Take My Hand

heart to me.

 

I call your name, and you look back through the screen into the kitchen. You're used to my hovering, though each year you need me less and less, and I mourn the slipping. Soon it will be just me and the dog, an old lady muttering in that rambling, crazy way owners talk to their pets when no one is around.

 

But before we both head into that next chapter, we need to talk. You and I always have been open with each other. As soon as you were old enough to wonder, I told you everything I knew about your birth parents. I told how you came into my life, about the gift of our family.

 

I told you the story of your parentage, but what I didn't reveal was the story of your lineage. How you came to be. How you came out of a long line of history that defies biology. What I am trying to say is that your story is tied up with those sisters. The story of my welcoming you into my life, of my decision not to marry or bear children, is complicated. I have tried not to burden you, but I'm beginning to believe that not telling you the whole truth, letting you walk this earth without truly understanding this history, has done you a disservice.

 

I reach into the pocket of my dress and pull out the paper. Without opening it, I know what it says because I have memorized the address, mapped out the directions on my cell phone, and I know the route I will take. The car is gassed up, the snacks tucked into a backpack. The last of my carefully packed wardrobe capsules are squared off in a suitcase that sits behind the door. The only thing I have not done is tell you where I am going or why. You know a little about the sisters, about the case that engulfed the country, but you don't know the whole story. And it is time for me to tell you.

 

"Anne?" I call your name again. This time, I wave you inside.

 

two

 

Montgomery

 

1973

 

There were eight of us. When I thi

Washington Post

"[An] impressive historical epic. Valdez's story and characters are deeply affecting and call attention to the importance of recognizing history's dark moments." Newsweek

Engrossing from the start .Throughout the novel, detailed descriptions command rapt attention. Between its sizable length and the immense amount of research and history poured into its more than 350 pages, Take My Hand is an excellent example of a Big Ambitious Novel by a 21st-century woman. The Associated Press

A searing and ultimately hopeful novel about (in)justice and the importance of learning from history. Ms. Magazine

An unforgettable novel about horrendous wrongs and the choice to fight back against them." BuzzFeed

In her newest novel, Dolen Perkins-Valdez probes the many ways institutional racism and classism inflicts lasting scars, especially on young Black women and the grace, courage, and love needed to begin to heal those wounds. Deeply empathetic yet unflinching in its gaze, Take My Hand is 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, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere

Dolen Perkins-Valdez is a brilliant writer in a class all by herself. I love her voice and how she makes the past feel immediate and relevant, because it is.
Terry McMillan, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Take My Hand is a gem: one of those rare and beautiful novels that walks the balance beam of heartbreak and hope.  Dolen Perkins-Valdez demonstrates once again the way she can breathe life into history through fiction that adds deep and profound meaning to the past  and makes its relevance to the present meaningful and clear.
Chris Bohjalian, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of The Flight Attendant and Hour of the Witch

When you know Dolen Perkins-Valdez is writing a book, you know that it is going to be a spectacular thing. And that is the case with Take My Hand. Conveyed as softly as a familial conversation, this is a work that makes difficult things endurable. Perkins-Valdez relays untold pain honestly, astutely, but most of all, gently, like a sage would. That is another way of saying that she crafts this book with great truth and wisdom. As a result, Take My Hand is the kind of rare, elevating, illuminating, useful art that we would all do well to grasp for dear life.
Robert Jones, Jr., New York Times bestselling author of The Prophets

Take My Hand will break your heart and lift your soul. A young nurse with big dreams of helping her community comes to an Alabama clinic and is immediately embroiled in the lives of two young Black girls, caught first in the trap of rural poverty and then in the spotlight of a national court case as their mistreatment at the clinic's hands comes out into the open. Dolen Perkins-Valdez is a consummate storyteller: profound, transcendent, heart-wrenching.
Kate Quinn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code

"Moving, important, and timely, Take My Hand is both a poignant personal story and a riveting courtroom drama. By refusing to accept the status quo, big-hearted, idealistic Civil Townsend sets events in motion that eventually change hearts, minds, and lives, including her own. A perfect book-club pick."
Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Exiles

Perkins-Valdez s latest is a piercing look into a shameful moment in America s history, and could not be more timely. Her electrifying, masterful novel brims with fierce compassion and deserves attention and accolades galore. I will be recommending it to everyone I know.
Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue

"This powerful novel finds the humanity in one of the most inhumane chapters of American history. Take My Hand will enrage you. It will illuminate you. It just might redeem you. In the process, it will take your breath away. I don t say this often, but it s a must-read."
Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Based on a heart-wrenching true tale of injustice, Take My Hand is a poignant novel that transports the reader to Montgomery, Alabama in the early 1970s and culminates in a dramatic court case against coerced sterilizations. As always, Perkins-Valdez writes with sensitivity, grace and a world-weary wisdom that breaks you before putting you together again. This is a powerful and unforgettable novel that will linger long after you've closed the cover.  
Stephanie Dray, New York Times bestselling author of The Women of Chateau Lafayette

Dolen Perkins Valdez takes a moment in our history that has been hidden inside the folds of time and she brings those heinous acts back into the light. This is a riveting story of one woman s fight against a system that believes it has the right to determine who should give birth in this country and who should not. Civil Townsend s plight as she seeks justice is heartbreaking, but also inspiring, reminding us that one woman can stand and make a difference. Beautifully written in typical Dolen Perkins Valdez s style, I didn t put this book down until I closed the last page and even then, I wanted more.  
Victoria Christopher Murray, New York Times bestselling author of The Personal Librarian

"Delicate and poetic, Dolen manages to fuse beauty and tragedy in her work, which makes her a masterful storyteller and gifted writer. In this story, Dolen speaks eloquently for those who, in being denied the right of having a choice and agency over their bodies, have lost their voice. This haunting tale, captured through the lens of an unforgettable narrator and a cast of memorable characters, will stay with you for a very, very long time." 
Nicole Dennis-Benn, author of bestselling novels Patsy and Here Comes the Sun

"Inspired by true events this story highlights the horrific discrepancies in our healthcare system and illustrates their heartbreaking consequences. Essence

A heart-wrenching page-turner as relevant as ever, Perkins-Valdez presents a smart way in for Americans ready to illuminate history s darkest corners so that we may forward meaningful change in the present. The AV Club

shot through with spirit and hope, it s one hell of a book. Stylist (UK)

Perkins-Valdez s narrative, though tragic, brims with hope as one woman refuses to be silenced. Elle (UK)

An utterly gripping tale from start to finish, Take My Hand is storytelling at its finest. Glamour (UK)

Dolen Perkins-Valdez s Take My Hand Reaches for Hard Truths Publishers Weekly (feature)

There s nothing better than settling down to read a novel and immediately sensing that you re in the hands of a gifted storyteller. Bookpage (starred review)

This powerful, timely novel is an excellent choice for bookclubs, as well as for readers of contemporary fiction featuring strong female characters. Booklist

Vividly highlights the deep and lasting impact of injustice. Kirkus Reviews

"Dolen Perkins-Valdez pens a powerfully emotional tale that calls upon the many ways Black women create sisterhoods. The strength and courage the characters exhibit will stay with readers for a long time." Sisters from AARP