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My Grandmother's Hands

Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The consequences of racism can be found in our bodies - in skin and sinew, in bone and blood. In this ground-breaking, inspiring work, therapist Resmaa Menakem examines the damage, the physical consequences of discrimination, from the perspective of body-centred psychology. He argues that until we learn to heal and overcome the generational anguish of white supremacy, we will all continue to bear its scars.

My Grandmother's Hands is an extraordinary call to action for all of us to recognize that racism affects not only the mind, but also the body, and introduces an alternative view of what we can do to grow beyond our racial divides.

'Insightful, thought-provoking and profound. I can't recommend highly enough' Sunny Singh

'A revolutionary work of beauty, brilliance, compassion and ultimately, hope' Robin DiAngelo

© Resmaa Menakem 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

 Mental Health Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Racism & Discrimination Social Sciences Discrimination Health Social justice

Critic reviews

My Grandmother's Hands is a revolutionary work of beauty, brilliance, compassion and ultimately, hope. With eloquence and grace, Resmaa Menakem masterfully lays out the missing piece in the puzzle of why, despite so many good intentions, we have not achieved racial justice. Yes, we need to understand white supremacy, but as Menakem so skillfully explains, white supremacy is not rational and we won't end it with our intellect alone. White supremacy is internalized deep into our bodies. We must begin to understand it as white body supremacy and go to the depth of where it is stored, within our collective bones and muscles. To this end, My Grandmother's Hands is an intimate guidebook toward racial healing, one that achieves that rare combination for its readers; it is deeply intellectually stimulating while also providing practical ways to engage in the process of repair, even as we read. I believe this book will change the direction of the movement for racial justice (Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility)
In My Grandmother Hands, Resmaa offers a path of internal reconciliation for a person enduring the generational trauma of American racism, and gives us all a chance to dream of a healing from it. (Keith Ellison, Member of Congress and Deputy Chair of the Democratic National Committee)
Resmaa Menakem cuts to the heart of America's racial crisis with the precision of a surgeon in ways few have before. Addressing the intergenerational trauma of white supremacy and its effects on all of us?understanding it as a true soul wound?is the first order of business if we hope to pull out of the current morass. As this amazing work shows us, policies alone will not do it, and bold social action, though vital to achieving justice, will require those engaged in it to also take action on the injury, deep and personal, from which we all suffer. (Tim Wise, bestselling author of White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son and Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority)
Forget diversity. Forget teaching tolerance. Forget white guilt. With clarity and insight, Resmaa offers a profoundly different approach to healing racism in America (John Friel and Linda Friel, New York Times bestselling co-authors of nine books including Adult Children: The Secrets of Dysfunctional Family)
All stars
Most relevant
One of the most important books I have read, a voice that will continually change me: my feelings, thinking, living and how I relate. Big stuff, but also for me seemingly small details f.ex. reflecting with nuanced curiosity around the potentially complex reasons for calling my daughter Maya (read Angelou while pregnant) over 20 years ago. The author shows the responsibility which belongs to white bodies in a way that widens and deepens the longing to move into responsibility. This must have taken a miraculous amount of painful work.

discovering each other

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The book from beginning to end, absolutely amazing.

The personal exercise that are shown, what a fabulous interaction to have with the reader

The research

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A very real and honest viewpoint of how people with black bodies are disadvantaged by many systems. An absolutely brilliant tool as a white-bodied counsellor to understand how this impacts every client I see. I recommend this to everyone.

Fantastic insight

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