My Grandmother's Hands

My Grandmother's Hands

Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies

Summary

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

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

About the author

Resmaa Menakem

Resmaa Menakem is a therapist with decades of experience specializing in trauma, body-centred psychotherapy, and violence prevention. My Grandmother's Hands was a New York Times bestseller.
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