Jodi Picoult does it again a thought provoking and compelling story.

This author seems to pick a subject that is always right for events which are happening right now.

This book will keep you gripped and plenty to think about.

Books by this author will always pull on any emotional thread you have and give a good hard tug.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review.

Loved loved loved this book so much. It is an utterly compelling and absorbing read that had me sucked right in from the very beginning.

Headlines:
Injustice
Racism drilled down to the most revolting denominator
Angry tears

I'm keeping this review short because I don't even know how to put this story into words, or my experience reading it. Jodi Picoult captured a black woman's unjust experience, threat to her livelihood and liberty and made it relevant to all of us.

What was particularly compelling but also distasteful at the same time was that this story was also told from the POV of the father. He wasn't just an average Joe-racist, he was part of a neo-nazi aryian community; something so much more subversive and heinous. Yet, because of the plot, Picoult pulls at your empathy strings towards this man and his family in random moments while you also check yourself and your feelings.

Ruth was a genuine, authentic midwife, like many I've worked with. The medical side of this story was so well researched. I could never have seen that final twist but it was pretty magnificent.

Read this book, let it challenge your personal ethics, enrage you and if you're anything like me, you'll cry angry tears and think about it for ages afterwards.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

This book is told from three characters point of view; Turk, the father of a baby who died, but who's also a white surpremist racist and need somebody to blame for the death of his new born baby. Then we have Kennedy, the lawyer who is defending the nurse who is being blamed for the babies death. Finally, we have Ruth, the nurse who is being blamed for the babies death, because she is a different colour, someone Turk hates with a passion and believes doesn't belong, even though they never met before the birth of his son, simply because of her colour.


This book had me hooked from the very beginning and it made me feel partly uncomfortable in parts. The topics discussed in this book and the way they are put forward and expressed, they are powerful, there's no denying that, they are emotional. The emotions spread through this book like lava spewing from a volcano, the loss of the baby, the hurt... Therefore, once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down because I wanted to see how it all ended. How the trial ended and everything all turned out. I didn't expect what happened at the end. At its core, this book is about racism and prejudice, but also about loss.

Fantastic and timely examination of individual and institutionalised racism. Thought provoking and compassionate.

Heard great things and this lived up to its promise!

It’s the same as any other hectic night on the labor and delivery ward in a Connecticut hospital. But for experienced nurse Ruth Jefferson, it’s a night that she’ll never forget. Used to seeing patients from all walks of life, Ruth knows that the most important thing is for mothers to deliver safely with healthy babies. But mistakes happen.

The problem is, what happens when the mistake involves the baby of a white supremacist, and you’re an African-American?

Before Ruth knows what is happening, things begin to spiral out of control and the careful, quiet life she’d established for her and her son begins to fall apart at the seams. Having spent a lifetime trying to keep under the radar – working hard, being successful, having a stable income – she now finds herself on trial, in a case where race is the elephant in the room. Glaringly obvious but forcibly unspoken.

“Any public defender who tells you justice is blind is telling you a big fat lie.”

The story is told from the point of view of Ruth, her public defender Kennedy, and the white supremacist Turk. It does not make for comfortable reading. We hear of Ruth’s daily microaggressions; despite being a respected professional, she’s followed around in supermarkets, patronised over her son doing well in a good school, assumed to be the student when the other person in the room is a white man. Kennedy, a well-meaning white woman who ‘doesn’t see race’ is forced to confront her prejudices head-on – when it finally becomes clear that the courtroom conversation cannot ignore race any longer. And Turk, the most terrifying of all – telling us about unshakable belief in the superiority of the ‘white race’, his horrifying attacks on those he believes to be less than human, the swastika tattoo on his skull. It’s deeply uncomfortable. But that’s the point.

“When you say race doesn’t matter all I hear is you dismissing what I’ve felt, what I’ve lived, what’ it’s like to be put down because of the colour of my skin.”

Given the landscape of race relations in America, there’s never been a more pertinent time to have this conversation. Picoult’s latest book is a testament to these troubled and frightening times. There’s been much made of her writing as a black woman, a lived experience she couldn’t possibly understand. Where are the shelves of bestselling books about women of colour written by women of colour? That said, a privileged white woman using her work to open up these discussions about race and justice – is at least using her platform for good.

“What if the puzzle of the world was a shape you didn’t fit into? And the only way to survive was to mutilate yourself, carve away your corners, sand yourself down, modify yourself to fit? How come we haven’t been able to change the puzzle instead?”

Picoult doesn’t shy away from thorny, polemical issues. It’s a difficult read in terms of content, alleviated by Picoult’s natural storytelling capacities, developed characters and pacy plot. It is undeniably heavy-handed and melodramatic at times, and falls back on clichés and conveniences to hammer home the message. It ticks all the boxes for a textbook Picoult novel, but what is also does is open up difficult conversations, challenges assumptions of the well-meaning but ignorant, and crafts a story that resonates and forces the reader to reflect on the state of contemporary society.

