Welcome to Litsy!

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Wow, I loved this. On the edge on my seat and finished it in two days.

It‘s about a newly graduated Black nurse in Alabama working at a family planning clinic in 1973, shortly after the uncovering of the Tuskegee syphilis experiments. She fiercely fights for her patients, including a pair of young girls, ages 11 and 13. This novel jumps through time between 1973 and 2016 where she reflects on their case.

Highly recommended.

Willow helping me read outside today.

Borrowed from a friend who‘s also a #botm BFF!

Have high expectations for this one!

Finally started this today… Takes place in my home state and my hometown is mentioned in the beginning. A win win!!!

I was so emotionally invested in this story. Although the characters are fictional, the government sponsored sterilization of poor, black, and sometimes mentally-challenged young girls is a disturbing piece of not-so-distant American history that should be documented and understood.

January #BookSpin Category: Historical Fiction @TheAromaofBooks

Emotionally difficult read, but an important story based in fact surrounding terrible practices by government medical programs in “helping” poor black women in the south in the 1970s. Investigations that came from this case expanded victims to include women of Latin descent. The authors note includes examples of this practice still happening today.

Very well done and based on a true story. POC and intellectually disabled people have been victims of eugenics movements and attempts to control their bodies through violence, enslavement, coercion, imprisonment, and medical means. Incredibly disturbing, but as today‘s struggles with reproductive rights and the distrust of the healthcare system have their roots in these stories, it‘s an important read.

I nearly forgot to post about this book, which probably says it all.
Covering the undoubtedly important and horrific topic of forced sterilisation in the US in the 1970s I found that the way the book was written didn‘t do anything for me.
#booked2023 #reproductiverights

Civil starts her new job as a nurse in 1973 filled with desire to help people but soon realizes that her clinic is subjecting its poor Black patients to harmful procedures without consent. As she becomes involved in the lives of two of her young patients she is determined to put a stop to the cruel practices. The two timelines were unnecessary and treated so unevenly but thankfully did nothing to lessen impact.
#booked2023 #aboutreproductiverights

I‘m looking forward to discussing this #BOTM pick with my real-life book club this weekend! Set primarily in 1973 Montgomery, AL Perkins-Valdez sheds light on an ugly part of American history that is often glossed over— if not ignored completely. It‘s a heartbreaking read that I think will lead to an interesting conversation with our club. The 2016 storyline isn‘t as strongly developed & some of the points get repeated, but overall well-written!

I‘m struggling with this one half way in - it feels sloooowwwwww and repetitive in the moralizing. Novellas & essays are fabulous so I don‘t understand why publishers & writers feel compelled to pad the stories.

Finished ✔️ on a rainy Easter 🐣 holiday afternoon ; this book would make a great film. 3.5 stars ⭐️ for me as I thought the ending could have been a bit sharper more punchy instead of just fizzling out, but still a great read and an important one.

Finished ✔️ on a rainy Easter 🐣 holiday afternoon ; this book would make a great film. 3.5 stars ⭐️ for me as I thought the ending could have been a bit sharper more punchy instead of just fizzling out, but still a great read and an important one.

1st read of April didn‘t get to read as much as I wanted to in March due to the death of our beloved German shep Lola 😪and the sudden arrival of mollies brother into our home 2weeks later, as he‘d been abandoned.Anyone who says animals don‘t grieve should have witnessed our little mollie at the death of her fur sister,so fingers crossed she‘ll bond with Teddy lots of teeth showing but Wer getting there.so this one started slowly for me

I didn‘t pay much attention to this one when it came around last year, but then I heard someone talking it up on a podcast and I‘m glad that led me to it. Despite taking place largely in 1973, it is a timely look at the importance of allowing women to have agency over our own bodies. Highly recommend.

Good read for #BlackHistoryMonth. Engrossing and eye-opening. I‘m glad to know more about this troubling and heartbreaking history. #BOTM

This book has such a powerful message and it was so beautifully written. At times I was so mad and heartbroken at the unspeakable things done to these young girls. I loved it. I‘m so glad I read this book.

Loosely based on the 1973 federal case of Relf v. Weinberger where 2 girls are sterilized without consent in AL by a federally funded agency. Told from the POV of Civil Townsend, a 23-YO nurse who works at a women's clinic. The story switches between the past & present as she looks back on this life changing situation while visiting the people involved in the events that unfolded. Plot was both repetitive at times, but also gripping.

Finally starting my #bookspin book today, and it seems like the perfect day.

Read all the way to the end, don‘t skip the Author‘s Note. It‘s still happening.

This title comes from MLKs last words which is fitting for the time and substance of the book. An important topic of America 's forced sterilization of women in the 1970s while the topic is heavy the characters are vivid and likable and drawn with much love.
An important and engrossing read.

"There is not greater right for a woman than having a choice, Anne. And I exercised that right. Fully and consciously."

I remember in 2010 in NC when they set up a victims fund for people that endured forced sterilizations as part of the eugenics program in the state. I always remember how shocking it was to hear stories from people that were still alive & were sterilized when they were young. Stories like this continue to be told to shed light on the painful past that too many people had to endure. Such a great story even though it was sad & difficult.

Last read of the year and my emotions are all over the place. I don‘t know what to feel, Do I cry? Be mad? Or spread the word about how this is a must read for all.

