My Grandmother's Hands

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.

These book club questions are from Read Brave Saint Paul.

Book club questions for My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

What does the title of the book mean? How is it a jumping off point for the author?

The author writes, “Race is a myth—something made up in the seventeenth century that has been carried forward . . . into the present.” (p. 67) When and why was this myth created?

Why does the author differentiate between white supremacy and white body supremacy? What are its implications?

What is the difference between clean pain and dirty pain? How does the author revisit these concepts (directly and indirectly) throughout the book?

What is the vagus or “soul” nerve? How does it contribute to white body supremacy? How can it be used to heal from it?

Emotional and historical trauma can be felt physically and can be transmitted generationally. How does that idea impact your understanding of yourself? Your family? Your community?

The book involves both reading and somatic body practices throughout. Did you try the somatic practices as you were reading? How did they affect your reading and thinking about the book?

My Grandmother's Hands Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the My Grandmother's Hands discussion questions