If You're Curious About These Questions...
You should listen to this audiobook
- How does the book explain the biological mechanism behind intergenerational trauma, and how can historical racism actually alter our genetics?
- What deliberate historical strategy led to the invention of the 'white' race in the seventeenth century, and how did it divide working-class laborers?
- How does the 'lizard brain' contribute to police violence against Black Americans, and what physical practices can help individuals unlearn these reflexive trauma responses?
Listen to My Grandmother's Hands — Free Audiobook
Key Takeaways from My Grandmother's Hands
- Racism is not merely a cognitive belief or social system, but a cumulative physical trauma that deeply alters the nervous system and brain chemistry of all Americans.
- Trauma can be transmitted genetically across generations, creating deep 'soul wounds' that require physical, body-based healing rather than just intellectual understanding.
- The concept of race is a historical fiction deliberately invented in the late seventeenth century to divide working-class populations and establish white body supremacy.
- White fragility is rooted in the unconscious belief that white bodies are vulnerable and must be protected from Black bodies, which often triggers violent, instinctual reactions in high-stress situations.
- Overcoming racism requires individual and collective body-settling practices—such as mindfulness, deep breathing, and communal humming—to safely discharge visceral stress and unlearn unconscious biases.
My Grandmother's Hands — Full Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Recommendation
Chapter 2: Racism resides within our bodies.
Chapter 3: Trauma builds over time, among individuals, and across generations.
Chapter 4: Race is a construct.
Chapter 5: Ending racism starts by healing our body's trauma.
Chapter 6: Body-based practices can help Black people process trauma.
Chapter 7: To dismantle white body supremacy, white people must start with their own bodies.
Chapter 8: Police need to learn to care for themselves and their communities.
Chapter 9: We can build an anti-racist culture by uniting together within our communities and then expanding our efforts outward.
My Grandmother's Hands Summary & Overview
My Grandmother’s Hands (2017) explores how racism affects Black, white, and police bodies in the United States – and what individuals and communities can do to heal them. Trauma therapist Resmaa Menakem explains why historic, familial, and personal trauma relating to racism is often stored deep in our nervous system, and teaches body-based practices to overcome it.
Who Should Listen to My Grandmother's Hands?
- Black people who want to begin to heal their bodies from the trauma of racism
- White folks who want to become better allies through a body-centered practice of anti-racism
- Police officers and public safety officials who want to learn how to avoid violence
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