About the Book
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.
My Review
An absolute must read. I have been saying these words to everyone I have talked to when I mention this book – and I’ve been talking about it a lot. It horrifies me that the events brought to light in this novel were never taught to me in school. Learning about the history of my country that has been shuffled and hidden away. I am so grateful to those like Dolen Perkins-Valdez who are opening eyes and ears with her words. It is necessary we are informed. And because I read this novel, it took me down a path of doing my own research – because schools in America won’t touch on these subject matters. And just like in this story, what I read and learned shocked me, saddened me and made me want to do something so this can never happen again. I finished this book two weeks before the overturning of Roe v Wade. And while I was fearful of this happening for a whole host of reasons, I now have even more to be scared of. The treatment of black women and girls has been abhorrent over the decades, and reading about Erica and India left me shaken and enraged. Take My Hand is unflinching in showing the abuse and the injustices of our healthcare system. While I shed several tears taking the journey of responsibility and healthcare ethics with Dr. Civil Townsend, I appreciate this novel so much in helping me understand the past. Timely, profound and absolutely riveting – add this to your reading list.
5 stars
