I’m cleaning up my bookshelf and trying to give reviews for past books I’ve read. I know I read this when it came out - I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads back in 2016, which I RARELY give out 5 stars, so it must have been amazing! Thanks for the advanced reader copy!

Ruth Jefferson has been a labor and delivery nurse in the same Connecticut hospital for twenty years and the day's shift starts like any other. As she makes her rounds, she is shocked when a set of new parents flinch away from her and ask to see her supervisor. The parents are white supremacists and insist that their baby not be touched by any African American nurses. The supervisor assigns the parents to another nurse and puts a note in the child's folder. Ruth is appalled and shocked that her supervisor has not backed her up but is busy enough.

Then tragedy strikes. After the baby's circumcision, he is in the nursery. Ruth has stopped there for a moment's rest and is left in charge of the nursery when an emergency c-section occurs. When she checks the baby, he seems to be having issues breathing. She tries to help, but then steps away when her supervisor comes in to avoid being reprimanded. The baby stops breathing and although everyone there works on him, dies.

The parents are sure it is Ruth's fault. They saw her giving him heart compressions and thought it was too hard. The father goes to the police and files a complaint with them. The hospital throws Ruth under the bus and she is suspended, as is her license. How will Ruth live? What will happen to her son, Edison, about to head off to college?

Ruth is assigned Kennedy, a white public defender. Kennedy is sure she knows exactly how to win the case and insists that race needs to be left out of the courtroom. An African American public figure rounds up support for Ruth and the white supremacists are out in force. It is a volatile situation that could boil over at any second.

Jodi Picoult is known for writing about social issues and in this novel she takes on race relations. Not just the overt discrimination that is easy to see and condemn but the hidden discriminations that have minorities fighting for all that comes unbidden to the majority race. It is a worthy goal and may make some readers consider race in a new light, but misses the boat for those already aware of the issues and working to correct them as it is a bit heavy-handed in the treatment. Ruth and her allies are everything good while those opposed are everything bad; the nuances lost in the lesson. This book is recommended for readers of literary ficiton.

I loved this book. Picoult pulls at the heartstrings in every novel she writes, and this is no exception. This book is an emotional roller coaster, written beautifully with well-developed characters, and makes the reader consider points of view that are sometimes difficult to grasp. Would highly recommend this book... was one of the favorites I read last year!

Loved this book! I love all her books and this one is no exception! Small Great Things definitely had me hooked and I couldn't read it fast enough.

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. I've enjoyed most of her books that I've read. This one was so good. The subject details a particular subject and the author does a great job describing both sides of the story. It’s a real life kind of drama that still happens in the world today and it really gave me all the feels. This was a great read that I really enjoyed.

This book works hard to try to bring white woman readers to an encounter moment (to start their own antiracist educations), but often unintentionally utilizes microaggressive stereotypes in various character or plot beats. Picoult attemps to be sensitive to the subject at hand and she did do research in her attempts to write this book, but I found at times the characters of color were written flatly, and felt like main protagonist's sections could have been handled more adeptly by someone further along in their antiracism journey or perhaps with a co-author. It may not resonate as well for readers of color or people who have read more antiracist literature.
This book is written for a very specific audience, but if you are part of her target audience for this book, you will likely enjoy it or be affected by it.
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've read Jodi Picoult for years now, but I go through periods where I take a break from her books. I actually probably haven't read her for at least four years now. But I'm so glad I jumped back into her work with Small Great Things. Everything about this book is wonderful: pacing, characters, and plot. Honestly, the plot was so original that I'm finding it hard to compare to another work. Small Great Things is equally disturbing and thought-provoking. I didn't expect to be taken on a complete emotional rollercoaster and I know this book will stay with me for a long time. Five spectacular stars.

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.

In an age where #OwnVoices have begun to receive some long-delayed, much-deserved attention and acclaim, it took an extraordinary amount of bravery for Picoult, a white author, to write a story about racism from the POV of a black woman. I’m sure she was worried about writing a version of American Dirt, a fear which she addresses in the Afterword. Perhaps the fact that she’s Jodi-f’ing-Picoult made it easier to take this risk. In any case, I really enjoyed this novel, and Picoult writes with nuance about Ruth’s experience.

This book is filled with so much to talk about. The characters are realistically portrayed, and Picoult does an excellent job of steering us (white Americans) to look within ourselves to see our own biases that we don’t think we have. The book raises lots of questions and issues that don’t have clear answers. I did some additional reading outside of this book and was alarmed to find out that the numbers of white supremacists is on the rise. Picoult typically has a twist at the end, and this one does have a surprise revelation. My only gripe is I know why she did what she did, but it did feel a little contrived. This is an excellent book for book groups to read that I highly recommend.

My Rating: 4.5

I've heard this one is amazing! Truth be told, I forgot that Netgalley existed until recently and I would really like to review their audiobooks! I listen to audiobooks alllllll the time. However, since I didn't remember this existed, I hadn't reviewed the books I'd gotten several years ago. I'm trying to catch up with them now! However, I read the books so long ago, that I don't remember much. Sorry! But I will write decent reviews for any audiobooks I get, I promise. :)

Every book I have read by Jodi Picoult has been great. This one did not disappoint. The story has a great subject matter and she does a great job expressing both sides of the story. It’s a real life kind of drama that is still happening in the world today and I really was feeling the emotions that were encased in the story. This is a great story that should be read by many.

