Small Great Things
Picoult, JodiRuth Jefferson, an African American labour and delivery nurse, faces a dreadful dilemma - follow the hospital's ruling that she is not to care for the child of white supremacists or throw caution to the wind and intervene when the baby stops breathing. This no-win situation leads to Ruth's appearance in court relying on a white lawyer who is convinced arguing racism will not keep her out of prison.
Powerful and compelling, and narrated from three different viewpoints, this is a courageous story confronting racism and white privilege in 21st century America.
Pages
467
467
Year
2016
2016
Reviews
11-03-2024
Enjoyed by all our group. A few of us had read it before and delved back into it again. A thought provoking read and rated highly by the group.
15-01-2024
Thought provoking read which took a while to get into due to some rather unsympathetic characters, but as we continued it became more engrossing. Rather unrealistic ending, especially the Turk/Brittany plotline.
15-12-2023
Excellent book. Thought provoking and enjoyed by all.
02-11-2023
The whole group enjoyed this book and we had a good discussion about it.
18-10-2023
Most of the group enjoyed this book.
16-08-2023
One of the best discussions we have had. Initially confronting but such a great story. Very heartening.
10-07-2023
This book was extremely well-written. It is full of a variety of emotions and absolutely did not disappoint with the expected twist, something this author is known for. Would highly recommend this easy to read book. Some of us read it within 48 hours.
08-06-2023
This one provided a great discussion, and we all rated it highly.
04-05-2023
Wonderfully descriptive and thought provoking.
10-12-2021
The whole group enjoyed this - highly recommended.
01-11-2021
The group all considered it a truly tremendous read! Very revealing.
31-05-2021
The beginning of this book was quite distressing to read, but very relevant in today's 'Black Lives Matter' movement. Fab book.
21-05-2021
Our group was impressed with the author's research into this story. She began her research with people of colour and listened to their story. She talked to white supremacists who had changed their lives around, and were now working for the good of all people, and trying to help kids into a better life. Our group enjoyed the book - our discussion was about Ruth and the hardship she had to go through.
11-11-2020
Best discussion we have ever had. Relevant today. Book about racism and white supremacy and privilege in the USA.
29-07-2020
Excellent book for robust, interesting and helpful sharing of perspectives.
27-07-2020
Book loved by all.
04-09-2019
The group felt that the writer provided a very balanced view of characters and issues, showing no bias. The writer provoked individual thinking, allowing the reader to make up their own mind without being coerced by the writer's opinion. Obviously very well researched.
15-04-2019
A mammoth book, confrontational, educational and brilliantly researched. Having each of the central characters narrate their own stories allowed the reader insights into their lives and backgrounds - a powerful novel based on real happenings.
15-04-2019
Generally enjoyed by all our book club members.
15-04-2019
'Small Great Things' led to one of our most animated discussions, as we explored what was meant by 'white privilege', and how we had all benefited from this. The topic was an absorbing one, but all thought there were several coincidences that were very unlikely ( eg. the discovery, by accident, of the baby's full test report), and that Turk Bauer was most unlikely to have transformed himself in the way he did. 2 nurses in the group found the topic particularly interesting!
15-04-2019
A challenging read but a highly worthwhile one. All but one of our group scored it 8 or higher, out of 10. Picoult is a superb writer who researched this book to the "nth" degree. It was close to perfection how each character was portrayed, and how she alternated chapters between the three main characters. As well as the overt racism, we remembered vividly some of the more subtle instances of discrimination in the story. Some found the ending contrived and a little corny, but it will remain a book which generated introspective reflection. Well done, Picoult.
15-04-2019
"Extremely good read; confronting; enlightening, and "I never realised how racist I was" - were some of the comments. Clever use of a story to portray a common issue, with all view points well explored. Some members felt the ending was poor - having achieved the purpose of discussion on racism, she wrapped up the ends to provide the classic happy ending with only minimal reference to the story.
15-04-2019
Very readable. We felt the ending was contrived and unnecessary. A great book for BDS. Great in depth discussions re racism and white supremacists.
15-04-2019
Tremendous discussion - the subject really resonated with the group. I think we all came face to face with the fact we were not as unprejudiced as previously thought!
03-04-2019
We were very like the Christchurch group. The horror in Christchurch greatly affected our reading of the book - most of us laid the book aside for a time (those who actually read it). We are divided over Picoult's merits as a writer - is she a great commentator on current issues or just someone who knows what the reading public wants So - the book deals with racism from several points of view - good - but the plot is over-eventful and some characters unconvincing - not so good. But we did have an interesting discussion on racism and prejudice in relation to this text.
07-10-2018
The group was truly divided on this one - two members loved it, two members hated it (although only one of those two actually read it all), another three members had mixed feelings, and one just couldn't find the energy to read it past the first few chapters. Consequently we had a lively discussion on racial issues, characters and prejudices.