Jodi Picoult

A Novel

Small Great Things

Riley Bell

As any true reader would relate, I sacrificed too much sleep to finish this heavy page-turner. I ate this book up. The end held a major twist, felt a little abrupt and bow wrapped, but cmon this was meant to be a happy-ending novel and I loved it. 

Reading low-star reviews, I see a lot of people saying they can’t get past the MULTITUDE of stereotypes they see in this book. But I think that is the point, to take each stereotype and brandish it in people’s (actually the white women demographic it seems she wrote this for) faces. I feel like the discourse around this book is the same discourse I saw for Barbie. People say Barbie was shallow and not profound enough and the message was hidden behind a “star-filled good-feeling musical that scratches the surface of feminism covered in the color pink”. Some say it was nothing new for them and missed the mark, but it wasn’t for them. Other people recognized who Barbie could really be intended for - people out there that still to this day have never looked outside of themselves to the experiences of others, or women who always felt they were alone and for the first time felt that someone else understood their experience. When you try to teach something to people, you can’t start with the deep heavy stuff. You have to relate to their prior experience, give some vocabulary to work with, and present them some experiences as research, and then they can dive deeper into the meaning and then what to do with what they’ve been taught. People don’t go to one lecture for medical school and become a profoundly experienced doctor in all medical diagnoses and go out treating people. They go through surface level understanding of biology, hundreds or thousands of vocabulary and learning the meaning and signs of any and all ailments, and start understanding people’s experiences case by case. I feel this book is similar. It is not perfect, and Jodi Picoult is not perfect here. Perfection is always hard to achieve, especially with a heavy subject. I hear people when they say that some of the characters acted out of character at times, but I can see how huge lifetime events can make people do things they wouldn’t normally do. This is not unusual in real life. I do believe that she made a great novel with some great writing, kept me on the edge of my seat with the trial, did good research, and tried her best to spread awareness to an audience that isn’t already well versed in racism, but instead needs that surface level smack of “Hey! Look at this for what it is. Look at this stereotype and ask yourself why does it exist.” This could be someone’s first experience thinking about racism beyond just knowing it exists, (or learning what equity really means for example) and for that, I think the novel did its job.

"This stunning new novel is Jodi Picoult at her finest--complete with unflinching insights, richly layered characters, and a page-turning plot with a gripping moral dilemma at its heart. 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. With incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor, Jodi Picoult tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion--and doesn't offer easy answers. Small Great Things is a remarkable achievement from a writer at the top of her game. Praise for Jodi Picoult's Leaving Time "A riveting drama."--Us Weekly "[A] moving tale."--People "A fast-paced, surprise-ending mystery."--USA Today "Poignant. an entertaining story about parental love, friendship, loss."--The Washington Post"--

"A woman and her husband admitted to a hospital to have a baby requests that their nurse be reassigned - they are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, who is black, to touch their baby. The hospital complies, but the baby later goes into cardiac distress when Ruth is on duty. She hesitates before rushing in to perform CPR. When her indecision ends in tragedy, Ruth finds herself on trial, represented by a white public defender who warns against bringing race into a courtroom. As the two come to develop a truer understanding of each other's lives, they begin to doubt the beliefs they each hold most dear"--

