Nonfiction

My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies

My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies

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  • Create Date：2021-04-08 13:52:51
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Resmaa Menakem
  • ISBN：0141996471
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Summary

The consequences of racism can be found in our bodies - in skin and sinew， in bone and blood。 In this ground-breaking 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 effects not only the mind， but also the body， and introduces an alternative view of what we can do to grow beyond our racial divides。

'A revolutionary work of beauty， brilliance， compassion and ultimately， hope 。 。 。 I believe this book will change the direction of the movement for racial justice' Robin DiAngelo， author of White Fragility'

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Reviews

Larkin Tackett ，

Resmaa Menakem is a somatic therapist， social worker， and counselor， and has written one of the most powerful books about race， "white body supremacy，" and trauma that I've ever read。 His thesis is that all of our bodies are full of un-metabolized multi-generational trauma that manifests itself in violence， especially against Black bodies。 "Events don't just get written down;" he writes， "they get recorded and passed on in human bodies。" This became clear to me one night with my family when I ha Resmaa Menakem is a somatic therapist， social worker， and counselor， and has written one of the most powerful books about race， "white body supremacy，" and trauma that I've ever read。 His thesis is that all of our bodies are full of un-metabolized multi-generational trauma that manifests itself in violence， especially against Black bodies。 "Events don't just get written down;" he writes， "they get recorded and passed on in human bodies。" This became clear to me one night with my family when I had a mental episode。 The event included my typical fleeing response in the face of conflict， which was caused in part by my vassal or （as Resmaa describes it） soul nerve。 His five anchors （1-Soothe yourself; 2-Notice your sensations; 3-Accept the discomfort; 4-Stay present; and 5-Safely discharge remaining energy） were valuable as I processed my episode。 Because I have benefited greatly from white body supremacy and desperately want to be the "settled body" that can help myself and others heal， the reflections and practices in this book will be valuable for a long time。 。。。more

Angela ，

Interesting concepts and helpful tips and exercises

Sarah Grundy ，

I really do believe that this book has a lot of wisdom and things that feel quite exciting and hopeful to try out and to work on and I think there really is something in somatic work and racial justice along with intersectional justice as well。 I would however say that I found some aspects of the book quite confusing， difficult or offensive。 For example calling people "yellow" or "red" felt offensive at least my understanding of that use of language has only ever been in contexts that are offen I really do believe that this book has a lot of wisdom and things that feel quite exciting and hopeful to try out and to work on and I think there really is something in somatic work and racial justice along with intersectional justice as well。 I would however say that I found some aspects of the book quite confusing， difficult or offensive。 For example calling people "yellow" or "red" felt offensive at least my understanding of that use of language has only ever been in contexts that are offensive so I found this quite confusing。 I also found the language around the police difficult because it felt like Resmaa Menakem was saying that we should support the police and we should be critical whereas I think there are some other interesting models that aren't the police that could be explored and so I don't believe you do have to inherently support the police model， so I found that quite difficult and am still thinking about that one。 That said， I think that there are so many useful things in this book that feel very practical on both a personal and community level， mainly unpacking trauma and trauma responses around race and setting off thinking about cultural shifts。 Overall I would recommend reading this book as I think it is powerful in its ability to spark a certain way of thinking and responsibility to face issues around racism head on。 。。。more

Maggie Dunleavy ，

There is some really beautiful wisdom in here about finding ways to settle our bodies in order to step into genuine work dismantling our own white supremacy and racialized trauma。 There is some light to medium copaganda that made me pause， but I am glad I read this and would recommend， especially for folks who are less experienced in body work/somatic stuff 😙

Sera ，

An excellent book about the need for collective healing prior to policy change as it relates to racism。 This book is very different from the other books I have been reading to help me on my journey to anti-racism。 Menakem talks about how centuries of trauma to and within black， white and police bodies have led us to where we are in our race and communal relations today。 He also does an excellent job of showing how we can settle our bodies and heal within ourselves， and then， how we can take thos An excellent book about the need for collective healing prior to policy change as it relates to racism。 This book is very different from the other books I have been reading to help me on my journey to anti-racism。 Menakem talks about how centuries of trauma to and within black， white and police bodies have led us to where we are in our race and communal relations today。 He also does an excellent job of showing how we can settle our bodies and heal within ourselves， and then， how we can take those actions to scale within in our communities， and ultimately， our country。 Menakem states that policy changes can't occur without cultural change happening first。 I'm not sure that I agree with him on this point， although I do believe that cultural change would certainly accelerate the policy piece。 I feel that many people fear policy changes because they have been told a large number of mistruths about what will happen if such changes occur。 If the policy change is made without having these outcomes， then people grow more comfortable with it。 Again， gay marriage comes to mind。 The traditional notion of marriage between a man and woman didn't implode as most people had feared when gay marriage was legalized。 Even so， I agree with Menakem that cultural change is mandatory to our changing the image and the dynamics of race relations in America in positive ways。I highly recommend this book。 。。。more

