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
As a fan of Jodi Picoult I was looking forward to reading this book. Racism is a big topic to take on in a novel. I really enjoyed the first two thirds or so of the book. I can identify with Kennedy- a white woman who wants to help but is a bit naive to how deep the problem of racism runs in out country. I particularly appreciated the scene in TJ Max that illustrates how differently people are treated based on race alone. The last third of the novel started to seem like a platform for a lecture. Iâm sure itâs hard to refrain from that with the topic of racism. And the ending was unrealistic. Overall I would give it 3.5 stars.
Better than I expected. I was worried the story might be a bit too contrived but I really got into it right away and loved the characters.
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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