
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Small Great Things in Books
Apr 9, 2019
This book was amazing. I have been a fan of Jodi Picoult for a long time. Her books have a way of grabbing at your heart strings and make you look at the world from a different perspective. This book was no exception. I literally read this book from cover to cover. Rarely do I read the Author's Notes, but this time I did. I had to know where the inspiration for this book came from and what would make a white woman write a book about such an explosive topic in our society today. As a woman of color I felt a lot of emotions while reading this book.
Ruth Jefferson is a highly educated nurse at Mercy-West Haven Hospital. Despite being the only black woman in her department and one of the few in her neighborhood, she gets along well with her colleagues and neighbors and considers some of them friends, or so she thinks. As Ruth tells her story, I can relate to some of the struggles she faces. I was always taught not to judge people by the color of their skin. With part of my family descending from slaves and another part who owned slaves, my family is quite a mix of cultures. But when Ruth is put on trial or murder, these colleagues and neighbors were no longer her friends, they were now people who saw her as the black woman who killed a white baby.
This is an important book for everyone to read. Told from three points of view; Ruth's the nurse on trial for killing a baby; Turk, the white supremacist father of that baby; and Kennedy, the white, female public defender who is Ruth's attorney. Each character learns about themselves and the people around them over the course of this book.
I commend Jodi Picoult for tackling this difficult subject, especially during this time in our country when the subject is so relevant. As she mentions in her Author's Notes, most white authors write historical fiction about the black community, but this book fits right with today's headlines and some are even mentioned. This book helps to confirm why Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors.

Merissa (12417 KP) rated The Cardinal's Whores in Books
Oct 16, 2018
Joan Larke is a young woman, living with her brother, and hopeful for a marriage to a noble. However, when her path brings her to the attention of Thomas Wolsley, her life takes a different route. We stay with Wolsley throughout most of this book, but also see things from other's perspectives. This story touches on actual figures and events from that period of history, and then puts the author's take on things to make them fit here.
This was a very well written story, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading. The pacing was smooth, and the transition from one person's POV to the next was seamless. For those that like historical stories, something with a bit of steam, then I have no hesitation in recommending this one. Thoroughly enjoyable.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
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