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aliciasrealm's review
4.0
Take My Hand is a riveting narrative inspired by true events, centering on Civil Townsend, a young Black nurse newly employed at the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic in rural Alabama. When Civil begins to question one of her assignments - providing birth control shots to two young Black girls - she stumbles onto a shocking truth, setting in motion a series of events that will change their lives forever.
Told in a first person narrative within dual timelines, the story is a compelling historical fiction illustrating one of the many horrific reproductive injustices that the American government has indicted on the Black community. Appallingly, the primary timeline takes place only a year after the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment.
While the book was generally well paced, I felt that the ending could have wrapped up sooner. Overall, this was a good book and an important story.
Told in a first person narrative within dual timelines, the story is a compelling historical fiction illustrating one of the many horrific reproductive injustices that the American government has indicted on the Black community. Appallingly, the primary timeline takes place only a year after the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment.
While the book was generally well paced, I felt that the ending could have wrapped up sooner. Overall, this was a good book and an important story.
livinlavidalori's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
4.0
zayzay2's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
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
4.75
It took me a while to finish this book, I started and was going strong but I started university and couldn't read at my normal pace. So I tried my hardest even on days I was tired to read so I would finish this book by September, I knew what this book was about since I read the back of the book and my sister read it before me and recommended it to me. I loved the book as It taught me history I did not know about, I knew black women in America were going through this but not to this extent, i did not know the details and this books shed a light to that for me as I am not from American. I loved the sisters relationship, the grandma was also a likeable character. Civil was an interesting character, she was dealing with the fact that she had an abortion, also the fact that she gave shot to the girls she didn't know what for. What I am proud of is she trusted her gut most people do as they're told and not ask questions due to being a new nurse, she asked questions risked everything (even though I know she's privileged) she still stood on business. I loved ty as he was present throughout all this, yes he did expect answers but at a certain point he stopped asking and was just there for her and I respected that and showed true and raw love. I really wasn't expecting them to win the case, when they give us the 2016 chapter it shows she didn't talk to a lot of the people so I assumed they lost the case, so when they won I was shocked and really pleased. I honestly thought you are suing the government that is not something you see everyday and even today 2024 it is hard to find justice, so I was pleased this book had some light. It showed us that if we want to see change in this world we first have to take the steps and not expect things to change on their own, we should stand up for each other and what's right even with the consequences. I did get annoyed at civil at time when she acted like the girls mother but then again I understand there was a lot of love but also guilt in her as well as her unresolved feelings from the abortion. I enjoyed the last couple chapters as she was showing us what she learnt, not to make the same mistake again and try and save anyone but rather give advice and support and not to fix everything. Loved how she reconnected with everyone at the end, she really did find her found family, loved the last couple paged where she asked to meet ty. was waiting for that as there was still a lot of unsaid things and there's still love there. Overall it was educational, emotional but also heartwarming to see a community come together and fight for what's right.
melissewithanereads's review against another edition
5.0
Heart wrenching tale based on real-life treatment of poor, black teenagers in the early 1970s.
spikedscrubs's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Every time I read a historical fiction based on true events from things that happened in the last 50–75 years that I had no idea about, it breaks my heart a little bit more. This is a must read, particularly for white folks who grew up with a sanitized and sterilized version of our recent past. it is our responsibility to seek out these stories and share them so they don’t simply disappear.
Every time I read a historical fiction based on true events from things that happened in the last 50–75 years that I had no idea about, it breaks my heart a little bit more. This is a must read, particularly for white folks who grew up with a sanitized and sterilized version of our recent past. it is our responsibility to seek out these stories and share them so they don’t simply disappear.
michx3lla's review against another edition
5.0
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!
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!
minnettie's review against another edition
emotional
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
colson7174's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
rabbitreader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
careycarpenter's review against another edition
2.0
It took me forever to finish this book! But I finally did. The historical part is important to know but I’ll tell you it here: The US had a horrible, awful program to sterilize children and women that they deemed inappropriate to have future children. Most of the women and children were poor and black. This is the fictional story of two such children told through the eyes of a nurse working at a medical clinic that was performing the sterilizations by tricking or lying parents and family members into what was happening until it was too late.
The rest of the story was flat and dull. The ending was very unsatisfactory. It’s not the subject matter but because of the subject matter I felt like I should have been more connected and wish that I was more emotionally invested. It felt too removed from the horrors of the reality. Like learning from a 60,000 ft view instead of being on the ground in the space and time with the characters.
The rest of the story was flat and dull. The ending was very unsatisfactory. It’s not the subject matter but because of the subject matter I felt like I should have been more connected and wish that I was more emotionally invested. It felt too removed from the horrors of the reality. Like learning from a 60,000 ft view instead of being on the ground in the space and time with the characters.