Take My Hand

Two little girls, growing up in poverty.  Two little girls, raised by their grandma.  Two little girls, laying in hospital beds.  Two little girls, who could represent so many little girls in rural Alabama in the 1970s.  When Civil first meets the girls in a dirt floor shack on a country farm, she doesn’t know what to think.  Coming from a very different upbringing, the nurse wants to make the world better for these girls.  But where to start?

Dolen Perkins-Valdez delivers a haunting tale in Take My Hand that will stay with me for a long time as a woman and a mother.  The story, loosely based on the real story of the Relf sisters, follows two young girls from a small town in Alabama and the injustice done to them by the people who were supposed to help – the family planning clinic and other federal agencies.  While the story of the Tuskegee Experiment is familiar to so many, the forced sterilization of thousands of “inferior” women by federal programs nationwide is not.  These women were deemed by local medical staff as unable to make their own reproductive healthcare choices due to their economic situation, mental or physical disability, or race.  The ensuing sterilization was often permanent and done at the threat the woman would lose her government assistance if it was not completed.

I give Take My Hand 5 out of 5 stars.  This has dual, yet connected, storylines that can sometimes leave the reader lost, but that was not the case here.  I was so invested in these characters I found it difficult to stop reading each night.  This emotional story tugged at my heart, and I felt connected to the characters, wanting to know more about their lives and their wellbeing.  I applaud Perkins-Valdez for the imagery portrayed through her writing that could evoke so much empathy from the reader.

I recommend this novel to any reader 13 and older, especially women and parents of young girls.  We take for granted the privilege of living in a world with today’s medical ethics and rules that were built on the backs of people like the characters portrayed in this book.  With mention of reproductive health including abortion and contraceptives, this may not be suitable for younger readers.

I chose Take My Hand to complete the “by a black author” prompt from the Booklist Queen 2023 reading challenge.  This came recommended by The Book of the Month club, which is where I picked this up back in December.  It was also a nominee for Goodreads Choice Award for Historical Fiction in 2022.  Author Dolen Perkins-Valdez is a best-selling, award-winning writer known for her previous work Wench and Balm, which I can’t wait to work into this year’s reading plan!

What I’m reading

• Current print book: Alexander Hamilton, Ron Chernow
• Current audio book: Nine Days, Paul Kendrick & Stephen Kendrick
• Book I’m most looking forward to: China Rich Girlfriend, Kevin Kwan