Book Cover Image of Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Take My Hand
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Publication Date: Apr 12, 2022
List Price: $27.00
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Classification: Fiction
ISBN13: 9780593337691
Imprint: Berkley Books
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Parent Company: Bertelsmann

Hardcover Description:

A searing and compassionate new novel about a young Black nurse’s shocking discovery and the burning quest for justice in post-segregation Alabama, from the AALBC and 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.

Praise For Take My Hand…

“Dolen Perkins-Valdez is a brilliant writer in a class all by herself. I love her voice and how she makes the past feel immediate and relevant, because it is.”
Terry McMillan, #1 AALBC and New York Times bestselling author

“Dolen Perkins Valdez takes a moment in our history that has been hidden inside the folds of time and she brings those heinous acts back into the light. This is a riveting story of one woman’s fight against a system that believes it has the right to determine who should give birth in this country and who should not. Civil Townsend’s plight as she seeks justice is heartbreaking, but also inspiring, reminding us that one woman can stand and make a difference. Beautifully written in typical Dolen Perkins Valdez’s style, I didn’t put this book down until I closed the last page and even then, I wanted more.”
Victoria Christopher Murray, New York Times bestselling author of The Personal Librarian

“Delicate and poetic, Dolen manages to fuse beauty and tragedy in her work, which makes her a masterful storyteller and gifted writer. In this story, Dolen speaks eloquently for those who, in being denied the right of having a choice and agency over their bodies, have lost their voice. This haunting tale, captured through the lens of an unforgettable narrator and a cast of memorable characters, will stay with you for a very, very long time.”
Nicole Dennis-Benn, author of bestselling novels Patsy and Here Comes the Sun




book cover Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-ValdezBooks similiar to Take My Hand may be found in the categories below: