A review by jen_thetelltalebookclub
Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

challenging emotional informative inspiring sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Take My Hand was my book club's read for February 2023 and we had the honor of hosting Dolen and hearing her talk about her amazing book. While reading the book, I read a NYT article about the Relf sisters, which the novel is loosely based on. Prior to reading the article and the book I had not heard of the Relf sisters and what happened to them and other girls/women.  I had heard of it in the context of mental asylums, but not within a community/race. Having the opportunity to talk with Dolen about her research and how the book came together just added another special layer to the reading experience. From my research, the audiobook, narrated by Lauren J. Daggett, appears to be her first narration, was very well done, and I look forward to more narrations by her. I've added Dolen's backlist to my TBR and I look forward to her future works.  
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