1. Perkins-Valdez used the real-life 1973 case Relf v.
Weinberger as a launching point for writing this novel. Did you know
about this moment in history or similar stories? If not, why do you
think these important historical moments are not more widely known?
2. Take My Hand is told
through the eyes of present-day Civil revealing to her grown daughter
what happened in 1973. Why do you think the author chose to tell the
story this way? Why is it important for us to pass on our family
histories?
3. History repeats what we
don’t remember. With infamous cases like the Tuskegee syphilis
experiment and the use of Henrietta Lacks’s cells without her knowledge,
what do you think is the importance of medical ethics in today’s
society?
4. So many people in this
novel have good intentions—even Mrs. Seager believes she is doing what’s
right. What are the dangers of good intentions? What responsibility do
we have from the fallout of our “good deeds”?
5. Civil and the nurses at
the clinic try to make amends for the unintentional harm they have done
to patients over the years. Do you think redemption was possible for
them?
6. Present-day Civil goes to
visit her old friend Alicia. In what ways have the two women changed
since their days of working together at the clinic?
7. In the book, Civil
recounts, “Our little family managed to live dignified in undignified
times. Daddy shined his shoes every morning. Mama wore earrings. These
little acts might seem simple to you, but baby, let me tell you. They
held back the storm.” What is the significance of living “dignified” for
both the Townsend and the Williams families?
8. How do you think India
and Erica’s story would have unfolded if Civil hadn’t stepped into their
lives?
9. Why do you think Civil
never married?
10. Do you think Civil was truly
attracted to Mace Williams, or do you think it was a product of Civil’s
romantic notion of what a hero is?
11. The ideas of being a savior
and being an advocate are important themes in the book. Who in your mind
was a savior? Who in your mind was an advocate? What are examples of
ways these roles are different?
12. The book is set in Montgomery,
Alabama, in 1973. What is the importance of time and place in the novel?