Dolen Perkins-Valdez's historical novel fictionalizes involuntary sterilizations

Dolen Perkins-Valdez says she's attracted to what she calls "silences in the archives," or – holes in our recollection in history, particularly those in African American history. In her new historical novel Take My Hand, she tackles forced sterilizations inspired by the 1973 case of the Relf sisters. On Weekend Edition Sunday, Perkins-Valdez told Ayesha Roscoe about her decision to tell this story from a nurse's perspective, the double-edged sword of birth control for Black women, and her goals on writing from real life.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy