Take My Hand - Likewise Book Reviews

"Finished this a couple weeks ago (in one day!) I absolutely loved it and it was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star read for me. The interweaving of Civil’s privileged family story with that of her care for her patients and especially the connection she made with the severely impoverished Williams family while working as a nurse at the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic highlights the inequalities between her Black educated well respected, (father was a MD) family and the rural poor Blacks in Alabama. Loved that it touched on how corrupt the system was and how difficult it was to help as it can be seen as shaming the very proud people who haven’t chosen to live in abject poverty. Although dealing with difficult subjects,, it’s a fast read and both the main character, Civil, and the people who supported her and the Williams family that she tries to help offer so much hope along the way. "

"Alabama"

"Beautiful book. Loved the characters and the heartbreaking story. "

"Great book, well written. I had a hard time putting it down. "

"Such a good book! A must read!"

"One of the best books I’ve read thus far in 2023. Great read from start to finish!"

"My favorite read of 2022. Well written difficult subject matter that I was completely unaware of. I now plan to read all her novels. "

"I loved this book! It was very bittersweet "

"Must read! Sad story but so good! "

"Very powerful story about a topic that is not often covered but should be brought to light."

"I urge everyone to read this book. Even if you don’t have time to read the full novel, it’s important to know the true story that inspired it. I’ve included links at the bottoms of this review, but they will contain spoilers to what transpires in the story, so proceed with caution.<br/><br/>I’m quite frankly horrified, and I’m not sure what to do with the intense amount of anger this book has stirred within me. It’s one thing to be marginally aware of this dark history, but it’s another to read a fictional account of something that happened to innocent young women. It sickens me, but history is doomed to repeat itself if we look the other way.<br/><br/>This book cannot have been published at a more poignant time. To read a story about reproductive rights set in 1973, knowing what happens almost 50 years later is sobering to say the least. It highlights the importance of choice in multiple different ways, and empathetically outlines a situation many, myself included, did not even know had happened. <br/><br/>I’m grateful to have discovered this novel, and I hope it had the impact on others as it has had on me. <br/><br/>https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/08/magazine/eugenics-movement-america.html<br/><br/>https://americanhistory.si.edu/girlhood/wellness/talking-about-sex/experimenting-girls-of-color<br/><br/>https://www.history.com/.amp/news/the-infamous-40-year-tuskegee-study<br/><br/>https://apnews.com/article/business-science-health-race-and-ethnicity-syphilis-e9dd07eaa4e74052878a68132cd3803a"

"Finished in one day. Heartbreaking, infuriating, horrifying."

"I never heard of the case before I read this book. It captures the frustration of being regarded as subhuman. The narrator is flawed, sometimes self-righteous, but her naive good intentions are endearing. "

"Round up to 3 1/2. I had this both as a book and as an audio and went simultaneously between the two. For one reason, the audio narration became a bit monotonous and I started to zone out. Take my Hand- I’m not certain how the title fits into the theme of the book which is based on a true story. It’s about a well off black woman whose father is a respected doctor. She decides to follow a path into medicine and become a nurse for a clinic in a poor section of town. She meets a family with two young girls that live with their grandma and father, after their mother had died, in a one room shanty on a hill. She becomes invested in the family and goes above and beyond to make sure they have all they need including finding them low income housing in town. Her visits consist of giving shots of Depo to the girls as birth control at ages 9 and 12. As she becomes aware that all the nurses are giving shots to young girls that are not sexually actively, she begins searching for the truth and stops giving shots. However, her supervisor convinces the father and grandma to let her (the supervisor) take the two girls to town for shots, but instead they sterilize them from ever having children. A court case ensues and it is found out that this is happening all over the country in low income neighborhoods, thus a class action suit. <br/>I was really hoping to like this book more than I did, but unfortunately I had no connection to any of the characters, which is sad because this type of book is meant to have a strong connection with at least one. It was an ok read, but not one that I would recommend"

"I don’t know if it was expectations that were set too high or just the book not living up to the message it was trying to carry but Take My Hand never felt like it got out of first gear. <br/><br/>The books subject matter is extremely important and disheartens to hear how true it all is. The fact that the US Government was taken advantage of poor, Black women and children, sterilizing them without their knowledge for years is horrible. If the book was a non-fiction book or put more of the focus on this happening then I think it would be a better book. <br/><br/>Instead, it is through the character Civil Townsend, who is a black women from a nicer part of town, who does not face the economic or social challenges that the Williams family does. What could have been a great character in Civil I feel like is undermined by the constant romance/flirtation with the various men in the story, she loses some of what makes her s great character because of that. <br/><br/>Like I had said throughout the reading updates for this book , it felt like something was missing and the book never finds it by the end, with the ending just kinda falling flat. We don’t see why Civil goes and becomes a doctor after fighting it the entire time, nor what happened with the girls growing up. The book felt like it was setting you up for answers that it did not want to give.<br/><br/>Overall I think it is a easy read and a important topic that should be discussed more, that is even more relevant now with Roe v Wade and abortion rights under attack. I just wish the book was more impactful like I know it could have been"

"This book tells a story that all women should know. Knowledge keeps us from repeating the atrocities that are presented as a solution to a social problem that takes away the humanity in the name of helping ."

"I am going to be in the minority about this book because I didn't love it nearly as much as anyone else. The plot itself was fantastic but I found Civil to just be insufferable! The way she inserted herself into the Williams' family and meddled in their affairs was just so inappropriate I found myself shocked that the woman could keep her nursing license."

"Loved it!"

"First I've read by this author. Fast paced, sassy & resilient heroine, protective & loving hero. Look forward to reading Ford's story."

"I would like to say that I a a huge fan of historical fiction and this book did not disappoint. "

"4.6"

"This book and its subject matter should have made me FEEL more. It should have made me cry uncontrollably.<br/>The author didn’t write in a way that helped me connect to the characters or even the story itself. <br/>I wanted to love this book but there was a disconnect. Having said that, it was interesting and such a heavy topic."

"I wish I could give this book endless stars. Highly recommend. Such a good book I cried so many tears happy and sad. Such a good read."

"I was committed to this book after the first chapter. A definite must read. "