Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
Quick Synopsis: Set in modern day, Ruth, a nurse in Small Great Things is asked to not touch a patient because she is black. This patient, a newborn baby boy named Davis, was born to parents who self-identify as white supremacists. Ruth goes on about her job as normal, but then Davis goes into cardiac distress. Ruth is hesitant to perform CPR given the order not to touch the child, and because of that she is charged with murder and involuntary manslaughter. Each chapter is told from different characters’ perspectives, so the reader has a full picture of the complexities that race and ideas play in shaping our lives.
Why I Like It: I enjoy books by Jodi Picoult. I loved My Sister’s Keeper and Salem Falls, so when I saw this on sale, I couldn’t pass it by. Picoult has a knack for showing us the “other side” of a situation while helping characters and readers grow in their own assumptions and understandings. I appreciated this book because it gave an honest look at each side including the Turk, the father of the child, Ruth, the nurse, and Kennedy, the public defender assigned to Ruth’s case. The chapters are strictly from one of their perspectives, and Picoult works hard to give each characters’ view of an event. This book, similar to My Sister’s Keeper, has stuck with me. There were parts that were emotionally tough to swallow and get through, so I would put it down for a time and then come back to it. It made me think about race and the repercussions of racism in modern terms and settings.
Why You Might Like It: As I said, this book does deal with some difficult themes. It isn’t necessarily a light read or something that you can just read without giving much thought to. It is, however, organized well with a consistent narration that uses people just like us to explore complex ideas. You might like it if you are looking for something that is easy to read but also forces you to think differently about race and society.