“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”

I’ve read quite a few Jodie Picoult novels over the years, and have enjoyed almost all of them so when I saw she was releasing a new novel, Small Great Things, I knew I was going to have to get hold of a copy.

Small Great Things focuses on racial prejudice centring around the death of a newborn white child whilst in the care of the only black nurse on the Labour and Delivery ward. As always Picoult tackles a prevalent social issue in a way that resonates with all readers, enlightening them to issues they may not have fully considered. By alternating the narrative between Ruth, the black nurse accused of murder and Kennedy, her white public defender we get to see racism from two entirely different perspectives and view the privileges afforded to people simply based upon the colour of their skin.

A brilliant story bringing with a clear message. A must read for all Picoult fans.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest view. Thank you Netgalley for making it available

This may be my favourite of Picoult's novels yet. It is a thought provoking read which allows you to really get into the heads of the characters. It is by no means a short novel, yet I read it within in a day.

If found this story to be very hard to read, kept saying ' no I'm mistaken about what's happening' but, unfortunately, I was not. A very sad reflection on what can happen to a hardworking labour ward nurse when she comes into contact with a white supremacist parent. A very difficult read which I wanted to put down on several occasions, but finished it with lots of tears in my eyes..

Despite that fact that we have had abolition laws passed in both the UK and the US, I think it is safe to say that there are still some states where the colour of your skin is still an issue and in Small Great Things, Jodi Picoult brings this to the forefront of her storyline. 

Ruth Jefferson is a maternity nurse in a Conneticut hospital and has a pretty much unblemished record, that is until she delivers and cares for baby Bauer.  Both parents are white supremacist and tell Ruth that they don't want her handling their baby boy.  Ruth is removed from his care, and later, whilst she is in the same room as him, the baby dies - is Ruth somehow responsible for his death?  His father, Turk, seriously seems to think so.

Picoult then takes us through the impending court case as we see Ruth try to defend her career and race, whilst Turk sets out to ruin her in every way he possibly can.  The white supremacist movement still has many members and it is a shocking thought that the issues Picoult raises here are so truly valid today.  As with all of her books, there is a twist coming at the end, but can you guess what it wil be?

Yet another spectacular book, beautifully written as Normal with thought provoking moments 5 stars!!

This novels follows a nurse who is accused of allowing a newborn baby to die, the baby's racists parents and the lawyer defending the nurse. It follows the court case and moves back to the main characters upbringing and choices she has made in life. It follows her family including her mother and sister .
I have read a couple of other books by this author and cant say i have found them really enjoyable.
I liked the story line to this book but there always seems to be a character or 2 in her novels that i can not seem to like, even when i feel I'm meant too. They either seem too needy or selfish or in this instance as if written by someone who has read up on aspects of a character rather than trying to put herself in their shoes. The characters felt a little too stereotyped and less believable. There have been mentions of this book being a new To Kill A Mockingbird , but apart from there being a court case? No I don't think so.

Jodi Picoult has done herself and her fans and followers proud. A fabulous read that will change the way you think about racism.
Ruth Jefferson, a delivery nurse on hospital labour nurse is assigned a patient during her shift; following her initial checks she is later advised that she is no longer responsible for the new baby and at the parent's request she is not to touch him. Later, Ruth finds herself alone with this very same baby and is forced to make a life-or-death decision; the baby dies and Ruth suddenly finds herself suspended and at the receiving end of a murder charge.
The issues; Ruth Jefferson is African-American and the baby's parent's are white supremacists, and leaders of a pro-white movement.
Enter Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, keen to prove herself in her first big case, who advises Ruth that if they want to win, then the courtroom is no place to raise the subject of racial discrimination. Torn between her desire to correct the wrong, and her need to highlight the racial injustice of the case, Ruth and Kennedy must somehow find a middle ground in which to work.
An absolutely brilliant read! As usual Jodi Picoult handles highly sensitive material with intelligence, insight and empathy, highlighting serious issues and throwing them open to debate.
This book comes with the highest recommendation from me!

I haven't read a Jodi Picoult book for some time - have to admit after loving her earlier titles I thought they were starting to feel too serious and contrived. This book was slow to start but soon built up. An interesting mix of characters and not always the easiest of subject matters. I understand it is now being made into a film. Will be interesting to see it.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very well researched and played out very well.

I well written and thoroughly researched book sometimes leaving the reader with a feeling of discomfort. The subject of a black nurse accused of killing a white baby in her care at a hospital, raises many issues and the book is an ideal choice for a book reading group. Recommended reading.

Maureen Haltrecht