a novel

Small great things

Pierre

Very easy to read/listen to. I was very disappointed by the ending: standard, foreseeable, unsurprising. I’d say the first 70% ratchet up nicely, the rest is a slow decline.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * With richly layered characters and a gripping moral dilemma that will lead readers to question everything they know about privilege, power, and race, Small Great Things is the stunning new page-turner from Jodi Picoult. SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE "[Picoult] offers a thought-provoking examination of racism in America today, both overt and subtle. Her many readers will find much to discuss in the pages of this topical, moving book."--Booklist (starred review) 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. With incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor, Jodi Picoult tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion--and doesn't offer easy answers. Small Great Things is a remarkable achievement from a writer at the top of her game. Praise for Small Great Things "Small Great Things is the most important novel Jodi Picoult has ever written. . . . It will challenge her readers . . . [and] expand our cultural conversation about race and prejudice."--The Washington Post "A novel that puts its finger on the very pulse of the nation that we live in today . . . a fantastic read from beginning to end, as can always be expected from Picoult, this novel maintains a steady, page-turning pace that makes it hard for readers to put down."--San Francisco Book Review "A gripping courtroom drama . . . Given the current political climate it is quite prescient and worthwhile. . . . This is a writer who understands her characters inside and out."--Roxane Gay, The New York Times Book Review "I couldn't put it down. Her best yet!"--New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman "A compelling, can't-put-it-down drama with a trademark [Jodi] Picoult twist."--Good Housekeeping "It's Jodi Picoult, the prime provider of literary soul food. This riveting drama is sure to be supremely satisfying and a bravely thought-provoking tale on the dangers of prejudice."--Redbook "Jodi Picoult is never afraid to take on hot topics, and in Small Great Things, she tackles race and discrimination in a way that will grab hold of you and refuse to let you go. . . . This page-turner is perfect for book clubs."--Popsugar

allison chen

the pacing is so good... and i think picoult knows her audience

“True confession? The reason we don’t talk about race is because we don’t speak a common language.”

     Great book, I love how Picoult shows three different perspectives on racism; a black nurse, white supremacist, and white lawyer. Overall enjoyed reading this one. 

Edna Aviles

“True confession? The reason we don’t talk about race is because we don’t speak a common language.”

     Great book, I love how Picoult shows three different perspectives on racism; a black nurse, white supremacist, and white lawyer. Overall enjoyed reading this one. 



Melissa Palmer

Book #80 Read in 2016
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

This book has made it to the top three Picoult reads for me. Ruth is an African-American Labor and Delivery nurse. Turk and Britt are parents of newborn Davis and are also white supremacists who do not want a black person handling their baby and they make such a request of Ruth's supervisor who pulls Ruth from the care of baby Davis. Davis has medical complications and goes into cardiac arrest and Ruth is the only one there. What does she do? Others come to the aid of Davis but the baby dies. Ruth is then charged with murder. This book takes us through her trial and is told in alternating viewpoints of Ruth, Turk and Ruth's lawyer Kennedy. There are twists and turns at the end that I never saw coming. Make sure to read this one! I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine and Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

Lauren Grey

"Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced."

Because of school and other stuff going on in my life, I have not only not had the time needed to be the reader I used to be, but I can't sit still and focus long enough to finish a book. I was literally counting down the days until Jodi Picoult's newest book came out. At last Small Great Things was finally available to us (in October I think) and I ran out to the store to get it. I was full of all this hope that Picoult's most recent book was going to get me out of my slump and renew my reading obsession.

While Small Great Things didn't jump start my obsession for reading, it did give me some much needed highs. I was all about this book for a couple weeks and then life got in the way and then a couple weeks ago I was on a plane and just powered through. Although this did not become my new favorite Picoult novel, I would put it at maybe fourth or fifth. To my dismay, I found this novel to be one of the most predictable novels she has ever written. I typically look forward to the crazy twist endings that always blow my mind, but I managed to guess the ending to this one fairly early, but that doesn't mean her goal for writing this book was not achieved, because it was!

Small Great Things absolutely opened my eyes to the way I view race as well as the way I view racism in my own life. 

Without giving anything away - Small Great Things is a book about Ruth Jefferson, a black neonatal nurse in New England. One day, Ruth is assigned to a couple who has just given birth to a baby boy. Ruth goes in to tend to the family and to her dismay is not treated respectfully and is asked to get her superior. After the couple speaks to her supervisor, Ruth is taken off the case and a note is placed in the baby boy's file saying no black employees may touch this child. Well Ruth is the only black employee at the hospital. Not too long later, the hospital is understaffed and the nurse who was assigned to the baby boy's case has to rush to surgery for an emergency c-section, so she asks Ruth to watch over the baby boy after his circumcision expecting to be back ASAP. Unexpectedly, the baby boy goes into cardiac arrest and Ruth has to decide whether she is going to try and save his life or do what the note in his file requests. Ruth attempts to save his life, but the baby boy dies anyway. The couple blames Ruth and sues her. With the help of a white public defender, Ruth fights not only for her life, but for the truth to be heard and for race to play a factor in the courtroom.

