Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Published 2022 · 368 pages · 96,000 words · about 11 hours at an average pace · Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
How hard is Take My Hand to read?
Take My Hand scores 53 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it quite demanding. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.
- Vocabulary: 50 out of 100
- Perkins-Valdez writes in accessible, contemporary prose that captures 1970s Alabama. The vocabulary reflects the period and setting without creating barriers for readers.
- Sentence structure: 50 out of 100
- Sentences are clear and rhythmic, building Civil's story through observation and dialogue. The prose is readable, serving emotional engagement over stylistic complexity.
- Abstraction: 55 out of 100
- The novel explores reproductive justice, racism, and the gap between medical authority and patient autonomy. These themes are embodied in the Relf sisters' case rather than discussed abstractly.
- Information density: 58 out of 100
- The history of eugenics programs, the textures of 1970s Alabama, and Civil's personal journey create a layered narrative. Perkins-Valdez builds density through historical immersion.
- Narrative indirection: 52 out of 100
- Civil narrates from the present, looking back at the case that shaped her life. The reader knows the outcome of the lawsuit but must understand how Civil came to her actions.
- Symbolic density: 55 out of 100
- The Relf sisters become symbolic of Black women's vulnerability to medical exploitation. The clinic and the family homes become symbols of different systems of power and care.
- Ironic distance: 50 out of 100
- Perkins-Valdez writes with moral clarity about the eugenics program while sympathizing with Civil's complexity. The irony is in how 'helping' became harm.
- Resolution withholding: 52 out of 100
- The lawsuit provides historical closure, but Civil's personal reckoning with her role continues. Perkins-Valdez provides legal resolution while leaving moral complexity open.
- Structural complexity: 52 out of 100
- The novel moves between Civil's present-day perspective and her 1970s experience. The structure is accessible, using the frame narrative to create retrospective understanding.
How Take My Hand is regarded
Take My Hand holds a literary regard score of 56 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.