My Grandmother's Hands

My Grandmother's Hands. Resmaa Menakem. 2017.

This is like a melding of The Body Keeps the Score and Between The World and Me.  The science behind post-trauma brains and the exercises and activities to try to heal that are a much more accessible read than TBKTS. and it's application to racism and racial identity is quite powerful.  He draws on the work of many others, but because he takes it out of the context of domestic and sexual violence or veterans of war, it is  a fresh take and certainly his approach to the trauma experienced by law enforcement officers has a unique tone and approach.   

Some of the exercises were a bit much for me, so I definitely cheated and didn't do them all, even though he told me I really should try to do all of them.  It was a really interesting perspective on the trauma that racism has imparted on everyone in the States.  It is interesting that many of the activities involve group work and recommendations for doing things that will alleviate symptoms of trauma are things that are out of the question during quarantine for me. I hadn't really thought about how many of these things I engage in a the summer family camp that I typically attend. So many of his suggestions for healing are incorporated into the routine there.  Missing this healing at a time when there are so many open wounds around race is such a loss. 

There were some things I found a little off-putting, like suggestions that you lose weight and get in shape as a way to feel better about yourself and manage your trauma responses to triggering events. Some of the other suggestions seemed trite and in line with the "self-care" recommendations that I find irritating (get a massage, for example). But his approach to talking about intergenerational trauma that has been passed down across racial groups is worth the read.

Recommend.

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