Reading this book as a white person, I felt very self-aware and found myself becoming defensive at certain points, especially during the jury dury portion of the novel. Then I would feel guilty for feeling defensive. This novel forced me to be honest with myself about how I behave toward people who look different than me and understand that I become defensive because I may not purposely act this way. I related very closely with Kennedy, the white public defender, in respect to how she views herself in relation to people of a different race and her realization at the end of the novel also resonated with me. Ruth and Kennedy's relationship/friendship was refreshing as well and provided me a few smiles, because it was very honest.

Bottom Line: I would definitely recommend this book, especially to white people. I feel that Picoult brings up some great points and food for thought on how we think about ourselves in regards to race. It is an eye-opener and I think it really benefited me and that it will definitely benefit others in helping us try and put ourselves in other people's shoes.

Cheri Fuller

Great book that shows three different experiences with racism: a white supremacist, a Black nurse, and a white lawyer. These three people have very distinct POVs and we alternate between them. I found this a powerful way to give the reader - particularly white readers - an up-close view of both micro and macro aggressions that people of color deal with many times a day.

I was totally on board with the book until close to the end when a major choice of the Black nurse seemed out of character and, after that, a couple of coincidences that pushed my ability to suspend disbelief. Luckily the rest of the book made those things totally bearable. 

This was my first Picoult book but it certainly won't be my last.

I was given an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley but it took me so long to get around to reading it that I was able to use the audiobook. Which was fantastic. Audra McDonald and Cassandra Campbell were just about perfect. The gentleman who performed Turk's portion was a touch less enjoyable but part of my impression may be due to the horrible nature of the character.

I highly recommend this book.

I would give the book 4.5 stars if Goodreads allowed it but am rounding up.

Love me some Jodi picoult. This book was great!! Tough topics as it mentions racism and discrimination but good read overall 

Kendall Munson

A woman is caught in a gripping moral dilemma that resonates far beyond her place in time and history in #1 New York Times bestseller Jodi Picoult's latest novel. A young woman and her husband, admitted to hospital to have a baby, request that their nurse be reassigned--they are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, who is black, to touch their baby. The hospital complies, but the baby later goes into cardiac distress when Ruth is on duty. She hesitates before rushing in to perform CPR. When her indecision ends in tragedy, Ruth finds herself on trial, represented by a white public defender who warns against bringing race into the courtroom. As the two come to develop a truer understanding of each other's lives, they begin to doubt the beliefs they each hold most dear. Praise for Small Great Things “I couldn’t put it down. Her best yet!”—New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman “A compelling, can’t-put-it-down drama with a trademark [Jodi] Picoult twist.”—Good Housekeeping “It’s Jodi Picoult, the prime provider of literary soul food. This riveting drama is sure to be supremely satisfying and a bravely thought-provoking tale on the dangers of prejudice.”—Redbook “Jodi Picoult is never afraid to take on hot topics, and in Small Great Things, she tackles race and discrimination in a way that will grab hold of you and refuse to let you go. . . . This page-turner is perfect for book clubs.”—Popsugar

Drew Dost

This was such a powerful book to read that really illuminated a lot of racial issues that many people feel uncomfortable talking about. The three narrators are all so wildly different in terms of beliefs and backgrounds, and it is so clear that the author deeply understands much of the life experiences and mindsets that can lead each kind of person to those points in their lives. 
If I could change anything, it would be to hear more from Ruth’s perspective, and for the last chapter to be from her point of view. 
Overall, this is an important book for white people in particular to read, and to keep an open mind about while reading.

Sarahi Flores

This is my first Picoult book I have read and this book brought so much tension about racial profiling and discrimination I never really given thought of. Ruth is a person who is always careful in How she talks and acts around certain people . You can say that she is guarded. This is of course a fictional story but there is realism to what people of color go thru.

The charters here are all portrayed as either a racist, victim, and bystander. But this story shows more than what meets the eye. This is a sensitive topic but eventually you will have to speak your mind. It’s interesting for me that Picoult found a way to write the perspective of a Ruth’s struggle given that Ruth is African American and she isn’t. I give this book five stars. It was a moderate pace for me to finish it and an emotional roller coaster as well. Will definitely pick up another Picoult novel.

