What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedWhere Hands Touch
Amma Asante · Film · 2018
If you loved Where Hands Touch, start with All the Light We Cannot See (Steven Knight, 2023) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Where Hands Touch across media.
What hooked you in Where Hands Touch is the way individual survival and forbidden connection become deeply complicated by the crushing weight of systemic historical prejudice.
Books on the same thread
Beneath a Scarlet Sky
Mark T. Sullivan · Book · 2018
Shares a thread with Where Hands Touch: Survival.
Like Where Hands Touch, this story explores the moral dilemmas of young people caught in the machinery of Nazi Germany, where survival requires dangerous secrets and clandestine romantic alliances.
My Grandmother's Hands
Resmaa Menakem · Book · 2017
Explores: intergenerational trauma, systemic racism, body-centered healing.
If the examination of racial identity in Where Hands Touch resonated with you, this work offers a profound look at how systemic racism and trauma persist across generations.
The Librarian of Auschwitz
Antonio Iturbe · Book · 2018
Shares a thread with Where Hands Touch: Survival.
You will find the same spirit of resistance against impossible odds that drove the protagonists in Where Hands Touch, focusing on maintaining humanity while living under Nazi occupation.
The Reader
Bernhard Schlink · Book · 2012
Explores: Guilt, Post-War Germany, Love and Power Dynamics.
Much like the complex affair in Where Hands Touch, this narrative examines the tension between personal intimacy and the uncomfortable power dynamics inherent in a postwar German landscape.
Series on the same thread
Generation War
Philipp Kadelbach · Series · 2013
Shares a thread with Where Hands Touch: World War II Drama.
This series mirrors the loss of innocence depicted in Where Hands Touch, tracking how the brutal reality of war forces young friends to confront their own complicity and survival.
All the Light We Cannot See
Steven Knight · Series · 2023
Shares a thread with Where Hands Touch: Survival.
The connection between a German soldier and an outsider in this story echoes the unlikely, high-stakes bond formed in Where Hands Touch, highlighting human hope amidst global wartime conflict.
Unorthodox
Anna Winger · Series · 2020
Shares a thread with Where Hands Touch: Coming-of-age Drama.
The struggle for autonomy and cultural identity seen in Where Hands Touch is mirrored here as the protagonist navigates the friction between her heritage and an restrictive environment.
When They See Us
Ava DuVernay · Series · 2019
Explores: Racial injustice, Wrongful conviction, Systemic racism.
If the injustice faced by the protagonist in Where Hands Touch moved you, this true story provides a devastating look at how systemic prejudice destroys the lives of youth.
Podcasts on the same thread
1619
The New York Times · Podcast · 2019
Explores: systemic racism, national identity, legacy of slavery.
This series expands on the historical context of racial identity explored in Where Hands Touch, tracing the long, systemic reach of prejudice that shapes modern society and national identity.
Nice White Parents
Serial Productions & The New York Times · Podcast · 2022
Explores: systemic inequality, educational reform, privilege and power.
The exploration of systemic inequality in Where Hands Touch continues here, focusing on how power structures and privilege influence the lives of individuals within a larger, flawed system.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Where Hands Touch based on a true story?
Where Hands Touch is a 2018 film directed by Amma Asante that depicts a fictionalized narrative set in 1944 Germany. It follows the story of Leyna, a biracial teenager, and her relationship with Lutz, a member of the Hitler Youth, against the backdrop of the Nazi regime.
What is the primary setting of Where Hands Touch?
The events of Where Hands Touch take place in Germany during 1944. The film explores the experiences of Leyna, the daughter of a white German mother and a black African father, as she navigates the dangerous environment of the Hitler Youth era alongside her companion, Lutz.
Who are the main characters in Where Hands Touch?
The central characters in Where Hands Touch are Leyna, a 15-year-old girl of mixed heritage, and Lutz, a member of the Hitler Youth. The film focuses on the unlikely connection formed between these two individuals while living under the pressures of the Nazi-controlled world.
What is the premise of Where Hands Touch?
Where Hands Touch follows the story of Leyna, a 15-year-old girl living in 1944 Germany. She meets Lutz, the son of a prominent Nazi soldier who is also a member of the Hitler Youth, leading to an unlikely relationship during a period of significant political and social change.