About the Book
About the Book
Small Great Things
With richly layered characters and a gripping moral dilemma that will lead readers to question everything they know about privilege, power, and race, SMALL GREAT THINGS is the stunning new page-turner from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult.
Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than 20 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.
Audiobook available, read by Audra McDonald with Cassandra Campbell and Ari Fliakos.
Small Great Things
- Publication Date: February 20, 2018
- Genres: Fiction
- Paperback: 528 pages
- Publisher: Ballantine Books
- ISBN-10: 0345544978
- ISBN-13: 9780345544971