Skye Sherman

Beautiful story and well told. A long book but it goes fast! I’m glad it was written. It helped me understand discreet racism in myself and I’m hoping it helps many others do the same. Learned a lot and loved the journey!

Mia DuMars

This one was a 5 star for me. The entire book had me on the edge of my seat because the plot was so engrossing. The message was also very important and I felt like it left me thinking and slightly better than when I found it. A very important read and one I hope everyone takes the time to check out some time.

Cindy Lieberman

"The things that make us most uncomfortable are the things that teach us what we all need to know," writes Jodi Picoult in the author's notes. Through its three excellent narrators, this audiobook took me through a wide range of emotions and forced me to examine my attitudes on race. Yes I'm part of a minority group, but i must now admit to (and, if I'm being honest, be thankful for) having a different and more privileged life than those in other minority groups, simply because I was born white. Of course I've always know this, but I've been able to ignore it most of my life, even working alongside (a few) people of color. This has to change. There is no excuse for racial prejudice. White privilege is what created the disparity and we all need to work together to fix it. #blacklivesmatter

✨Tyler ✨

this was a very intense read. the short summary that came up when i googled this book did not mention the race element of the book (granted i didn't click 'read more' cause i'm lazy) so it came as a huge surprise for me and i had to really prepare myself to read most of turk's chapters, but i really enjoyed this book even if it was exhausting at time.

Samantha King

Samantha Shepherd 

I’m a huge fan of Jodi Picoult, and how her writing always makes you think. However, with all Jodi books, the ending felt very rushed, unrealistic and very predictable. 

Elise Harris

One of the best books I have read this year! Jodi Picoult always has a way of shining a light on important social issues in a profound and graceful way! This is a must read book in my opinion.

Jennifer McNeil

Another win for Jodi Picoult. Her books tend to tackle touchy subjects and present a difficult situation to judge in black and white terms. This book goes so much further, though. Picoult's books always make you think and question, but this one has, perhaps, done so the most. The message is important, the stakes are real, and this story is relevant. It's made me think about racism in a totally different light and laid it out in different terms. At times, it was an emotional read, most often in the chapters narrated by a white supremacist Neo-Nazi. Those chapters, so full of hate rhetoric, were a difficult pill to swallow yet of vital importance in this specific time where we are seeing more and more of people with this view point in the media.

This book is required reading for any fans of Picoult's older novels. It feels more like a return to "My Sister's Keeper", "The Pact", and "Nineteen Minutes". More than fans of Picoult, this book is important reading and should go so much further than just fans of the author. I can't say enough how important the narratives in this story are, and I would urge people to share the book with their friends and family.

Lauren 

Fatin Allen

I have to admit it’s a difficult read on a sensitive topic but I have to give credit as it opens my eyes on the system put in place. The author was brave to write such a controversial themed yet brilliant book.

Melody Izard

I do get a bit put off by the author's writing style. I call it the Nicholas Sparks style, which some might see as a positive, but I see as sort of unicorn rainbow poop. But her subject matter is always thought provoking and interesting. Some hard questions are posed here. I have been thinking about what an advantage in life anyone has who has a boost from the inheritance of any (even very very small) family money or property. Or who has any owned property in their family. The housing world is ridiculously expensive and getting more so. How easy it would be to get in a trap where you could only afford to live in a high crime, economically depressed area, or worse be forced into homelessness if you did not have the crutch of a family home or even an small amount of family money. Even if you insist that racism is not an issue anymore you can't deny that people of color have been discriminated against during the past. What long range repercussions can be expected? But of course racism IS still an issue. And not just with the radical skin head groups. Nicely done Ms. Picoult

Tiffany Robinson

This isn't a book that I probably would have picked up if it wasn't for the fact that it was my book clubs pick for the I month. I'm glad it was picked because this was a great book. It tackles some serious issues which I think are handled well. I like how the story is told in multiple points of views and all the characters have their own voice. A great read.

Small Great Things A Novel

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