My Grandmother's Hands
Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies
Book - 2017
"The body is where our instincts reside and where we fight, flee, or freeze, and it endures the trauma inflicted by the ills that plague society. In this groundbreaking work, therapist Resmaa Menakem examines the damage caused by racism in America from the perspective of body-centered psychology. He argues this destruction will continue until Americans learn to heal the generational anguish of white supremacy, which is deeply embedded in all our bodies. Our collective agony doesn't just affect African Americans. White Americans suffer their own secondary trauma as well. So do blue Americans -- our police. My Grandmother's Hands is a call to action for all of us to recognize that racism is not about the head, but about the body, and introduces an alternative view of what we can do to grow beyond our entrenched racialized divide."--Amazon.com.
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Publisher:
Las Vegas, NV :, Central Recovery Press,, 2017
ISBN:
9781942094470
1942094477
9781942094609
1942094604
1942094477
9781942094609
1942094604
Branch Call Number:
305.8 M534m 2017
Characteristics:
xx, 309 pages ; 23 cm
Opinion
From Library Staff
From Library Staff
Trauma can live in our bodies, from the calloused hands of those who work in the fields, to the aching bodies of those who never saw the light of freedom, we are capable of mending what has been broken in the past.
A somatic approach to healing the trauma of white supremacy, with sections addressing that trauma as experienced by Blacks, by whites, and by law enforcement.
From the critics
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Add a CommentLooks like more copies are needed.
Rec by Djuna June 2020
I read this book because I was intrigued by the premise that the body remembers trauma and is ever ready to surface its effects across time and generations. However, the book took me to unexpected places. As I see it, the basic premise is that violence is the result of hidden trauma and that in the case of racial violence it is essential that we understand what drives a human being to hurt another human being, be it physical, emotional, or psychological hurt.
The book focuses on Americans, but I think that its premise and conclusions are far reaching to other countries and cultures. The author addresses three American groups: those of European descent, African Americans, and police officers from each of these groups. The author explores the incidences of violence deeply.
I wish that the focus would have been broader and explored violence in all cultures over the ages.
This is a recommended read for all who seek to understand and heal racial strife in the US. Actually, it has such potential to influence the future of the US that it should be included in educational curricula, probably as early as high school. It is written with compassion and provides practical recommendations to help heal the nation. It is to be read slowly to allow its message to seep in as well as to allow the reader to experiment with the recommended exercises.
More copies please
Yes, more copies. This is a ground breaking book, meant to be studied in affinity groups. I'd also like to suggest that it be available for check-out to book groups. And, since Menakem is local to the Twin Cities, I'd love for him to be a speaker about the book in a forum, perhaps.
We need more copies I believe.