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A review by sarahweyand
Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
I'm so glad I finally got around to listening to this book. I'm so glad I chose to listen to the audiobook because I cannot recommend the narrator highly enough. Her voice was so emotive and melodic and a joy to listen to.
I found this book's premise to be so compelling, even before i knew just how true its content was. While the plot drew me in, the real star of the show is the relationship between our protagonist, Civil, and the girls she is assign to care for, India and Erica. Watching her bond strengthen with the girls throughout the book was a delight, as were the many other relationships between various characters. The first two-thirds of this book had me in a chokehold.
I will say that the dual timeline in Take My Hand doesn't really do it for me. The plot points in the past are far more interesting and heart-wrenching than anything that occurs in the present, which is such an unfortunate flaw to have in a book. Luckily the storyline heavily favors the past, so that wasn't much of an issue for most of the plotline. However, the final third of the book leans more heavily into a trial and the ramifications of certain plot events, and we're pulled away from the foundational relationships of the book slightly. While this was still an interesting aspect of the plot, I can't say I cared for it nearly as much.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book, especially the audiobook, even if just for the educational aspect. These very real, horrific circumstances don't get a lot of acknowledgement these days, and it's important to remember that they did happen and affect real people. Will be on the lookout from more from Perkins-Valdez.
I found this book's premise to be so compelling, even before i knew just how true its content was. While the plot drew me in, the real star of the show is the relationship between our protagonist, Civil, and the girls she is assign to care for, India and Erica. Watching her bond strengthen with the girls throughout the book was a delight, as were the many other relationships between various characters. The first two-thirds of this book had me in a chokehold.
I will say that the dual timeline in Take My Hand doesn't really do it for me. The plot points in the past are far more interesting and heart-wrenching than anything that occurs in the present, which is such an unfortunate flaw to have in a book. Luckily the storyline heavily favors the past, so that wasn't much of an issue for most of the plotline. However, the final third of the book leans more heavily into a trial and the ramifications of certain plot events, and we're pulled away from the foundational relationships of the book slightly. While this was still an interesting aspect of the plot, I can't say I cared for it nearly as much.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book, especially the audiobook, even if just for the educational aspect. These very real, horrific circumstances don't get a lot of acknowledgement these days, and it's important to remember that they did happen and affect real people. Will be on the lookout from more from Perkins-Valdez.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Medical trauma, and Abortion