I purchased both this book and audiobook for my own collection.
Publisher: Berkly Books / Penguin Audio
Published: April 12, 2022
Summary:
Inspired by true events that rocked the nation, a profoundly moving novel about a Black nurse in post-segregation Alabama who blows the whistle on a terrible wrong done to her patients, from the New York Times bestselling author of Wench.
Montgomery, Alabama 1973. Fresh out of nursing school, Civil Townsend has big plans to make a difference, especially in her African American community. At the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic, she intends to help women make their own choices for their lives and bodies.
But when her first week on the job takes her down a dusty country road to a worn down one-room cabin, she’s shocked to learn that her new patients are children—just 11 and 13 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 the door to learn the unthinkable has happened and nothing will ever be the same for any of them.
Decades later, with her daughter grown and a long career in her wake, Dr. Civil Townsend is ready to retire, to find her peace and to leave the past behind. But there are people and stories that refuse to be forgotten. That must not be forgotten.
Because history repeats what we don’t remember.
My thoughts:
This book was a recent bookclub pick for the online bookclub I cohost, the @bookfriendsbookclub, and I’m so glad that we selected it. It’s the type of book that you are going to need to talk about and discuss with others once you are done reading.
This is exactly the reason why I love reading historical fiction. This book is inspired by true events – events that happened in the 1970s in Alabama – yet could not be more timely right now. It is a powerful story of two young Black sisters who were sterilized without consent by a federally funded clinic.
The story is told from the viewpoint of the nurse who worked at the clinic at the time the girls were sterilized. She becomes an advocate for these sisters, who have no one standing up for them because of their circumstances and the family being so dependent on whatever government handouts they can get.
As hard as this book is to read, it is also incredibly important that this story is told. And I think the author does so in such a thoughtful and touching way. I was completely immersed in the story from the very beginning, partly because of the writing and partly because of the characters themselves. They are so richly drawn that you cannot help but become completely drawn to them. This isn’t an easy book to read by any means as it tackles many tough, difficult subjects but it is done in such a manner that you want to keep reading and then talk about the book.
I highly recommend picking this one up. Read it with your friends or your bookclub…it really makes for some excellent discussion and if you can get the author to join you, even better!
Audio thoughts:
I listened to this one and was totally immersed in the story. The narrator does a great job bringing the book to life. Her pacing and intonation were spot on and she infused just enough emotion and tension into her voice as needed.
