Take My Hand

By: Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Narrated by: Lauren J. Daggett

Winner of the 2023 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Fiction

“Deeply empathetic yet unflinching in its gaze…an unforgettable exploration of responsibility and redemption.”—Celeste Ng

Inspired by true events that rocked the nation, a searing and compassionate new novel about a Black nurse in post-segregation Alabama who blows the whistle on a terrible injustice done to her patients, from the New York Times bestselling author of Wench

Montgomery, Alabama, 1973. Fresh out of nursing school, Civil Townsend intends to make a difference, especially in her African American community. At the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic, she hopes to help women shape their destinies, to make their own choices for their lives and bodies.

But when her first week on the job takes her along a dusty country road to a worn-down one-room cabin, Civil is shocked to learn that her new patients, Erica and India, are children—just eleven and thirteen years old. Neither of the Williams sisters has even kissed a boy, but they are poor and Black, and for those handling the family’s welfare benefits, that’s reason enough to have the girls on birth control. As Civil grapples with her role, she takes India, Erica, and their family into her heart. Until one day she arrives at their door to learn the unthinkable has happened, and nothing will ever be the same for any of them.

Decades later, with her daughter grown and a long career in her wake, Dr. Civil Townsend is ready to retire, to find her peace, and to leave the past behind. But there are people and stories that refuse to be forgotten. That must not be forgotten.

Because history repeats what we don’t remember.

Inspired by true events and brimming with hope, Take My Hand is a stirring exploration of accountability and redemption.

“Highlights the horrific discrepancies in our healthcare system and illustrates their heartbreaking consequences.”—Essence

Excellent Historical Fiction

The immoral and shameful overreach of the U.S. government on the reproductive rights of mostly black and poor women and young girls through forced sterilization is the central focus of this novel told in dual time lines ,1973 and 2016. While these events are mainly told through the experiences of two young black girls aged 11 and 14 and the nurse who tries to save them, there were many other women in the country subjected to these immoral practices at that time. Even in more recent years, “reproductive injustice”took place in California prisons between 2006 and 2010.

This is not just a story that enlightened me, stunned me, educated me, but one that moved me, bringing me to tears thinking about these young girls and women. Taking real events as the inspiration and giving a portrait of the time and place and the emotional and psychological impact on people’s lives is for me a hallmark of good historical fiction. The author in her note indicates what of this novel is based on real events and real people and that made it all the more meaningful. Sad and scary and infuriating how relevant this overreach is even today.

awesome

a must read. the characters are all of us at some points in our lives.

Painfully Prophetic

Wow. This was really a 4.5 star read for me. It is the true story of Mary Alice and Minnie Lee Relf, who were surgically sterilized as LITTLE GIRLS without their consent in Alabama in the 70's. The story is told more as historical fiction than biography and there is a beautiful author's note to clarify what was real and what was imagined. The main character is a fictional black nurse, Civil Townsend, who is personally and professionally impacted by the crime against the two little girls and her unintentional role in it. As a nurse in Women's Health and in lieu of recent events with Roe V Wade being overturned, I found this book painfully prophetic. The character development is outstanding and you can feel Civil's deep need to help those less fortunate than her- even to the fault that she causes more harm than good in the end. It's a complex but fair look at racial injustice and racial inequity even within the black community itself. So glad I read this and really think it should be included in required reading in school. Hauntingly tragic but Dolen Perkins-Valdez manages to create some redemption through grace at the end. You will not regret reading this one.

Awesome

I was very hesitant before and after purchasing the book because of the fiction fillers. I tell you, when I began to read, as I engaged, I was drawn to each and every word. It was like I was there experiencing every moment. I am so glad I purchased this book. It is phenomenal!

So hard to comprehend

The story is heartfelt, well written and the narrative is on point. such a good book. you will not be disappointed.