Emily ，

This is the best book I’ve ever read。 I will share it enthusiastically far and wide。 It was like a warm hug， a firm talking to， and a powerful spiritual experience combined。

Yarub Khayat ，

رغم روعته وعمقه: 3نجوم للقارئ العربي لأن الكتاب متعلق فقط بتفاصيل الحياة والمشكلات الأمريكية، ويبدو أن صدوره عام 2017 كان رد فعل لتصاعد العنف ضد السود هناك؛هذا كتاب أمريكي عن تأثيرات العنصرية وانتقالها عبر الجينات إلى الأحفاد وأبناء الأحفاد؛ وأن علاج ذلك يتطلب عدة أجيال وذلك"From the Prespective of Body - Centered Psychology" يتناول الكتاب بالتحليل أثر العنصرية على السود （والملونين） في أمريكا، وأثرها على أفراد الشرطة الأمريكيين الذي قد يتسبب لإطلاق النار على شخص بسبب لون بشرته، وأثر العنصرية على رغم روعته وعمقه: 3نجوم للقارئ العربي لأن الكتاب متعلق فقط بتفاصيل الحياة والمشكلات الأمريكية، ويبدو أن صدوره عام 2017 كان رد فعل لتصاعد العنف ضد السود هناك؛هذا كتاب أمريكي عن تأثيرات العنصرية وانتقالها عبر الجينات إلى الأحفاد وأبناء الأحفاد؛ وأن علاج ذلك يتطلب عدة أجيال وذلك"From the Prespective of Body - Centered Psychology" يتناول الكتاب بالتحليل أثر العنصرية على السود （والملونين） في أمريكا، وأثرها على أفراد الشرطة الأمريكيين الذي قد يتسبب لإطلاق النار على شخص بسبب لون بشرته، وأثر العنصرية على نفسية وسيكولوجية البيض وشعور المرأة البيضاء بالفوقية لو كانت متزوجة من رجل أسود。 رغم أن الكتاب مختص بالولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، إلا أني أرى جدوى مشاهدة تسجيل الفيديو المرفق حيث أن الأنفس البشرية متشابهة مهما تباعدت الجغرافيا، وهو فيديو 5 دقائق للتعريف المركز بهذا الكتاب الهام الذي صدر بتاريخ 21 أغسطس من عام 2017 （بعد أكثر من عام ونصف على تولي الرئيس دونالد ترامب مقعد رئاسة الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية。 يتطلب الكتاب التفكير والمناقشات الجماعية المستمرة لما حصل لهم في السابق ولمشاعر جماعة قراءه، وما قد يحصل لهم أو أمامهم 。。 بالرابط أدناه الفيديو المشار إليه أعلاه، ومدته خمس دقائق للتعريف المختصر والشامل بهذا الكتاب الرائعhttps://youtu。be/W3ZGJ9hpRXo 。。。more

Amal Farrough ，

This book and author represent the best of America — courage， deep and profound insight， and powerful truth-telling。 I wish every American。 Hold read it and practice the healing that Resmaa Menakem teaches。

Liz Star ，

A beautiful， compassionate guide to generational healing from trauma。

Grace ，

Really interesting read that dives into white supremacy as white body supremacy and something that historically and continually lives in all bodies as trauma。 It's a hands-on book with specific exercises and strategies to help connect to and settle your body and I thought the concept made a lot of sense an appreciated that it had practical suggestions and applications。 I personally struggled with the anti-fat bias sprinkled throughout， and there were a few other nuances that didn't quite resonat Really interesting read that dives into white supremacy as white body supremacy and something that historically and continually lives in all bodies as trauma。 It's a hands-on book with specific exercises and strategies to help connect to and settle your body and I thought the concept made a lot of sense an appreciated that it had practical suggestions and applications。 I personally struggled with the anti-fat bias sprinkled throughout， and there were a few other nuances that didn't quite resonate， but I thought it was a really interesting read。 。。。more

