Small Great Things
Fiction
Ballantine Books
October 11, 2016
Advanced Reader Copy
480
Publisher via BEA
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.
My review:
Praise the lord, she's BACK! The most difficult review I've ever done on this site was the one for Jodi Picoult's last book Leaving Time. Suffice it to say, I was not a fan, but since I am such a fan of hers, the review pained me to write. At the same time, as a book reviewer, I felt that it needed to be written. I don't want every one of my reviews to be all rosy because that is not my purpose. I want to expose my readers to my opinions on the books I read, and they cannot all be winners. As I said at the conclusion of that review, I was not ready to give up on reading Picoult's books, and thank goodness I didn't. I have high praise for this one! I loved the writing, the plot, the characters, the pacing, the fact that we get to go back into a courtroom, and most of all.......this book, as all of her books, makes you think about your opinions and reactions to major events going on in the world today. I will say that I am probably exactly the demographic that this book was written for. A white woman who sees herself as not having racial prejudices. I though the character of Ruth (a woman of color) was convincing and well written, but I'm not sure how this book will be received by those who do not have my skin color and privilege. The only negative I could give would be that I thought the end was a bit too tidy. Speaking of the end, there is always a twist in Picoult's novels, one which I never figure out until it's revealed. Thanks to my background in laboratory science, I was so proud of myself for getting this one 🙂
A fantastic fictionalized look at race in America, most specifically targeted at those of us who think we are not prejudiced, this is Picoult at her best. A treat of a book not to be missed.
Very delighted to read your review and even more delighted as I won a copy of Twitter today from one of our national booksellers - so good to see your review. Can't wait!
How exciting that you won a copy! I hope you enjoy it Kathryn!