Breathe To Read

Breathe To Read

Thursday, February 23, 2017

2017 Challenge - Book #19 - Small Great Things

Today's review is for Small Great Things  (I have had to wait for weeks for this book to become available at the library - it was really popular)




This was under the category:  A Book Recommended By A Family Member

This is the story of Ruth.  Ruth is a 20 year veteran nurse who works at a small hospital on the labor and delivery ward.  She loves her job and her patients.  One day, she is taking care of a patient who is a white supremacist, and Ruth - is a black woman.  The patient and her husband ask the nursing supervisor to remove Ruth from their baby's care.  A note is put in the baby's chart that says "no African American care takers for this patient".  Ruth is the only black nurse on this floor, so it is clear who they mean.

During one of her shifts, the baby goes into distress after a routine circumcision while Ruth is the only nurse available in the nursery.  She is torn on what she should do because she was told not to touch the baby.  She does do CPR on the infant at the direction of her supervisor, but this results in Ruth being charged with a crime.  In court, her lawyer tells Ruth that they cannot play the race card because they want to show that Ruth was just doing her job - that this wasn't about the color of her skin.

This was a pretty good book.  I enjoy Jodi's books, and she usually pulls a huge twist in the end that I hate, but this time she didn't.  What I DIDN'T like about this book is the stereotypical black and white issues.  She almost made them too extreme.  I am sure that extreme exists - in fact I know it does - but I think Picoult took it a little too far.  I found myself saying "really, you are going there?" several times.  Especially when Ruth insisted on getting on the stand and basically explaining why this case was ALL about race.

So....I would read it.  Honestly, it got 4500 good reviews on Amazon, and I can see why.

Stars: 4


1 comment:

  1. I'm still so mad about the cop-out ending of "My Sister's Keeper" that I refuse to read any more of her books, ever. I can hold a grudge like nobody's business.

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