Small Great Things: A Novel
A #1 New York Times Bestseller and soon to be major motion picture. 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 Jodi Picoult. 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.
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Community Reviews
Great book that shows three different experiences with racism: a white supremacist, a Black nurse, and a white lawyer. These three people have very distinct POVs and we alternate between them. I found this a powerful way to give the reader - particularly white readers - an up-close view of both micro and macro aggressions that people of color deal with many times a day.
I was totally on board with the book until close to the end when a major choice of the Black nurse seemed out of character and, after that, a couple of coincidences that pushed my ability to suspend disbelief. Luckily the rest of the book made those things totally bearable.
This was my first Picoult book but it certainly won't be my last.
I was given an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley but it took me so long to get around to reading it that I was able to use the audiobook. Which was fantastic. Audra McDonald and Cassandra Campbell were just about perfect. The gentleman who performed Turk's portion was a touch less enjoyable but part of my impression may be due to the horrible nature of the character.
I highly recommend this book.
I would give the book 4.5 stars if Goodreads allowed it but am rounding up.
I was totally on board with the book until close to the end when a major choice of the Black nurse seemed out of character and, after that, a couple of coincidences that pushed my ability to suspend disbelief. Luckily the rest of the book made those things totally bearable.
This was my first Picoult book but it certainly won't be my last.
I was given an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley but it took me so long to get around to reading it that I was able to use the audiobook. Which was fantastic. Audra McDonald and Cassandra Campbell were just about perfect. The gentleman who performed Turk's portion was a touch less enjoyable but part of my impression may be due to the horrible nature of the character.
I highly recommend this book.
I would give the book 4.5 stars if Goodreads allowed it but am rounding up.
the book Small Great Things presents a different perspective than what many readers may be accustomed to, focusing on a criminal case that involves a black nurse and a white supremacist family. While the author, Jodi Picoult, attempts to portray the black experience, the narrative often emphasizes themes of pain and grief. As a result, the characters of color face challenges that predominantly highlight their struggles rather than moments of growth. Although they eventually overcome these obstacles, the depiction can feel disheartening and may not provide the uplifting representation some readers might hope for. Due to its difficult and potentially triggering content, this book may not be suitable for everyone, and it's important for prospective readers to approach it with awareness of these themes.
What an overwritten piece of dreck. It’s basically a (bad, shallow, preachy) textbook dressed up as a morality play. If you’re interested in the actual issues that Jodi Picoult wants to club you over the head with, there are numerous more interesting books about them. (I recommend [b:The New Jim Crow|6792458|The New Jim Crow Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness|Michelle Alexander|https:i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328751532l/6792458._SX50_.jpg|6996712] or [b:The Warmth of Other Suns|8171378|The Warmth of Other Suns The Epic Story of America's Great Migration|Isabel Wilkerson|https:i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1433354252l/8171378._SY75_.jpg|13341052] as good ones to begin with.) If you’re interested in a novel about bad things happening to good people, well, anyone could recommend a dozen of those. But unless you deeply, truly want a white author to give you a crash course on the history of race in America in the form of a badly written novel from the co-opted eyes of a woman of color, with unbearable dialogue, uninteresting characters, and unsurprising plot twists, you should avoid this particular book.
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