Martha ，

Not for me。

Anna Fink ，

Probably won’t rate this one for a little while。 I read this along with some other white women in my life and we will be processing it together in a few weeks。Right now my initial thoughts are still swirling。 There was so much in this book I wish that every person would read， especially in regards to recognizing and acknowledging our trauma。 The healing part of this book is still causing a lot of questions for me。 Even after going through EMDR trauma therapy in my own life， this seems to bring u Probably won’t rate this one for a little while。 I read this along with some other white women in my life and we will be processing it together in a few weeks。Right now my initial thoughts are still swirling。 There was so much in this book I wish that every person would read， especially in regards to recognizing and acknowledging our trauma。 The healing part of this book is still causing a lot of questions for me。 Even after going through EMDR trauma therapy in my own life， this seems to bring up so much more that needs to be healed and worked through not only in my own personal life but also for our entire society。 I find it incredibly overwhelming。 I’m glad I read it。 There are parts I will continue to go back to over and over。 。。。more

Allison ，

This book might seem a little woo-y if you don’t have any exposure to counseling or topics around trauma and body experience， but it is so good。 SO GOOD。 I am glad I bought this to have the exercises to reference both simply to better exist in the world and learn to settle my body， and also to engage with creating a positive white culture that values and privileges all bodies。Please read this。 If you don’t believe in white-body supremacy， maybe don’t start here， but come here next。See also: ever This book might seem a little woo-y if you don’t have any exposure to counseling or topics around trauma and body experience， but it is so good。 SO GOOD。 I am glad I bought this to have the exercises to reference both simply to better exist in the world and learn to settle my body， and also to engage with creating a positive white culture that values and privileges all bodies。Please read this。 If you don’t believe in white-body supremacy， maybe don’t start here， but come here next。See also: everybody could benefit from good counseling。 。。。more

Erica Lutes ，

Interesting take on race and trauma！

Chris ，

This is unlike any other book I've read on racism， and it's a good， refreshing thing。Menakem is a therapist， and his perspective starts with the body。 He sees the trauma induced by racism as a physical thing and posits that we need to address as such。 Specifically， in the vagus nerve， "which oversees a vast array of crucial bodily functions， including control of mood， immune response， digestion， and heart rate。 It establishes one of the connections between the brain and the gastrointestinal trac This is unlike any other book I've read on racism， and it's a good， refreshing thing。Menakem is a therapist， and his perspective starts with the body。 He sees the trauma induced by racism as a physical thing and posits that we need to address as such。 Specifically， in the vagus nerve， "which oversees a vast array of crucial bodily functions， including control of mood， immune response， digestion， and heart rate。 It establishes one of the connections between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract and sends information about the state of the inner organs to the brain via afferent fibers。"* The vagus nerve activates what Menakem calls the lizard brain， the automatic， instinctive part of our brain that precedes and can override the cognitive brain。 The distinction， I believe， that Daniel Kahneman prominently makes between fast thinking and slow thinking。 It's where things like implicit bias take place。 Unthinking reactions。 Gut reactions。 So to heal the trauma of racism we don't need to address our slow， cognitive brain so much as we need to get at the lizard brain and the parts of our body in dialogue with it。When I saw the words "racialized trauma" in the subtitle I assumed this would be mostly addressed to a Black audience。 It's not。 Menakem explicitly speaks to three audiences in turn: Black， white， and police。 Each holds onto a different type of trauma associated with racism， and each has different needs to heal it。 He gives a good overview of the history of racism through to the present moment， made all the more interesting for his body-centric perspective; he not only covers familiar ground， he adds to it。 He has some wonderfully powerful anecdotes from his experiences and finds ways to make everything personal。 And the core of his book is the "body practice，" simple steps each audience can take to calm and heal their bodies。Menakem is a therapist first and writer second， and I see many ways a good editor could have made this book stronger， but he always communicates clearly and effectively， and the content is invaluable。 This is a fascinating book that I recommend to anyone who spends any time reading about and working on racism。-----*www。ncbi。nlm。nih。gov/pmc/articles/PMC5859128/ 。。。more

RoseAnn ，

I read this for an extended book club and found it had some great body practices to help become aware of the physiological reaction to racism。

Leslie ，

Such a powerful reminder of how we hold trauma in our bodies， no matter what our race， and how to recognize and reckon with that。 I had a hard time really getting into the exercises to feel more embodied， but that just signals to me that I have more work to do to get even more out of Resmaa Menakem's work。 Such a powerful reminder of how we hold trauma in our bodies， no matter what our race， and how to recognize and reckon with that。 I had a hard time really getting into the exercises to feel more embodied， but that just signals to me that I have more work to do to get even more out of Resmaa Menakem's work。 。。。more

