of the US Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies and a range of consultancies.