OH MY GOODNESS!! THIS BOOK!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Those of you who know me well, know that I just love Jodi Picoult's writings.
I've read every single one of her books except her very first one and I haven't read her young adult fiction nor her stage play.
This novel is by far my favorite one of hers. I also really liked The Pact, My Sister's Keeper (even though Hollywood RUINED the ending and totally changed it...ugh!!), and Nineteen Minutes. Those are my faves. This one tops those in my opinion. And I personally feel that this is a MUST read for every American. Actually, for every human being. It's that good and that important of a topic.
STORY SUMMARY
Ruth Jefferson is a black (African-American, person of color, whatever phrase you prefer) nurse in an affluent area of Connecticut. She works in the labor and delivery department of a New Haven hospital. She earned her 4 year degree from SUNY Plattsburgh and her grad degree from Yale. She was married to a man who served in the armed forces and died while serving in Afghanistan. She has one son, Edison, who is now 17 and an honors student in high school. He is currently applying to colleges.
Ruth has been at the same job in the same hospital in the same department for 20 years. She is the only person of color in her department. The hospital is a small one.
One day, during her normal shift, Ruth is assigned to a mother who has just given birth to a beautiful baby boy named Davis. The parents are Turk and Britany Bauer. And they are white supremacists. When they see Ruth, they demand that her supervisor assign them a different nurse. A white nurse. Ruth is re-assigned to a different patient and a post it note is put in the baby's file stating that no African-American staff should touch Davis Bauer.
The next morning, Ruth is alone in the nursery where baby Davis is recovering from a circumcision. His assigned nurse had to rush off to assist in an emergency C-section. Davis goes into cardiac arrest.
Does Ruth obey orders (not to touch the Bauer baby) or does she intervene based on the Nurses Nightingale Pledge??
Ruth pauses before attempting CPR and then is charged with a serious crime.
Her public defender is Kennedy McQuarrie who gives Ruth some advice: don't mention race in the courtroom because it is NOT a winning strategy.
Ruth feels conflicted about this and it begins to affect her family. She and her son become a media sensation and as the trial begins, Ruth and Kennedy must learn to gain each other's trust.
And in getting to know each other, they begin to discover that what they've been taught their entire lives about other people and about themselves might just be wrong.
Will Ruth be convicted of murder or negligent homicide?
Are you ready for an amazing ending that is a total surprise?
MY THOUGHTS
This book is about race, prejudice, justice, compassion, and privelege. It's about family and friendship. It's about what really matters and what doesn't.
It's about doing small things in great ways and about great things done in small ways.
Much research went into this book and the author's notes in the back of the novel, which I read AFTER completing the story, are full of intelligence and knowledge. I always learn something from this author!!
I loved all the characters and in the end I even came to appreciate some things about and in Turk. I don't want to reveal too much as I don't want to spoil the ending for you.
At first my heart just hurt with the way the character Turk was developed. It makes me sick to my stomach to think that in this day and age and country, we still have white supremacists! It just is NOT ok. But that's what makes American great, right? We are all entitled to our own belief system.
And I learned that yes, as a suburban white upper middle class mom, teacher, Christian, I too, still have some prejudice issues.
This book is an eye opener. It is so exquisite. It's gripping and a real page-turner. It really shows how complex human relationships really can be.
The moral dilemma is astounding.
I would love to see it made into a movie but I would want Hollywood to NOT change a thing.
There were many great quotes in this book. Here are a couple of my favorites. The first is in Ruth's voice. The 2nd is in Turk's voice.
There were many great quotes in this book. Here are a couple of my favorites. The first is in Ruth's voice. The 2nd is in Turk's voice.
"Freedom is the fragile neck of a daffodil, after the longest of winters. It's the sound of your voice, without anyone drowning you out. It's having the grace to say yes, and more important, the right to say no. At the heart of freedom, hope beats: a pulse of possibility." (Small Great Things, pg.449, c.2016)
"I tell them that there is nothing more selfish that trying to change someone's mind because they don't think like you. Just because something is different does not mean it should not be respected." (Small Great Things, pg 456, c. 2016)
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older and quite frankly I think it should be added to the high school reading curriculum.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10.
2 comments:
I have never read this author though I have several of her books in my to read pile. This sounds really good.
I have read a couple of Jodi Picoult books several years ago. My daughter is a big fan of her.
This sounds like a very thought-provoking book! Usually, I read fiction for escapism, LOL, so this one might upset my apple-cart. ;)
Seriously, though all of us need to re-examine our attitudes. I felt like a I have come a long long way from grand-parents' and parents' attitudes on race and different cultures, but have learned I still could do better.
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