AS SEEN ON BBC2 BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB
Montgomery, Alabama. 1973. Fresh out of nursing school, Civil Townsend has big plans to make a difference in her community. She wants to help women make their own choices for their lives and bodies.
But when her first week on the job takes her down a dusty country road to a tumbledown cabin and into the heart of the Williams family, Civil learns there is more to her new role than she bargained for. Neither of the two young sisters has even kissed a boy, but they are poor and Black, and for those handling their welfare benefits, that’s reason enough to have them on birth control. When Civil discovers a terrible injustice, she must choose between carrying out instructions or following her heart and decides to risk everything to stand up for what is right.
Inspired by true events and a shocking chapter of recent history, Take My Hand is a novel that will open your eyes and break your heart. An unforgettable story about love and courage, it is also a timely and uplifting reminder that one person can change the world.
‘Shot through with spirit and hope, it’s one hell of a book’ STYLIST
‘Magnificent . . . I cheered out loud!’ BONNIE GARMUS, author of LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY
‘Unforgettable’ CELESTE NG, author of LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE
‘Deeply moving . . . impossible to put down’ AJ PEARCE, author of DEAR MRS BIRD
‘A wonderful novel. Moving, powerful and completely absorbing’ CATHY RENTZENBRINK, author of THE LAST ACT OF LOVE
‘An unforgettable book whose characters will stay with me forever’ EMMA STONEX, author of THE LAMPLIGHTERS
‘Extraordinary . . . I could not put it down’ EMILY ITAMI, author of FAULT LINES
‘Utterly gripping . . . storytelling at its finest’ GLAMOUR
‘A jewel of a book . . . truly extraordinary’ WASHINGTON POST
‘Extraordinary and powerful . . . a must-read’ PRIMA
‘Superb . . . Absolutely brilliant’ NIHAL ARTHANAYAKE
‘As with all great historical fiction, Take My Hand speaks to the now’ IRISH TIMES
‘One of those books that you can’t stop yourself reading even though your heart is breaking’ DAMIAN BARR
Montgomery, Alabama. 1973. Fresh out of nursing school, Civil Townsend has big plans to make a difference in her community. She wants to help women make their own choices for their lives and bodies.
But when her first week on the job takes her down a dusty country road to a tumbledown cabin and into the heart of the Williams family, Civil learns there is more to her new role than she bargained for. Neither of the two young sisters has even kissed a boy, but they are poor and Black, and for those handling their welfare benefits, that’s reason enough to have them on birth control. When Civil discovers a terrible injustice, she must choose between carrying out instructions or following her heart and decides to risk everything to stand up for what is right.
Inspired by true events and a shocking chapter of recent history, Take My Hand is a novel that will open your eyes and break your heart. An unforgettable story about love and courage, it is also a timely and uplifting reminder that one person can change the world.
‘Shot through with spirit and hope, it’s one hell of a book’ STYLIST
‘Magnificent . . . I cheered out loud!’ BONNIE GARMUS, author of LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY
‘Unforgettable’ CELESTE NG, author of LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE
‘Deeply moving . . . impossible to put down’ AJ PEARCE, author of DEAR MRS BIRD
‘A wonderful novel. Moving, powerful and completely absorbing’ CATHY RENTZENBRINK, author of THE LAST ACT OF LOVE
‘An unforgettable book whose characters will stay with me forever’ EMMA STONEX, author of THE LAMPLIGHTERS
‘Extraordinary . . . I could not put it down’ EMILY ITAMI, author of FAULT LINES
‘Utterly gripping . . . storytelling at its finest’ GLAMOUR
‘A jewel of a book . . . truly extraordinary’ WASHINGTON POST
‘Extraordinary and powerful . . . a must-read’ PRIMA
‘Superb . . . Absolutely brilliant’ NIHAL ARTHANAYAKE
‘As with all great historical fiction, Take My Hand speaks to the now’ IRISH TIMES
‘One of those books that you can’t stop yourself reading even though your heart is breaking’ DAMIAN BARR
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Reviews
Extraordinary and powerful . . . a must-read
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
Take My Hand moved me so much. It has everything I love in a novel: characters that you love spending time with, a story that moves you and sweeps you along, something to learn about, and a huge amount of heart. It's rare that a book about something so awful can leave you feeling so hopeful. It will make you want to change the world for the better - it certainly changed me
Inspired by a real life case, this is the story of two sisters aged 12 and 14 who were sterilised without consent in Alabama in 1973, a case that shed light on a shocking chapter in American history
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
Soon-to-be classic . . . shot through with spirit and hope, it's one hell of a book
Moving, important, and timely, Take My Hand is both a poignant personal story and a riveting courtroom drama. By refusing to accept the status quo, big-hearted, idealistic Civil Townsend sets events in motion that eventually change hearts, minds, and lives, including her own. A perfect book-club pick.
