Campaign Spotlight: Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

By Emily Lavin, Georgia Rees, Chante-Marie Dante and Annamaria Rakti

Dolen Perkins-Valdez returns with her third novel, Take My Hand, inspired by shocking real events in the American South of 1973. The novel follows Civil Townsend, a Black nurse in post-segregated Alabama determined to make a difference in her local community. But, after meeting her new patients, the young Williams’ sisters, Civil learns of a serious issue within her own clinic.  

Perkins-Valdez is most known for her 2010 debut novel, Wench, which became a New York Times bestseller the following year. She received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction in 2023, having previously been a finalist for the prize in 2011.  Perkins-Valdez is also the Chair of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, an organisation “dedicated to the idea that fiction creates empathy within and among communities and advances civil discourse.”

Events

Immediately following Take My Hand’s publication in spring 2022, Perkins-Valdez embarked on an ambitious book tour across the United States, starting in Washington, D.C., hopping across to California and ending in Virginia. Two stand-out events of the tour were highlighted by Perkins-Valdez on her Instagram. On 20 April, she first stopped by the Philadelphia Free Library in Pennsylvania, where she was joined in conversation by Asali Solomon (author of The Days of Afrekete); and later dropped by the Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Centre in Seattle, where she was joined by social justice advocate, Susan Long-Walsh.

She has also done a number of virtual author talks since the book’s publication, including a collaboration with Bates College’s Bobcat Reads book club, founded to instil a sense of community and love of reading in alumni, staff and parents. She appeared on the Black and Published podcast, hosted by Nikesha Elise Williams, to talk about Take My Hand, the story that inspired it and how America’s stance on reproductive justice and bodily autonomy had changed since she began writing the novel.

In fact, Perkins-Valdez uses her platform as an author as an opportunity to highlight issues regarding reproductive rights and the freedom to choose, often appearing at events with this as the central theme. This includes an upcoming conversation with women’s health activist, Linda Janet Holmes (author of Safe in a Midwife’s Hands), about the state of reproductive rights in a post-Dobbs Virginia. 

Social Media

Take My Hand was centre stage on Perkins-Valdez’s Instagram in 2022, where she shared each milestone the book reached. She shared reviews, giveaways and prize nominations, which seemed to be coming in non-stop. She also shared a series of chilling facts about the medical trauma of the Black community in the United States, which is the main topic of her book. 

Perkins-Valdez’s book was also chosen by multiple book clubs across the globe, including the BBC’s Between the Covers; and Perkins-Valdez posted about her trip and the recording process. She did a great job of connecting with her readers and, from the comment section, it is easy to tell that she has a strong community behind her. The core base of Perkins-Valdez’s loyal followers also joined her own book club, Dolen’s Book Club.

Take My Hand has been living a long and comfortable life on social media ever since – featured in multiple Black History Month collections and recommended by countless influencers. It is a perfect example of a book which is carried by its amazing writing and a sadly ignored part of history, two things which may be discovered by new readers over and over again. 

Bookshops

Take My Hand has been showcased in different locations, such as HudsonBooks, a bookshop located primarly in airports – convenient for people on the go, and offering a curated selection of bestsellers. In June 2022, Perkins-Valdez mentioned that she also saw a sighting of her book in Galway, Ireland, in a bookstore’s “What’s Hot” section, and thanked both her publisher, @HachetteIre and her publicist, @ElaineEgan_ on social media. Bookshop displays are very important for fiction books because they create buzz and excitement for all authors, whether they’re establishing, or have already established, a fanbase.

Since Perkins-Valdez has a lot of promise on her doorstep – like her other novels, Wench and Balm – Take My Hand has propelled her to new heights. An independent bookstore called Wakefield Books also posted her book on their instagram, showing it off as, “A few more of today’s new releases!” highlighting her new-found success.