Small Great Things in MCLS Reading Challenge

Nov 27, 2017 Lea Elizabeth Ludwig rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017-books, bookclub-mason-valley

I’ve been in a reading slump and I’m ashamed to say this took me a month to read! But it was excellent and very eye opening, so timely with what is going on in the world. Ruth, a black nurse in an affluent white neighborhood hospital has to constantly be aware and making up for the fact that she is black. Great story and great writing. Great book club discussion. -“If you can’t do great things, do small things in a great way”. -Martin Luther King

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Mar 16, 2021 Anne Brown rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: walworth-book-club, 2021-popsugar

This book was well written and engaging, but something about it just felt off the more I think about it, which is why I'm giving it 3.5 stars. I understand why Picoult chose to have the 3 different perspectives and she clearly did a lot of research to try to get the voices and experiences right. She wanted readers to get inside the head of each character and feel uncomfortable reading their thoughts in the first person. I do try to be an ally, especially in my work as a librarian, but this book This book was well written and engaging, but something about it just felt off the more I think about it, which is why I'm giving it 3.5 stars. I understand why Picoult chose to have the 3 different perspectives and she clearly did a lot of research to try to get the voices and experiences right. She wanted readers to get inside the head of each character and feel uncomfortable reading their thoughts in the first person. I do try to be an ally, especially in my work as a librarian, but this book did make me realize things I haven't thought about enough regarding passive racism and the day-to-day social advantages that come from having white skin (like shopping without being followed by a manager and sitting down on a on a bench without folks flinching or moving away). I can't pretend that I know or can imagine the level of pain and trauma of carrying a pregnancy to full term only to leave the hospital without a baby, but I felt that at times Picoult was trying too hard to make the white supremist couple relatable (view spoiler). I get that one of Picoult's main "messages" was about how we all have more in common than we do differences, but this was supposed to be Ruth's story and sometimes it felt like she got pushed to the background (which I guess reflects what happens in real life when people of color try to share their stories). I think it would have been stronger if it had been cowritten with an author of color so that the conversations between characters of different races would feel more authentic.

I didn't understand why Ruth suddenly flipped on Kennedy during the trial and insisted on taking the stand even though it would destroy her credibility and possibly her case. Yes, she viewed it as her only chance to speak her truth and tell her side of the story, but it felt really out of character, especially when she exploded during the cross examination and expressed a thought that "the baby was better off dead" that had NEVER come up the entire book, even in Ruth's own chapters.

This book was a tough read, but I do think that it brings up a lot of important points about the structure of our society today. It is a very big topic, and I commend Picoult for taking it on in a way that will make her typical reader demographic (mainly middle aged white women) reflect on their own lives and the lives of those around them in ways that maybe they haven't before. ...more

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Nov 21, 2016 Lee Ann rated it it was amazing

Jodi Picoult always amazes me with her subject matter for her books. One of my favorites was Nineteen Minutes about a school shooting. This is right up there with that one, timely and gut wrenching. I could not put it down and highly recommend it. Everyone should read this. ...more

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