Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

                When Ruth looked into the file of newborn Davis Bauer she saw the words “NO AFRICAN AMERICAN PERSONNEL TO CARE FOR THIS PATIENT.” That note wasn’t there that morning when she started her shift. That note was placed there after Ruth, the only African-American nurse in Labor and Delivery, checked on the patient that morning. Young Davis’s father Tuck demanded to talk to Ruth's supervisor and she was reassigned. Two days later the newborn goes into cardiac arrest while Ruth was the only nurse left to attend to him. Even though a code was called by Ruth’s supervisor, she was found doing nothing, only participating when instructed by her supervisor. Davis died and Tuck believes that Ruth is the reason why he is dead. Ruth loses her job, is arrested in the middle of the night and charged with murder. Kennedy is the public defender handed the case and she must find a way to prove Ruth’s innocence while not confronting the one issue that placed them in the courtroom: race.

                It’s funny. Writing that above blurb makes this story sound much less complicated than it is. I sat reading this book and dealt with different levels of frustration, horror, anger and just an overwhelming sense of unease. I am a big proponent of talking about race. I do not agree that ignoring the problem will simply make it go away, so I am going to start with the few things I didn’t like and then continue with the many things I did like.

                I wasn’t satisfied with the depiction of Ruth’s lifestyle. I say that because her field is a very successful one and with the death of her husband, an active duty military serviceman, she would have been in a completely different financial situation. There were no extenuating circumstances mentioned in the story, so I am unclear why she would present a military widow and yet completely exclude the benefits that she would receive and never reference the military community, outside of Ruth’s husband’s death. It seemed unnecessary. In all honesty it seemed like a cop out and it rubbed me the wrong way the entire book. There were other ways to depict an African American woman, who has held a job as a nurse for 20 years and is a homeowner, than as a struggling homeowner sleeping on a pull out couch in a one bedroom townhouse.   Portraying Ruth as successful and prominent would not have made her argument against racism and racial prejudice any less valid. It would have more likely strengthened it because people are under the absurd notion that the more affluent you are the less racism affects you and that is simply not true.

                Now to things that I actually did enjoy, particularly the decision of what three main characters to use as point of view characters: Ruth- the African American nurse on trial for murder, Tucker- the White Supremacist father, Kennedy- the White public defender who took this job because she could afford to make a difference because of the success of her husband. Each of these characters takes on a different story arch and personal journey that causes a constant reevaluation of morals. What Picoult thrives at is creating diverse characters, full of depth, well rounded and realistic. That particular ability shines in this book. Picoult was most effective in the way she approached the opposing views of Ruth and Tucker. Both had a lot of very strong emotions and experiences that shaped them in entirely different ways and created these two opposing personalities. No one wants to look into the mind of a raging racist but with Tucker you have no choice. He is brutal and honest about how he feels being a White man in the world. Kennedy on the other hand is a White woman but she isn’t racist. What she is discovering though throughout the course of this novel is her privilege and that affects her in ways she didn’t realize. Ruth’s journey has to do with re-examining her life, the things she thought she had overcome, only to have reality come crashing down on her. Each narrative was very well done, very well executed, and honest. If you are going to have a novel where the main issue revolves around race you have to try to be as honest as possible. Or the novel will fail.

                Small Great Things did not fail in any shape way or form. There were a few circumstances I didn’t care for, Ruth’s financial situation was the main one I felt I needed to address but beyond that I was really satisfied with this novel. If anyone is uncomfortable with confronting the topic of racial inequality, racism, and/or white privilege then this may not be the book for you. Or it may be the book that challenges you. You will be confronted with many different views on race, racial inequality, white privilege and white supremacy. You will be challenged to go outside your comfort zone and evaluate how racism affects you. There were so many instances that Ruth relayed, Kennedy acknowledged and Tucker praised that made me cringe, not in terror but in the honesty of their speech. This book will have the power to not only make you uncomfortable but it will make you question yourself, the way you look at people and the way you judge skin color. Highly recommended novel for those who won’t simply disregard all that’s being presented in this book as false or grossly exaggerated. Go into reading this book with an open mind, ready to experience race relations through the eyes of three entirely different people with three different stories to tell. I give this novel 4 out of 5 stars. 

Thank you Netgalley for this advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.