Small Great Things – A Must Read Novel

I have a lot of advanced review copies of books on my Kindle, and because of this, it’s not difficult to lose track of the themes of the books as I queue them up to read.  It was a wildly unfortunate coincidence that the day I opened Jodi Picoult’s newest novel Small Great Things was the same day that five Dallas police officers were killed in a sniper attack during a protest rally.

My heart was in pain for the lives lost, and I prayed that no bystanders were injured in the process. I was angry and saddened about the inequity and racism that still exists. So when I opened the book to discover that part of the story was told from the perspective of a white supremacist, I closed the cover.

I did not want that kind of hatred in my head, or touching my soul.

But the story itself was too powerful, and Ruth’s story was one I needed to hear, so I picked up the book again. Small Great Things is a book I have been waiting to share.

Small Great Things is a book that needs to be read and discussed.

 

Hardcover
Published by Ballantine Books
Oct 11, 2016 | 480 Pages

Rating 5/5

Synopsis

Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years’ experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she’s been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don’t want Ruth, who is African-American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene?

Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy’s counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family—especially her teenage son—as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other’s trust, and come to see that what they’ve been taught their whole lives about others—and themselves—might be wrong.

Small Great Things Review

In typical fashion, Jodi Picoult deftly and believably tackles race, privilege, and prejudice. She doesn’t offer easy answers, and she doesn’t take the easy road. Likewise, she includes the typical Jodi Picoult twist, which had me howling with irony – you will not see it coming. And that is as close to a spoiler as I get.

She does an amazing job putting us into the mind of Ruth, whose situation is untenable – or should be untenable – in modern times. I confess my stomach churned with every chapter written from Turk, the newborn’s white supremacist father, as it offered a perspective of a mindset that was completely unrelatable.

The book is a page-turner, and might be her best yet.  Timely, thought-provoking and emotional, particularly in the current climate, it will grab you by the heart and have you aching one moment and angry the next. I was an emotional wreck, making it a book that was impossible to read in one sitting. It demanded to be put down while portions were digested, frayed nerves calmed with a walk on the beach or timely margarita, before diving back in.

This is a book that demands discussion – ask my mother, as I was sitting on the beach as I finished it and I DESPERATELY needed someone to talk to about it. This is an excellent book club choice, and thankfully, there is a great reading guide available. Just click here – Jodi Picoult has gone above and beyond enabling discussion about the book as well as opening a dialogue about race.

I cannot recommend this book enough. Over the top in my review? I don’t care. Small Great Things is a book that NEEDS to be read.

The Author

Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-three novels, including Leaving Time, The Storyteller, Lone Wolf, Between the Lines, Sing You Home, House Rules, Handle with Care, Change of Heart, Nineteen Minutes, and My Sister’s Keeper. She is also the author, with daughter Samantha van Leer, of two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. Picoult lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children.

Twitter  |  Facebook  | Website | Amazon

I was provided with a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.