Katie B-K ，

The general concepts of embodied trauma I found interesting and useful; the discussions of law enforcement bodies were less useful to me。 Highly enjoyed this book for the first quarter NARAL anti-racism book club。

Patrick Mccarthy ，

Absolutely a classic study。 This classic takes you places you so often neglect， yet they are there and are of necessity in healing。 It certainly brings home the point that you become your own savior on the path to healing。 What’s emphasized is; as trauma can and has transcended generations， so healing becomes a process of growth。 It offers hope of growing from trauma， by allowing you in subtle yet profound methods to confront trauma and gradually work to eliminate it。 It’s a call to action book。

Mark ，

Terrific book。 Don't let all the exercises stop you from finishing it。 Might provide a way to solve the problem of police shootings， etc。 Terrific book。 Don't let all the exercises stop you from finishing it。 Might provide a way to solve the problem of police shootings， etc。 。。。more

Emily Axelson ，

3。5

Caroline ，

To begin the process of healing trauma， racial trauma cannot be overlooked。 Resmaa puts healing as a first priority。 This book is a tool kit and a guide to help a person looking to deepen their journey with their ancestors and heal transgenrational trauma。

Dinah Gross ，

A thought provoking must read for white people and BPOC who are seeking to understand and find solutions for some of the most urgent issues of our time。

Teri Quam ，

White supremacy is in the air we breath and the water we drink。 The trauma affects ALL of humanity。 We need to heal our bodies。 Love this book and the strategies it offers。

Anita ，

This is a very important book。 The author’s work on and with trauma is brilliant， and he deftly applies it to racialized trauma。 His work on the historical trauma of white people is also very insightful。 All of this is 5 star stuff that will inform my life and work from here on。 For me， the application to police and policing he brings in the latter part of the book lacks the deeper systemic analysis needed - and he practically acknowledges that himself in the Afterword。 For everything else， thou This is a very important book。 The author’s work on and with trauma is brilliant， and he deftly applies it to racialized trauma。 His work on the historical trauma of white people is also very insightful。 All of this is 5 star stuff that will inform my life and work from here on。 For me， the application to police and policing he brings in the latter part of the book lacks the deeper systemic analysis needed - and he practically acknowledges that himself in the Afterword。 For everything else， though， I highly recommend this book。 。。。more

Laura Reed ，

VitalTo anyone who is committed to anti-racism， this book is a must read for its clarity and suggestions for a path out of a deadly caste system。

Jeremy ，

Opened up new territory in race， trauma studies， for me。 Interesting stuff

Alison ，

I can't think of a more perfect book for this moment in our country's state of racial reckoning。 I have been slowly reading this book over the past year in community with others， mainly white folks， to process， practice， reflect and working on building a culture within white spaces of anti-racism。 Resmaa Menakem brings such deep wisdom and compassion around healing from racialized trauma and discusses the ways this work looks different in Black communities and white communities， as well as withi I can't think of a more perfect book for this moment in our country's state of racial reckoning。 I have been slowly reading this book over the past year in community with others， mainly white folks， to process， practice， reflect and working on building a culture within white spaces of anti-racism。 Resmaa Menakem brings such deep wisdom and compassion around healing from racialized trauma and discusses the ways this work looks different in Black communities and white communities， as well as within police/law enforcement。 I absolutely recommend this book - buy it， read it slowly， re-read it， practice the body practices， connect with others who have experience in doing this work。 。。。more

Michelle Bizzell ，

The idea that we all carry the traumatic history of race in our bodies and should turn to our bodies as sources of individual and collective healing was definetly out of my comfort zone， but made me think and challenge many of my preconceived ideas that centered the way we think over how we feel。 Since this book first came out， some of the ideas it includes have made there way into popular discussions around race and other books I've read， which could make this writing feel a bit repetitive or ' The idea that we all carry the traumatic history of race in our bodies and should turn to our bodies as sources of individual and collective healing was definetly out of my comfort zone， but made me think and challenge many of my preconceived ideas that centered the way we think over how we feel。 Since this book first came out， some of the ideas it includes have made there way into popular discussions around race and other books I've read， which could make this writing feel a bit repetitive or 'behind' at times。 But I overall think I benefited from the lessons it had to impart。 。。。more

Hannah ，

It will kick your ass but probably the best book I've read around race in America。 Just read it。 It will kick your ass but probably the best book I've read around race in America。 Just read it。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0