Small Great Things – Jodi Picoult

4/5 stars.

What an absolute WHIRLWIND of emotions. I felt every ounce of hope, of devastation, of hate, of fear.

But let’s talk about the elephant in the room. This is a book about racism against black people written by a white woman. Incredibly controversial.

Ruth is a black nurse on an otherwise all white floor. She works in labor and delivery. She is so good at her job. She is kind and considerate and empathetic. She makes sure she’s present for mothers and gives them what they need, not just medically, but spiritually and emotionally too. I adored her. I loved her son, too.

When a white supremacist family demands they she be taken off of their service, I was angry. But when that baby goes into cardiac arrest… Bro. I was a whole emotional wreck. I felt the conflict in Ruth. And the truth is, if I was in her situation, I would not have been able to make a rational decision either. At that point, there is no rational decision. There is no way for Ruth to “win” in circumstances like that.

Kennedy, her public defender, is white. She lives in the suburbs, has a husband, and a young child. I liked Kennedy, too. I loved her growth from the first half of the story to the second half. Her arc is not flat. She is a dynamic character who is forced to reconsider what is “best” in a situation such as this one.

Another character, one we all hated in the beginning, made me want to scream half the time. I had no idea. I had no idea it could get that bad. I should’ve known better. I shouldn’t have been so naive. Turk, the father of the baby…. What a character. There’s depth there.

I admire Jodi Picoult for trying to write a story like this. Is it her story to tell? Did she use too many cliches? Did she get the voices and the lifestyles of the characters right?

I can’t fully answer those questions. I’m white. I’ve never experienced racism; I’ve only experienced the privilege that Picoult makes it a point to highlight.

That being said, I enjoyed the book immensely. I loved each one of the characters for their distinct personalities. Picoult acknowledged many different sides of racism and reactions to it through these characters. Indifference, malice, fear, ignorance–she did not miss a beat. She wasn’t scared to call it the way she saw it, the way her sensitivity readers helped her refine it.

I respected that Jodi Picoult had sensitivity readers. She knew going into this story that it would be controversial, but she knew it was a story that had to be told. One that should be told, rather than skirted around or swept under the rug. She was mindful and respectful in the way she handled it.

My favorite thing about reading is being able to read books about the world as it is. I don’t want it to be perfect and gleaming and golden because that’s not accurate. The real world is full of ugly things. Show me the ugly. Then show me human adversity and perseverance in the face of these ugly things.

Jodi Picoult does that in Small Great Things.

I highly recommend this book. I devoured it in three days. I’m sure you could probably do it in two.

“But you know, the word ignorance has an even more important word at its heart: ignore. And I don’t think it’s right to ignore the truth anymore.”

Jodi Picoult, Small great Things