11-12 12 Adult Fiction Narrative

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

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Published: 2021
Author: Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Genres: Historical Fiction, Adult, African American, Social Justice
Audience (Grade Levels): 11-12; Adult
Number of Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 Stars)
Goodreads Link: Take My Hand
Triggers: Abortion, poverty, racism
Review By: Sarah Williams

Publisher’s Summary:

Goodreads Choice Award: Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Historical Fiction (2022)
Inspired by true events that rocked the nation, a profoundly moving novel about a Black nurse in post-segregation Alabama who blows the whistle on a terrible wrong done to her patients, from the New York Times bestselling author of Wench.

Montgomery, Alabama 1973. Fresh out of nursing school, Civil Townsend has big plans to make a difference, especially in her African American community. At the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic, she intends 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 worn down one-room cabin, she’s shocked to learn that her new patients are children—just 11 and 13 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 the 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.

Review:

It has been a long time since a book truly captured my attention and inspired me to keep reading! This book did that and more. I enjoy historical fiction, and this book includes real events and people’s names, woven into a fictional story of a nurse named Civil. What I enjoyed the most was the realness of the characters, people who want to do right by their community and the little girls who are central to the story. I also enjoyed learning more about the civil rights movement in this country, and found many connections to present day issues related to the systemic racism that is included in the story. This is a story of redemption and love as well as heartbreak.

The narrator, a 67-year-old doctor named Civil, is telling the story as a flashback, speaking to her own adopted child. She wants to convey to her not only her immediate family story but also how she came out of “a long line of history that defies biology” (4). Through her story we learn about Civil’s family history, her time as a nurse in a Montgomery, Alabama family planning clinic, her involvement with two little girls (Erica and India), and the medical procedures that were “choices” for black men and women in America. The novel fictionalized a real historical court case, one that reveals many injustices perpetrated against black men and women, and makes the reader feel for the children and Civil as they fight a system that is historically biased. I really enjoyed reading this book, learning about the past, and can see it being used as a companion for many non-fiction texts in school. It includes the Tuskegee Experiment, references to many well-known activists, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. I highly recommend this book for all high school students and adults. It is a fast read, engaging, and a learning experience all in one text.

Classroom & Curricular Connections:

  • Social Studies & US History: Serves as a profound entry point for researching the modern Civil Rights Movement, the history of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the systemic, state-sanctioned healthcare violations perpetrated against minority groups in the 20th century.
  • Health Education & Bioethics: Highly relevant for secondary or collegiate medical tracks analyzing the Tuskegee Experiment, the history of the reproductive rights movement, informed consent laws, and racial disparities in modern medical treatment.
  • English Language Arts / Literature Analysis: Provides an exceptional case study in frame narratives and retrospective formatting, looking at how an older narrator utilizes a long flashback to convey generational history, social commentary, and thematic frameworks to an adoptive child.

Extension Activity / Library Application:

  • Primary Source Historical Pairing: Because the novel fictionalizes a milestone legal battle (inspired by the real-world case of Mary Alice and Minnie Lee Relf), have students research the actual 1973 lawsuit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center regarding involuntary sterilization. Students can compare court transcripts or historical articles against the events depicted in the novel to discuss the intersections of fiction and historical record.
  • “History We Must Not Forget” Reflection Panel: Guided by the novel’s central thesis that “history repeats what we don’t remember,” host a high school library panel or book club discussion matching sections of the book with present-day systemic issues. Have students write reflective entries analyzing the modern evolution of healthcare access, equity, and institutional bias.

Diversity & Representation Note:

This book provides vital and deeply impactful historical representation, accurately shedding light on the intersectional vulnerabilities faced by poor, Black communities in the post-segregation American South. It addresses medical discrimination, structural racism, and illiteracy without stripping its characters of their humanity, centering on a dedicated Black female protagonist who honors her community’s history and actively fights institutional injustice.

Readalikes:

  • Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
  • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
  • The Help by Kathryn Stockett

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