13. Ruth Jefferson, a black woman with a teenage son, has been a labor and delivery nurse for more than 20 years when the white supremacists Turk and Brittany Bauer come to her maternity ward for the delivery of Brittany’s first child, a boy named Davis. Ruth becomes an unintentional advocate for African Americans by creating small changes in her own life. “Small Great Things” particularly shines when Picoult writes from Turk Bauer’s point of view. Those haunting lines come back full force in The Little Things ending. Plot wise I did have some issues with the outcome. Part 3, Chapters 16-18. “Small Great Things” is, in most ways, a classic Jodi Picoult novel — tackling contemporary social issues, creating interesting, relatable characters and presenting a gripping courtroom drama. In the end, Ruth does both, but cannot prevent serious consequences. Small Great Things Jodi Picoult, 2016 Random House 480 pp. Ballantine, $28.99 (480p) ISBN ... author undermines this richly drawn and compelling story with a manipulative final plot twist as well as a Pollyannaish ending. Judge Thunder fortunately has a zero tolerance rule for interruptions, and many people sitting in the gallery are the church ladies from Mama 's funeral. $28.99. "Ruth" shows us that conversations between us and POC are almost impossible to have because we don't speak the same language. The story concentrates on an African-American labor/delivery (L&D) nurse, Ruth Jefferson, in charge of newborns at a Connecticut hospital. Turk demands that Ruth have no interaction with the baby — but when the ward is short-handed, Ruth finds herself alone with Davis just as he stops breathing. Editorial Review An Amazon Best Book of October 2016: Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things is about racism, choice, fear, and hope. Picoult’s flawed novel will most likely be well received by her intended audience. “Patterns help to avoid waste and unwanted deviations and facilitate uniformity that is appropriate and beneficial,” he said. By the end of the novel, she becomes a proxy for well-meaning white folk who don’t realize the extent of their racism until they are forced to confront it. The novel is based on the true story of a labor and delivery nurse who was prohibited from caring for a newborn because the father requested that … During Ruth’s trial, it’s clear that the courtroom is where Picoult feels most comfortable. Picoult is savvy enough to make her position as “white and class-privileged” known from the start. This excellent, timely novel is sure to be loved by Picoult's fans and is certain to create new ones.” The parents, as you might expect, need someone to blame. Summary. (Questions issued by the publisher.) When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. There is even a moment in her closing arguments during which Kennedy says: “When I started working on this case, ladies and gentlemen, I didn’t see myself as a racist. She has been in a relationship with Jake for a month now, although she says it feels like it has been much longer. ISBN-13: 9780345544957 Summary Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years’ experience. Kennedy’s evolution quickly becomes too contrived and convenient. And therein lies the true challenge of writing across difference, or of writing a political novel — if the politics overcomes the prose, then it becomes something other than a novel. But at least in Small Great Things, Picoult seems to have bitten off more than she can chew, and I say this for two reasons. 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