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Small great things
470 pages
A gripping, emotionally heavy courtroom drama that forces a reckoning with privilege, prejudice, and the blind spots of the justice system.
What it feels like
This is a propulsive, issue-driven drama that grips you from the first chapter and refuses to let go. The reading experience is inherently tense and emotionally heavy, built around a devastating moral dilemma that forces both the characters and the reader to confront the insidious nature of systemic racism and white privilege. Told through alternating perspectives, the prose is accessible and deeply empathetic, prioritizing the internal friction of its narrators as they navigate a high-stakes legal battle. It feels less like a traditional thriller and more like a provocative, uncomfortable mirror held up to society. It will deeply satisfy readers who devour thought-provoking book club fiction that tackles complex social issues without offering easy, neatly tied-up answers.
- Mood
- tense
- emotionally heavy
- gripping
- uncomfortable
- Tone
- earnest
- unflinching
- empathetic
- serious
- provocative
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- systemic racism and privilege · the illusion of colorblindness · moral dilemmas in crisis · justice versus the law · unlearning prejudice
- The writing
- Accessible and multi-perspectival, the writing prioritizes emotional immediacy and internal conflict over stylistic flourish.
- The arc
- The narrative moves from a shocking, unjust inciting incident through a tense, defensive legal battle, culminating in uncomfortable reckonings and a hard-won, nuanced understanding.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave issue-driven, page-turning book club fiction that forces them to confront heavy moral and social dilemmas.
Content notes
- racism and racial slurs
- white supremacy
- infant death
- courtroom trauma
- systemic injustice
About the book
"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"--
Description from Open Library.
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