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Small Great Things
Small Great Things
Author: Jodi Picoult
A young woman and her husband, admitted to hospital to have a baby, request 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 i...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780345813381
ISBN-10: 0345813383
Publication Date: 10/11/2016
Pages: 480
Rating:
  • Currently 3.1/5 Stars.
 7

3.1 stars, based on 7 ratings
Publisher: Random House Canada
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Members Wishing: 10
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Small Great Things on + 234 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I have read many of her books and I have to say this is my favorite. There were so many twists; some totally unexpected. As always when reading a book by Jodi Picoult, she challenges the reader to look at different viewpoints from different characters then form your own opinion as to what you think is morally right.
reviewed Small Great Things on + 66 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Oh my, my, my! What a book! What a story! I have read every book she's written, seen her in person twice, so yeah, I'm a fan! Some of her novels are better than others. This one was great! I think, it is quite unforgettable, putting it on my list of books I finish but continue to think about. Plus, I live in New Haven CT and that's where the story takes place!
jodymcgrath avatar reviewed Small Great Things on + 110 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Ruth is a nurse in the neonatal unit in a Connecticut hospital. She is great at her job and has been there for over twenty years. Once she put her name in for a promotion, but the job was given to another woman who had ten years less experience. Ruth is doing an exam on a newborn, when the father orders her out of the room and demands a different nurse. Her boss agrees to his wishes. Ruth is not to touch the baby. When Ruth is the only nurse on the floor and the baby starts having trouble breathing, what is she to do? Does she try to save the baby or stay away like the parents and her boss told her to do? It sounds like an easy answer, but the truth is when you are a black woman living in a white world, you learn fast that every decision you make is never easy.

This book is told by three POVs. That of Ruth, the black nurse; Turk, the white supremacist father; and Kennedy, the white defense attorney. This book was hard to read. Not because of the writing, it was beatifully written, but because of the subject matter. There is so much that is unjust in the book that it leaves you angry that we live in such a hateful world. This book is written to make you feel and question yourself. It isn't written to only entertain you, but to hold a mirror up to you and remind you of who you are and how you became that person. Was it a struggle? Was it easy? Why is being white not the first thing those who are white think of when we identify ourselves, but it is the definitive identity of other races?

This book is a fantastic book that I think everyone should have to read and reflect upon. Don't think you are going to read this book for fun though. This is one of those books that stay with you for a very long time.
* I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review *
reviewed Small Great Things on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I very much enjoyed reading this book. Jodi is a great author. 5 stars
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