Meet Dolen Perkins-Valdez and hear her discuss "Take My Hand," which is inspired by true events that rocked the nation, this is a profoundly moving novel about a Black nurse in post-segregation Alabama who blows the whistle on a terrible wrong done to her patients. Audience Q and A and Book Signing to follow. Co-hosted by Mahogany Books
About Dolen Perkins-Valdez:
Dolen Perkins-Valdez is the New York Times bestselling author of "Wench" and "Balm". She recently won the NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Fiction Literature! Additionally, she's won the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for fiction, and awarded the First Novelist Award by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. She lives in Washington, DC with her family.
About "Take My Hand":
Montgomery, Alabama, 1973. Fresh out of nursing school, Civil Townsend intends to make a difference, especially in her African American community. At the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic, she hopes to help women shape their destinies, to make their own choices for their lives and bodies.
But 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. 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. As Civil grapples with her role, she takes India, Erica, and their family into her heart. 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.
Inspired by true events and brimming with hope, "Take My Hand" is a stirring exploration of accountability and redemption.
Please Note:
Masks are optional throughout event.
Books will not be personalized.
Event guidelines are subject to change. Each ticket includes an autographed copy of the book.
Please email us at least 14 days in advance at events@mahoganybooks.com should you need any accommodations.
Parking is limited. Ridesharing highly encouraged.
Photographs may be taken during the event WITHOUT FLASH.
Please tag us and use #mahoganybooks, #blackbooksmatter #pgmls & #TakeMyHand on social media.
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