If you like historical fiction this is a great read. Based loosely on a federal case in Montgomery, AL in the 70s regarding unauthorized sterilization of poor, black and/or disabled women, and the people who had the courage to address it.

Thanks to #shesaid, I finally read this and am SO glad I did. I learned about a part of history that I really didn‘t know much about - and am particularly sad (and so angry) about the fact that events described in the book (no spoilers) are still happening. @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

Hello #SheSaid!

This one was a tough part of history to read (and sadly not as far in our past as we may wish it was… the fight for individual choice is still ongoing), but it was so well done I still flipped pages to see what happened next. I wanted a bit more about her personal decisions after the history, but as a story that brought the bigger issue into focus it was very well done and I really enjoyed Civil‘s voice and the nurses POV.

I think that one‘s pretty close 😉

#pantone2022 @Clwojick

Finishing this book tonight, and it also completes my #Pantone2022 challenge for this year. Thank you for this fun one @Clwojick

Funny it‘s my last book for this one, happens to be the center square, and wasn‘t picked by me at all but the #SheSaid reading group pick. #Serendipity #Bookendipity

This book is beautiful even if the subject is rather difficult to absorb without feeling upset and a bit angry.

#SheSaid @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

This was a powerful book. Hard topics and flawed humans make for a compelling, though heartbreaking story. Highly recommend! #SheSaid

Powerful and sad, Take My Hand focuses on the topic of rights and justice for children, people of color, and for the poor. It‘s fiction but based on a trial from the 1970s involving two sisters in Alabama. The main character, Civil, is a young nurse whose sometimes misguided desire to help is compelling. This one is an all too real heartbreaker.

Excellent storytelling for a serious and important topic.
#SheSaid

Dutch gingerbread cakes are breakfast for, right?

My current read is engaging and heart wrenching. I have to keep reminding myself that it's taking place in the 70s and not father in the past. Some of the attitudes are just so backwards, they deserve to be extinct. Unfortunately, similar things have happened as recently as 2018 here in Canada 😡

Hello #SheSaid

How‘s everyone this week? And how is the book treating you with the aftermath of a few gut wrenching cliffhangers from Part 1.

Hello #SheSaid! I hope you are all having a nice relaxing week before (or in-between) the holidays.

This is a serious subject, but I am enjoying the the fiction flow of reading this month. Anyone else listening on audiobook, the narrator has such a great buttery? voice… loving that. And the way they weave in the history with the individual stories is great.

How are you doing so far?

repost for @Riveted_Reader_Melissa:

Hello #SheSaid

The schedule is ready for December, I‘m looking forward to some fiction myself…fingers crossed it‘s a good one. 😉

#BuddyRead

Original post: https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2508573

How pretty is this edition? It's large print. I'll take it back if someone requests it.

#SheSaid @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

Hello #SheSaid

The schedule is ready for December, I‘m looking forward to some fiction myself…fingers crossed it‘s a good one. 😉

This book takes place in the 1970s in Alabama. It is loosely based on real life facts. Civil is a nurse who makes house visits to young black girls to get them the depo shot to prevent pregnancy. Until she finds out that she just gave it to a young child who hasn‘t even started her monthly. She takes it upon her hands to take care of this family and do all it takes to make sure they are ok. I really enjoyed this book.

A hard read but a necessary read.

#DualTimeLine 1973 Alabama/ 2016 Tennessee- Civil Townsend reflects back to the early days of her career as a young black nurse working at a woman‘s health clinic in rural Alabama with aspirations of serving the community. Instead she finds herself embroiled in a horrific situation. Now she‘s a retired physician who still can‘t let go of the past. This was an eye-opening read, shedding light on a topic I knew little about. #HF #BOTMbacklog

Catching up on my #BOTMbacklog - so far this is good. But this sentence cracked me up @alisiakae

This historical fiction book opened my eyes to a tragedy that I didn't know much about. The story follows a young nurse who discovers her clinic doing forced sterilizations on young girls and women. I found the part set in the past too be the strongest storyline. I became a little bored with the present-day chapters and Civil at times bugged me.

Overall though, this is a great read and an important read.

"??? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ???????? ?? ??. ????, ????????, ?? ????‘? ??????. ????? ???? ??? ??????, ??? ?? ??? ??? ????? ?? ?????? ???? ?? ?? ???? ????. ?? ??? ?? ?? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ??? ?????? ???? ??, ?? ?? ?? ????‘? ???? ?????? ?? ?????????."

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I‘m on a roll with great books this month! This one is important, and is based around actual history. I highly recommend it.

5🌟/5🌟

Final book of the holiday finished on the plane. I thought this was overall really powerful - main storyline sits in 1973 and follows a nurse in a Mississippi family planning clinic and the consequences of the forced sterilisation of young, poor, black girls. Whilst I didn‘t love the main character I think that was kind of the point and she meddled and helped this is everything I love about a good historical fiction novel

I'm struggling with how to rate this. I appreciate the author shining a light on some history I had never learned but I wish she had told it from a different perspective. It was too much Civil's story and I couldn't muster much interest in her. The 2016 storyline seemed especially boring and pointless to me. If Mrs William's perspective had been included I think the story would have been stronger and more emotional. #unpopularopinion

Y‘all, this book. I finished the audio yesterday and can‘t get it out of my head. Reading diverse books are so important. It works empathy, compassion and more understanding into peoples lives that are different than we are. 5⭐️ rec. #diversebooks #bipocauthors #importantbooks