'Small great things' by Jodi Picoult was one of the most intersting and moving books I have ever read. It has so much meaning and and I feel like it is a book everyone should read.
It is based on the story of a black nurse named Ruth, getting blamed for the death of a newborn baby. It takes you through the happenings before the death and then the court case to find out if Ruth is Guilty. The character development is outstanding as it takes you through the realisations the characters have throughout the court case and how sometimes differences can look so bold, but they can also look completely invisible.
The book was written from three main perspectives, Ruth; the Nurse, Kennedy; Ruth's Lawyer, and Terk; the father of the dead baby, who blames Ruth in the first place. Throughout the chapters, each perspective narrates you through their life growing up, their ideas on not only the court case, but their perspective on humanity, and their day to day life. You start to realise different things that may be minuscule to others, but such a big part to different people.
The way the book was written from three perspectives from three very different people was a clever way of reflecting humanity and the differences that some people may not realise exist. The book made you engulfed in the characters thoughts and it made you understand their actions and the thoughts behind them. It made me realise that the boldest actions can have the most terrified thoughts behind them.
The three main perspective characters all had a family which I think was another clever way of connecting and getting to know the characters and seeing how they act with their family, compared to other people.
Turk, the father of the baby who died, is a white extremist and you learn about his childhood experience and what brought him up to be so stubborn about his beliefs. It was interesting reading about his perspective and I learnt that if you are told something for a long time, it is easy to believe, even if it is a lie. During the book, he is quite violent and I think it is an important part of the book learning why he is instead of just witnessing it but not knowing the full story.
It was modernly based in the 21st centuary, and I think it is such a relevant read because it outlined problems that so many people do not realise still occur. It outlines the way different people feel in our society today that you may not have understood before reading this book.
The first one hundred pages or so of the book focuses on the actual hospital and the thoughts and actions of the death of the baby. You are introduced to Kennedy the Lawyer when Ruth is first trailed and as the book goes on, you learn more and more about all three characters.
During the court case, you learn about the arguments of why and why not Ruth could be guilty of the murder. It takes you through in depth, the process of the two arguments and the rivalvry between them. However, Kennedy, the Lawyer, has a stubborn idea to not mention Racism as one of the arguments for why Ruth was blamed of the death. However, soon when Ruth objects, she brings it in to the subject without permission, Kennedy soon realises it is an important topic to face. I think this reflected on how humanity is today and I thought this was really clever- the problem of just leaving something if you're not totally sure its occurring, but it taught me that you should always face it, so people open there eyes and have the realisation. This meant that not only the fictional jury opened their eyes into something that is never normally mentioned in court, but the reader did too. This is why I think it is an imperitive book to read as you understand the problems we are facing today that we may not realise still occur.
The book was written incredibly well and was also very gripping. Every occurrence in the book was interesting and current and I think that's what occurred it to be such a page turner.
I think the fact it focused on the jury not knowing whether to claim Ruth as guilty or not guilty, meant you as the reader felt you were a part in deciding even though the answer was clear, it made you listen to the other side and the arguments against Ruth.
It was a read that I would not stop thinking about even when I wasn't reading it, and I don't think I will ever stop thinking about it and it will be a book I will remember, and recommend to everyone. It is an adult fiction but suitable for teens 14 and over.
Buy it:
https://www.waterstones.com/book/small-great-things/jodi-picoult/9781444788037
or
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Small-Great-Things-Mockingbird-Century/dp/1444788035/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499018885&sr=8-1&keywords=small+great+things