synopsis of take my hand dolen perkins valdez

That must not be forgotten.īecause history repeats what we don’t remember. But there are people and stories that refuse to be forgotten. She visits a Black family and administers birth control shots to two sisters, ages 11 and 13, at the behest of her supervisor, a man who later orders the girls to be sterilized. Civil Townsend is ready to retire, to find her peace, and to leave the past behind. In Take My Hand, the protagonist Civil Townsend works at a family planning center in Montgomery, Alabama in 1973. Until one day she arrives at their door to learn the unthinkable has happened, and nothing will ever be the same for any of them.ĭecades later, with her daughter grown and a long career in her wake, Dr.

As Civil grapples with her role, she takes India, Erica, and their family into her heart. Neither of the Williams sisters has even kissed a boy, but they are poor and Black, and for those handling the family’s welfare benefits, that’s reason enough to have the girls on birth control. At the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic, she hopes to help women shape their destinies, to make their own choices for their lives and bodies.īut when her first week on the job takes her along a dusty country road to a worn-down one-room cabin, Civil is shocked to learn that her new patients, Erica and India, are children-just eleven and thirteen years old. Fresh out of nursing school, Civil Townsend intends to make a difference, especially in her African American community. Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez - 9781474622677 Categories: True Story Books Contemporary Fiction Historical Fiction Birth Control, Contraception, Family Planning Womens Health Share Take My Hand : The inspiring and unforgettable BBC Between the Covers Book Club pick 4.

Synopsis of take my hand dolen perkins valdez