Jodi Picoult - Small Great Things

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.

Comment: I've decided to buy this book because the blurb seemed quite interesting and I knew the author would use a provocative but not dismissive style to address the racism subject. I got curious and got it. Of course, it took me a long time to actually read but that's the usual for me...

In this book we meet Ruth Jefferson, a nurse with years of experience working at labor and delivery an that, in the course of an apparently normal day, meets a couple who recently had a baby but the parents are white supremacists and don't want Ruth to be near their child. Although discriminatory and unfair, Ruth is put aside but things get to a very bad path when the baby dies, right after Ruth is seen close to him but seemingly not doing anything.

What follows is a spiral road towards situations Ruth has never imagined herself in but that still change the rest of her life.

I had read Keeping Faith by this author several years ago because it was said that was one of the author's easier stories (on an emotional level) to read and ended well. It also helped that it would touch the theme of faith which I more or less appreciate reading about. I liked that book but the writing style didn't seem to be that special so I never tried another book, especially after the fame she got with her more complicated subjects.

This book, thankfully, also has an end that wasn't too difficult to accept in terms of how emotional it was. I liked that it as possible to see choices and difficulties but the end was positive.

Before that, however, the protagonist Ruth must face a lot of challenges. I think the racism depicted in the book had the perfect dose to be informative, to be descriptive but not the only idea to focus on. Socially, it is quite a shock to imagine people must face the stigma of what it all involves and for me, personally, because I don't live in a place where there are many black people communities/families, the subject is especially strong as it's not part of my routines. I can't imagine how frustrating and unfair it must be for those who feel the racism, literally, on their skin.

The biggest part of the novel is focused on Ruth's trial. When the baby dies, his parents decide to blame and sue Ruth for malpractice but it gets quite clear the real reason is they want to blame someone from the black race for their hate and sadness.

This aspects was well portrayed and, as expected by this author, the issues related to both Ruth and Turk, the white supremacist father, are meant to let the reader think without inferring any pre - judgment. I confess some of the sections told by Turk were a little difficult to read, not because they were harsh or just hateful descriptions of cruelty and racism but because Turk is portrayed and having been convinced and almost manipulated to follow the path he did... I suppose this was also done to suit the end more convincingly.

The book is narrated by three people, Turk and Ruth, who both relate in the fist person their perspectives and backgrounds and also Kennedy, the white lawyer that helps and defends Ruth during her trial. I suppose Kennedy is the character most readers are supposed to relate to, not because she is white but because the plays the role of someone who isn't directly affected by the racism theme but who, inadvertently, lets it go or ignores it unconsciously precisely for that. Still, I really liked Kennedy because the is a young professional,she is a mother and her attitude and life are happy and table and it is a good counterbalance to the less positive aspects.

I had a good time reading this novel. The theme isn't always easy and I did cry here and there over the injustice of things. I liked the characterization, the ending and some details regarding the trial. It also made me want to try another book by the author that might have a positive end... let's see, but this one was touching and had the right balance, in my POV. 

Like I mentioned, some of the narrative by Turk and some dragging over certain parts of the plot were reasons that made me not like the book more. Still, a good read.

Grade: 8/10