Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez Summary
Overview of Take My Hand
In 1973 Alabama, a nurse discovers two Black girls sterilized without consent. NAACP Award-winning "Take My Hand" exposes America's dark reproductive injustice history that The Washington Post called "a jewel" - not merely entertainment but essential truth-telling about medical abuse and redemption.
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Key takeaways
A Medical Tragedy Etched in History
Civil Townsend steps into her first nursing job at Montgomery Family Planning Clinic in 1973 with noble intentions. Fresh from nursing school, this daughter of a respected Black doctor believes she'll empower young Black women through reproductive healthcare. But her idealism crashes against harsh reality when she meets her first patients: sisters India and Erica Williams, just eleven and thirteen years old, already receiving birth control shots. The girls live in abject poverty-a wooden shanty with dirt floors and no running water-cared for by their grandmother and father, Mace, after their mother's death. Civil is immediately troubled. Why would children this young need contraception? More disturbing still, eleven-year-old India hasn't even started menstruating. As Civil drives away from that first visit, she's shaken to her core, questioning not just their medical care but the entire system that would administer birth control to children without addressing their basic needs. She couldn't possibly know that this case would haunt her for the next forty-three years, becoming a pivotal chapter in America's dark history of reproductive injustice.
Beyond Professional Boundaries
The Shadows of Medical Experimentation
An Unforgivable Violation
The Fight for Justice
The Long Shadow of Trauma
The Weight of Memory and Hope
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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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