I have read and enjoyed all of Jodi Picoult's novels and this one did not disappoint. It is a timely novel that really brings the characters and the effects of racism into life. I could not put it down. I have recommended this book to everyone I know.

Jodi Picoult tackles another social issue. This time its race. Ruth the only black nurse on a neo-natal ward is not allowed to take care of a new baby at the request of the mother. Short-staffed she ends up watching the baby in the nursery. The baby stops breathing and Ruth ends up being charged for murder. Like all of Picoult’s works it is impossible to read without getting emotionally involved. The story is told from three points of view—Ruth’s, her public defender and the white supremacist father of the baby.

Oh to have the pen of Jodi Picoult. I have read many of her books. This was more challenging than some as you come face to face with racism to the extreme. Jodi as always never goes too far to the point of sensationalism but keeps the character’s lives and pain authentic. I can’t wait for her next book!!

loved this! easy read. great story. good characters. good book club book with great discussions. the plot was great and very interesting to me.

Jodi Picoult is one of my all-time favorite authors, but I was nervous to pick this one up. It was clearly going to be heavier than most of her novels, tackling race, prejudice, discrimination, and justice, all of which can make so many of us uncomfortable. I also knew I didn't want to be in the head of a white supremacist, first and foremost.

So this isn't a review so much as a commentary on what I got from this book. I have to acknowledge that I may say something incorrectly in this post, and I'm sorry in advance if I've inadvertently offended readers.

On a friend's post about the diverse new Congress on FB, someone had left a comment saying, "My personal opinion....I think we should look at all the members of Congress as equal.... regardless of race, gender, creed, or disability. They should all work together to make all our lives better! I worked in several schools where this was the work environment, and I was so appreciative! Love one another." Their heart was in the right place, and they mean well, but this sort of statement is what Picoult tackles in the novel: by not acknowledging someone's difference, you are negating the strengths of that difference, the core of their identity, the success and hardship they faced because of that identity. You are, inexplicably, perpetuating discrimination. Turning a blind eye does not change the system.

I was angry and ashamed and felt such a weight of guilt the entire time I read the novel. I may call myself an ally, an advocate, someone who isn't racist, someone who wants equality for all, who seeks social justice for all. But there are things I've said and done, intending to be a good person, that actually continue the perpetuation of racism (ex: "I don't see color," or like that FB comment above). These are things I need to work on, do better, listen more. Compounding with that were several moments of eye-rolling and shock at the lawyer's naivete whenever she went shopping with Ruth, looking up jurors with Howard, or listening to what children say to one another. Is this really the world "basic white people" live in? Are they really that ignorant? I grew up in a predominantly black neighborhood and school district. So these cringe-worthy moments were horrendous, because to me it seems like common sense. But I had to actively remember Jodi Picoult's audience: privileged white women who probably, genuinely, have no idea. This book is meant to make us uncomfortable. It's supposed to raise these issues, and make us more aware of our own shortcomings.

Which then raises the question: who has the right to tell a story like Ruth's, a black woman or a white woman? Well, a black woman, because she can accurately portray this life and mindset, absolutely! But you also need to think about audience and wide reach -- in the case of Picoult, how can you properly show white people (her general audience being white women) what it's like to be a black woman without making them feel too discomforted? Racism can be discussed between two or more races, but more importantly it needs to discussed, addressed, and pointed out within races to start. Whites need to see their ugly side from a fellow white, and learn and grow. Picoult's author's note said exactly this, and she made a great disclaimer too. Roxanne Gay's review of this book is fantastic as well. I cannot stress enough the importance of reading her review alongside reading this book.

Like I said, this wasn't so much a review of the book but a reflection of what I got from it. It shocked me (the basic white outlook of it), it made me uncomfortable, it made me feel guilty, it made me angry, it made me want to do more and be better.

Read this book. Learn. Ask the difficult questions. Seek out information to further your racial education. (Everyone. Even those of you who say you're not racist.) It gives me hope that as the industry continues to strive for diversity, we will finally see Ruth's story through a black writer, and that book would sell just as many copies as, if not more than, Picoult's.

It took me a while to truly get into this book. I think it was because several major scenes were retold by different characters perspectives. At first, I found it a bit slow and redundant. However, I then understood how important the retelling of everyone's own frame of reference was. And when this happened I was hooked. I found it impossible to put this book down. I truly came to care for the characters, even the ones I hated. And the twist endings - WOW! This is the type of book that stays with you for a very long time after you turn the last page.
I'm pretty embarrassed to admit I have never read a Jodi Picoult book before this one. But now I know I will be reading all of her books.

As a huge fan of Jodi Picoult, Small Great Things is another great novel about differences between groups and how it plays out in society. Highly recommend for fans of Jodi's books, and other women's fiction.

This was another winner from Jodi Picoult. I found myself shocked at the daily life of the lead character. From shopping a the local store to her defense. This is a book that will long resonate with me. Thank you, Jodi.

This is another great book by Jodi Picoult. I love the way she writes from different points of views and really makes you think. This book is very timely and for sure lends it self to great discussions. Highly recommend.