Reviews with content warning for Classism - Take My Hand

Overall, this was a pretty good book. I haven’t read much about forced sterilization and the infamous Tuskegee study, but both are so, so important to learn about. The book covers issues of saviorism, reproductive justice, and how we handle trauma. It made me reconsider a lot of how I think about poverty and my role in social work. It also got me thinking about racism in medicine - so much to consider!

The main character annoyed me, so it was hard to give this book more than 4 stars. A main focus of the book is the main character’s flaws, but I wanted to see more growth from her. The main character’s growth is probably realistic, however!

I didn’t like the feeling I had at the end of the book. So many things were left unresolved, but isn’t that true in the real world? There is still racism and racial disparities in medicine and people finding identity in “saving” others and forced sterilization and female genital mutilation, so we should be uncomfortable.

Content Warnings

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

this broke my heart but the story also made me feel so much love for the characters. the history behind the book will leave you speechless.

Content Warnings

erickaonpaper's review against another edition

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dark informative sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

following my last read, i flipped through this book quickly, despite its darker themes. i think dolen's fictionalization of the horrific story of the relf sisters' and the government's non-consenting sterilization of poor, Black and brown, and disabled communities was dealt with an emotional hand. viewing this story through the lens of the actual real life event might be a little unfair: perkins-valdez herself claims in her author's note that while she didn't have the nurse's real life accounts of the events, she wrote this from the perspective of a nurse with her own burgeoning emotional life. although i could have done without all the smaller side stories, i think this story makes for a great read for those first educating themselves on the complex relationship between the government, medicine, and black/brown/poor/disabled lives.

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pellepanda's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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