Dolen Perkins-Valdez

"Deeply empathetic yet unflinching in its gaze... 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."--Celeste Ng 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, 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 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.

Take My Hand

I read this for "Alabama" on my reading road trip checklist and tore through it. It has beautiful prose, is an easy read, and is very poignant. The characters feel rich, and the scenery feels plush and colorful. It's a great start to my 2025 reads! It's probably gonna be one of my all-time favorite reads. Also loved the little mentions of Memphis!

Liyah 🤎

Good story - I most loved the honesty in emotion that Civil expressed throughout the story. Could’ve done without the time jumping to present day but it didn’t take away anything 

Iris

Patricia Nelson

This story is about two poor young Black girls who are sterilized without consent in 1973 Alabama (fictionalized story inspired by real-life case of Relf v. Weinberger) and a Black nurse who blows the whistle on the program and helps bring a lawsuit against the government. The book is compelling and well written. The author sheds light onto this practice that continues today in the United States in some places and circumstances and it is a beautifully told heartbreaking tale that manages to leave the reader with some hope for the future. This one will stay with me for a while, as it should.

Joy Bush

I am not a writer and horrible at writing these reviews, but i binged this book in 1.5 days. It has emotionally destroyed me , i believe historical fiction novels have the power to get people to care about these topics in a deeper emotional way than some textbooks or nonfiction books. 
The audiobook was beautifully done, the narrator is great. Please go read this one asap.

Michaella 

4.5 rounded up
What a powerful story! Erica and India's situation really emphasized for me the prevalence of medical racism America and how it still exists today. Civil, their nurse, is a persistent and caring woman who loves these girls as her own and ultimately fights for justice because she was a part of the problem. I loved how the nuances of the situation were handled (the intersectionality of race, gender and class in the American medical field) and how there were many perspectives to this story, from the victims themselves to their families and even the medical professionals who knowingly and unknowingly were apart of the situation. This was a really really great and important historical fiction that I would recommend to anyone. Definitely a new favorite!

Kristen Claiborn

I went through the entire month of April without reading a five-star book. That was disheartening. I don’t know if it’s just me or if the quality of books I read that month was just meh. Then I rolled into May and have had quite a few five stars, so my faith in good books has been restored. 
	Like most books I pick up, I knew very little about this one before I cracked it open. I found myself a little put off by the alternating timelines, I’m just not a fan. I also didn’t quite understand why it was necessary, especially after I finished the book. The alternating timelines didn’t do anything to enhance the story. I also didn’t understand why Civil’s daughter was “hyped” up to feel like the daughter’s storyline was more than it was. I assumed that the daughter’s parentage was going to be some big part of the story, but it really wasn’t. That is the end of any criticism I had for this book, everything else is just a really good, well-written story. 
	Like much of the world, I had heard rumors of forced sterilization amongst the immigrants being held at the southern border of the United States. Like much of the world, I had a hard time believing those rumors. What kind of assholes would do that??? Especially in a country embroiled in an ongoing debate on abortion. Turns out, assholes have been doing that for decades, so apparently forced births are only for some people. I had no idea. I’m almost embarrassed that I had no idea…I will be doing some additional reading. 
	I loved Civil as a character, she was intelligent, empathetic, and determined. To be a well-educated black woman in that time was not an easy task, so her accomplishments were that much more impressive. I loved everything about her, even when it seemed like she was just lost in her life. 
	This was just a well-written book. While based on real events, it IS fiction, but I still found myself just friggin mad, which tells me Perkins-Valdez is one hell of a writer.

I expected to cry, considering the current political climate and the events that transpired in this book, but I did not come close to shedding a tear. I’d still recommend a read because the two sisters are as an important part of that time in history as the Tuskegee syphilis patients and the Roe V Wade decision. I’d especially recommend a read to anyone in healthcare, because the patient-healthcare worker relationship in this book is truly something else. 

Kim Nguyen

Cheri McElroy

Erica and India were thirteen and eleven when they were sterilized by the U.S. Government in 1973. They were poor, they were black, they were beautiful children with a life full of choices in front of them.

Civil Townsend tells the story to her daughter in a dual timeline, fighting her own demons along the way.

This book was beautifully written and filled with themes too numerous to list. What I will never forget as a Christian is my call to be love the least and the lost, and to realize sometimes that person is me.

You should read this book. It will change you.

Take My Hand

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