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
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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.
Learning Tools
Reinforce what you learned from My Grandmother's Hands
Mind Map
My Grandmother's Hands
The Nature of Racism and Trauma+
The Construct of Race+
Healing Black Bodies+
Healing White Bodies+
Transforming Policing+
Creating Anti-Racist Culture+
Quiz — Test Your Understanding
Question 1 of 9
According to the book, why won't racism end through social and political change alone?
Question 2 of 9
How does trauma perpetuate itself in high-stress situations, according to the text?
Question 3 of 9
What term does the author use to describe intergenerational trauma that has been passed down for centuries?
Question 4 of 9
Historically, why was the concept of dividing working-class people into 'Black' and 'white' implemented in America?
Question 5 of 9
What is the central tenet of the myth of 'white fragility' as described in the text?
Question 6 of 9
When working through trauma, the author distinguishes between two types of pain. What is 'clean pain'?
Question 7 of 9
According to the text, why do white Americans also carry bodily trauma related to race?
Question 8 of 9
What historical institution does the text identify as the root of modern American policing?
Question 9 of 9
What is a 'dog whistle' in the context of racism?
My Grandmother's Hands — Full Chapter Overview
- 1Recommendation
- 2Racism resides within our bodies.
- 3Trauma builds over time, among individuals, and across generations.
- 4Race is a construct.
- 5Ending racism starts by healing our body's trauma.
- 6Body-based practices can help Black people process trauma.
- 7To dismantle white body supremacy, white people must start with their own bodies.
- 8Police need to learn to care for themselves and their communities.
- 9We 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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