An impressive arrival . . . This is a book about choice, freedom and forgiveness, that pulls threads of history together, and in doing so, catapults its ideas forward . . . As with all good historical fiction, Take My Hand speaks to the now'
Compelling . . . A gut-punch of a book, heartrending and suspenseful in turn
Take My Hand will break your heart and lift your soul. A young nurse with big dreams of helping her community comes to an Alabama clinic and is immediately embroiled in the lives of two young Black girls, caught first in the trap of rural poverty and then in the spotlight of a national court case as their mistreatment at the clinic's hands comes out into the open. Dolen Perkins-Valdez is a consummate storyteller: profound, transcendent, heart-wrenching.
A wonderful novel. Moving, powerful and completely absorbing - I cared deeply about all the characters and rooted for them to the last page
Arresting, horrifying, heartbreaking and utterly immersive. It will make you want to scream at the sky
In her newest novel, Dolen Perkins-Valdez probes the many ways institutional racism and classism inflicts lasting scars, especially on young Black women - and the grace, courage, and love needed to begin to heal those wounds. Deeply empathetic yet unflinching in its gaze, Take My Hand is an unforgettable exploration of responsibility and redemption, the dangers of good intentions, and the folly of believing anyone can decide what's best for another's life
Perkins-Valdez's latest is a piercing look into a shameful moment in America's history, and it could not be more timely. Her electrifying, masterful novel brims with fierce compassion and deserves attention and accolades galore. I will be recommending it to everyone I know
Take My Hand is a gem: one of those rare and beautiful novels that walks the balance beam of heartbreak and hope. Dolen Perkins-Valdez can breathe life into history through fiction that adds deep and profound meaning to the past - and makes its relevance to the present meaningful and clear
When you know Dolan Perkins-Valdez is writing a book, you know that it is going to be a spectacular thing. And that is the case with Take My Hand. Conveyed as softly as a familial conversation, this is a work that makes difficult things endurable. Perkins-Valdez relays untold pain honestly, astutely, but most of all, gently, like a sage would. That is another way of saying that she crafts this book with great truth and wisdom. As a result, Take My Hand is the kind of rare, elevating, illuminating, useful art that we would all do well to grasp for dear life.
It is Civil's determination and resilience that imbue the book with undeniable power and grace. I cheered out loud!
A deeply moving novel about a reprehensible time, Dolen Perkins-Valdez writes with such shattering eloquence that Take My Hand is impossible to put down. I have absolutely no doubt that this is a story that will stay with me for a very long time
An utterly gripping tale from start to finish, Take My Hand is storytelling at its finest.
Dolen Perkins-Valdez pens a powerfully emotional tale that calls upon the many ways Black women create sisterhoods. The strength and courage the characters exhibit will stay with readers for a long time
This powerful novel finds the humanity in one of the most inhumane chapters of American history. Take My Hand will enrage you. It will illuminate you. It just might redeem you. In the process, it will take your breath away. I don't say this often, but it's a must-read