“Everybody has learned to live with what happened, why can’t you?” 

“Because I keep asking myself did I do enough, did we do enough? Were we right?” 

This is the November pick for the @southtag bookclub and I’m so happy I picked this one up on audio. 

This story follows Civil Townsend through the beginning of her nursing journey in the 70s to present day (2016) so you’ll face some time jumping but it’s easy to follow. Civil in the 70s is an enthusiastic newly graduated nurse ready to do good in the community and make a difference, we know these overzealous positive people. Hell most of us probably were these people in our early years. Civil’s first case is a family with two underage girls who she is suppose to administer birth control shots to twice a year. Civil soon discovers the health clinic she is working for is not entirely what it appears to be. Is she really doing good in the community? 

“Put the girls in three of these misguided categories: poor, Black, & mentally unfit. Had I done the same? I had initially deemed the girls unfit to be mothers too because they were poor & Black. Because they were young, because they were illiterate. My head spun with shame.” 

What unfolds is a story about a  nurse who loves her patients and a journey to find people to help and bring the dark practices to light. What Civil was not expecting was the darkness is not isolated to her little Alabama clinic. 

“Are they trying to kill us off Lou?” 

“Well, not exactly.” 

“It’s like the Holocaust what they did to your people in Europe isn’t it? Whatchu say your parents fled?” 

“Not exactly, but it’s bad.” 

You’ll experience really touching moments of when you care deeply for others and see where helping crosses the line into hindering. There are moments of tenderness and bittersweet victories. This story is going to make you mad, it’s going to break your heart, and it’s 100% worth it. 

“”But my name is Civil, with a V.”

He just grinned.