Book Review: Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Book Title: Small Great Things

Author: Jodi Picoult

Format: Audiobook

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

When I decided to read Small Great Things, I knew nothing about the book.  I just noticed that many of my book hearts on Instagram and Twitter were posting about this book.  Without reading the book synopsis or the book reviews, I added it to my TBR list and downloaded it on Audible.  

I should have read the book synopsis and book reviews. However, if I had read the synopsis or the book reviews, I would not have read the book so soon.  I have been reading a lot of books about racism, and the recent presidential election was bringing the hatred out in full force. Being sick of the ever-present troll known as racism, after reading the Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (book review coming shortly) and starting on Queen Sugar (I haven't finished it yet.), I probably would not have read this book for a long time. 

Therefore, I would have missed out on devouring a book full of life that included so many spoken and silent lessons.   I may have even forgotten that the book was on my ever-growing TBR list on Goodreads.  

Nevertheless, I listened to Small Great Things and was not disappointed. Jodi Picoult writes a book about race relationships, but from three different viewpoints, which makes the book so interesting.  She writes from an African American woman's perspective, a white supremacist's view, and a white woman's perspective.  

Ruth, the African American woman, is a neo-natal nurse, who encounters Turk, the white supremacist.  Turk requests that Ruth and anyone else of color not to provide care to his son.  When Turk's son dies, Ruth is immediately thrown under the bus by Turk and the hospital for his death.  Kennedy is the public defender, assigned to Ruth's case.  Not only does Ruth and Kennedy learn from each other, but they actually "see" each other.  Jodi Picoult demonstrates the profound lesson in "seeing someone."

Many times, as I listened to the text, I understood Ruth's confliction as an African American woman. I understood being the "only one" in particular settings.  I learned a valuable lesson about trying to "prove" that you were worthy enough to be accepted or educated enough to perform.  I understood not fitting in with the African American children and not fitting in with the White children.   Both her childhood and her adulthood mimics certain incidents in my life, which I could relate. Jodi's ability to paint vividly each perspective is remarkable.  The research that Jodi performed to gain insight into each aspect is translated into an amazing story that leaves you wanting to promote some change and any action.

HI-RES PUBLICITY PHOTO 

© Deborah Feingold

I do not read the author’s note, but since I was listening to the audiobook, I was made aware of how hard Jodi Picoult worked to tell the “truth” in her fictional novel.  The story is based on a similar incident that occurred in Michigan.  An African American nurse, Tonya Battle, sued the hospital after it granted a man’s request that no African American nurses were to care for his newborn child.  A note was placed on the assignment clipboard that read “No African American nurse to care for baby.” Before reading Small Great Things, I was unaware of this event that took place in 2013. The news article can be viewed on USA TODAY. Her lawsuit was settled according to USA TODAY.

The author’s note is a must read and helps to understand how and why Small Great Things were written.  After reading the book, I decided to read the reviews.  I am glad I did not let the reviews determine if I read this book.  I am glad that I was exposed to this book and its many messages.

I would recommend Small Great Things to everyone.  All ages. All ethnicities.  If I was still teaching college-level English,  I would figure out how to use this book in my lesson plans because of the profound messages within each page. So many themes are present in this book: compassion, racism, mental illness, hatred, and much more. Check out the excerpt of Small Great Things.

Have you read Small Great Things?  What did you think of the book?  Are you going to add this book to your TBR list?

  

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Guest Post: Read a Book: To Know That You Are Not Alone

Read a Book: To Know That You Are Not Alone
By Divya Revindran

"There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them" - Joseph Brodsky.

In these busy times, when we don't even have time to eat breakfast, there is no wonder that we gave up reading, rather forgot the importance of reading.

I was also not a reader. I thought it as a boring task to read a 100 or more pages book. But I was wrong. We are really missing lot more than what we think without reading.

When I start being at home after my work without nothing much to do, I choose books as my companion. I found it really amazing to read, which cannot be described in words. We can understand it only with the actual experience. It's the best way to avoid boredom.

Now I am an avid reader and I wish I would get enough of my life time to read all the great books.

There is much more to life than our work or spending time aimlessly with latest technology products. Reading books gives us that much needed break from chaos of life. It instills peace inside us, makes us relaxed and also exercise our brain in the process.

When we read a book, it feels great to put ourselves into a world of characters that the writer has created for us. It is the same like watching a good movie.

When we spend hours and hours reading a book, creating a world with different characters in our mind, our imagination powers are sure to get a boost.

Thanks to the technology that we can find good articles to read on the internet. A great article can motivate and inspires us as the same as a book do. The only reason I recommend reading books over short articles is that when we spend hours with a thought or an idea that it's more likely to stay with us than spending few minutes tinkering with it.

Just reading a book is not good enough. The way how we read it also matters. When we come across a new idea or different opinion, think upon it deeply. Do not accept it or eject it blindly. Try to reason with it and understand the writer's point of view.

As we continue this habit, we will start forming our own thoughts and values. It will challenge our mind and the thoughts, customs and tradition that we have grown up with.

It's very easy to get involved too much into the reading process, that we forget the actual purpose of reading is to make us a better person. Just finishing one book after another without any real action from our side won't help us.

Reading articles which spreads negativity, hatred and wrong content is dangerous. It is better not to read anything at all rather reading such articles.

Always read the content from a safe distance. Neither too close nor far away from the eyes.

Always prefer quality over quantity. Better to read one great book than hundred bad ones.

Don't accept anything blindly. Think upon it and try to understand the reason behind what's been written.

Focus completely on what we are reading. Do not think about other stuffs while reading.

Even our education system acknowledges the fact that reading is important for the development of an individual and hence it is considered a top priority in primary education. We can read almost anything including encyclopedias, novels, and magazines and so on. What we read is not important as long as we like what we are doing.

The foremost thing is that reading improves our vocabulary, Command on the language and the communication skills, as we regularly come across new words, phrases, idioms and writing styles. Reading books of a variety of subjects helps us to add our knowledge, which, in turn, helps us with different attributes of life.

The habit of reading yields rich dividends, and that's a fact which cannot be questioned. So it's high time you find a cure for bibliophobia, i.e., the fear of books (especially thick books) and dive into the world of literature or whatever you like to read. In this world of competitiveness, it's always advantageous to amass vast knowledge, and there is no better way to do so.

"Everything in the world exists in order to end up us a book "- Stephane Mallarme

To Know more about the benefits of reading visit http://divyarevindran.blogspot.in/2013/12/10-reasons-why-you-should-be-reading.html

Divya Revindran: http://divyarevindran.blogspot.in/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Divya_Revindran/1779875
http://EzineArticles.com/?Read-a-Book:-To-Know-That-You-Are-Not-Alone&id=8213231

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