Hey, it's Empire's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. Today's book is one of those

stories where the main character is super hyped, super jazzed about taking part in what she thinks

is a very good thing. But that thing turns out to be very dark, very hurtful, and let's say

ethically dubious if we're being generous about it.

The book is Take My Hand, the third from novelist Dolan Perkins Valdez.

And it's about reproductive rights for black women and girls and how difficult it is to trust a system that's let you down so many times.

And in this interview with MPR's Aisha Rosco, she asks Perkins Valdez,

how do seemingly well-intentioned people end up hurting people?

And the answer boils down to not...

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What does it mean to help people in need, especially when those people are also the most

vulnerable to being victimized by the systems meant to help them?

That's the question that protagonist, Civil Townsend, a black nurse in 1970s Alabama, has to grapple with

when the federally funded clinic she works for causes irreparable harm to two of her young

patients. Take My Hand is the latest novel by Dolan Perkins Valdez. Thanks for being here.

The pleasure is mine. So start by telling us about your main character, Civil Townsend.

Sure.

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