"A boy like Edison. I know what she is saying, even if she’s careful not to spell it out. There are not many Black kids in the high school, and as far as I know, Edison is the only one on the Highest Honors list. Comments like this feel like paper cuts, but I’ve worked with Marie for over ten years now, so I try to ignore the sting." - Ruth - 3% Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult - Published October 11th, 2016 - 480 pages. Goodreads Rating: 4.39 How do you truly know a book touched you? I believe it is when a book continues to stay with you long after you have finished it. Small Great Things is one of those books for me. It has been almost a month since I have finish this story, yet I find myself thinking and talking about it. Small Great Things, deals with a tough subject. A subject people do not like to talk about. This story talks about racism. This story appears to shed light on how racism is very much apart of our society currently. Overall, I found this story to be very thought provoking. "Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years' experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she's been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene?" - Goodreads Synopsis Written as a point-of-view story from three different characters, (the Nurse, the Lawyer, and the White Supremacist), the reader is given a chance to view the story from various aspects. I personally enjoyed reading this story as a POV, even though some chapters where incredibly difficult to finish. Emotions are certainly triggered while reading this story. My favorite character in the story is Ruth...shocking right? Ruth easily became my favorite character because even when she was faced with a horrible situation that turns into a thunder storm of problems, she stands her ground and fights for what she believes in. Ruth could have easily followed Kennedy's, the lawyer, recommended path of leaving racism out of the court room. Ruth stood for what she believed was right, even if that meant she was going to end up in jail. Ruth's motivation to keep moving forward was inspiring. Even when she loses her job at the hospital, she seeks employment wherever she can find employment. In her situation, it would have been easy to give up hope or to be too prideful to accept a job considered "lower" than her previous job; however, Ruth desires to keep moving forward. I found this to be incredibly uplifting. My least favorite character was Edison, Ruth's son. As a reader I had a difficult time connecting to Edison. Due to his change in behavior, he creates a mess of problems for Ruth. While as the reader we can expect Edison to not cope well with his mother being charged with murder, Edison becomes absolutely frustrating at times. You may be wondering how I could I not chose Turk, the White Supremacist, as my least favorite character. Well, simply put, I thought his character was written well, and added a stark contrast between between chapters. Turk's chapters, were the most difficult to read and most infuriating, but his chapters added to the story, whereas Edison were more of an annoyance. Even though I rated this story 5-stars, I struggled to like the ending. I am not sure how I would have liked it to end, but I did not find the ending very believable for a variety of reasons. I guess you will have to read the story to find out for yourself! Why you should read this book: 1. Thought provoking. 2. Attempts to present a story talking about a difficult story. 3. The author did her research and even utilized a committee to ensure she captured the essence of the book properly. Happy reading!
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Hello fellow book nerds! This is my first ever blog post featured on Nerd Girl Books, and I am STOKED! Like many others, reading is one of my favorite forms of self-care. Books transform my perception of the world, and allows for a brief escape from the realities of life. I hope to share my thoughts about the books I read. Currently I am a full time student at Santa Clara University in pursuit of my Masters in Counseling Psychology. Additionally, I work for a non-profit as a substance abuse counselor. During the school year, I am most often found at the library or at Starbucks; yet somehow I manage to fit in reading into my busy and chaotic schedule! These are my thoughts on the books I read. Hope you enjoy. I am also on GoodReads if you feel inclined to glimpse my book shelf! Happy reading! Author - BobbiI'm a metalhead who happens to love spongebob and vampires. |
Author - BobbiI'm a metalhead who happens to love spongebob and vampires. Author - SamanthaAn over caffeinated feminist who loves dogs and glitter. Archives |