Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

15 reviews

inirac's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Xenophobia, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Child death, Racial slurs, Death, Racism, Antisemitism, Grief, and Hate crime

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Blood, Self harm, and Medical trauma

crystalxqueer's review against another edition

emotional informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Racism, and Hate crime

Moderate: Violence and Racial slurs

Minor: Grief and Medical content

vanesst's review against another edition

challenging tense fast-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Death of parent, Hate crime, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Antisemitism, Child death, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Violence

Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Pregnancy, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Police brutality, and Abandonment

Minor: Blood, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Alcohol

jamiejanae_6's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexism, Antisemitism, Body horror, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Self harm, Blood, Violence, Child death, Cursing, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Alcoholism

juliaathomsonnn's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Racism, and Murder

Moderate: Medical trauma and Medical content

Minor: Suicide

susannah_knox's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book is written in alternating perspectives between Ruth, a Black labor and delivery nurse, Turk, a violent white supremacist, and Kennedy, a white public defender.  The plot pulled me along, but I found the writing wooden - the author's attempt to inhabit a Black woman experiencing discrimination did not feel authentic, and her attempt to inhabit a white supremacist was even more painfully fake.  The book is also filled with gratuitously maudlin back stories, a punch list of unnecessary side plots so the author can check off every point she wanted to make about race in America, and some really painful inaccuracies. The central plot point (no spoilers here as it's revealed in the blurb) was absurd: a nurse would never hesitate to aid an infant in distress just because she had been ordered not to touch the baby by white supremacist parents.  As a former public defender, I found another important plot point (also in the blurb) - that a defense attorney would insist on not bringing up race in a trial on those facts - equally absurd.  And there were smaller things... For example, the idea that a person in Kennedy's life circumstances, in this day and age, would say something idiotic like "I don't see color" is also ridiculous.  And then at the end she has the audacity to lecture her Black client about the difference between equality and equity to win back her trust and then they become besties?  I couldn't believe what I was reading.  Last and also least, it does not take 90 minutes by bus to get from anywhere in Harlem to the UWS.  Seriously, if it takes you that long, get off the bus and walk to the nearest subway station on the west side.  What on earth.  I give the author some points for a satisfying ending, which I don't see often enough in "serious" books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Antisemitism, Child death, Hate crime, Medical content, Racism, Rape, and Suicide

gem114's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I understand what Jodi Picoult was trying to do here, and after reading her author's note, I accept and appreciate her efforts, but I still have a really hard time being fully okay with it. Picoult knows her audience, and I'm hoping some of her repeat readers benefited from reading this book. Hopefully Picoult is the medium they needed to face the issue of racism and do some introspection. Meanwhile, I'm just hanging out over here trying to stomach the number of times she uses the n word and that

the skinhead gets a redemption arc.

Yes, the story was engaging. Yes, Picoult is a pretty good writer. But yes, it gets super preachy. Overall, I'm feeling kind of meh about it for myself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Antisemitism, Racism, Medical trauma, Child death, Violence, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Medical content, Homophobia, Classism, Pregnancy, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Hate crime

Moderate: Death of parent, Mental illness, and Alcohol

Minor: Suicide

lets_book's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Medical content, and Racial slurs

anne152's review against another edition

challenging dark informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Death, Child death, Antisemitism, Slavery, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Minor: Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts

lesliesorensen's review against another edition

fast-paced

2.75

I feel like this is... a great book for white people who haven't really confronted race, racism, and white privilege before. And people who need to hear compelling stories about how racism affects individual people -- especially individuals who are extremely palatable & upstanding -- in order to understand and care about it. If you know what I mean.

It's a good message, but the writing / delivery felt forced & heavy-handed... Like, as you read, you sort of picture it playing out like a movie...and this is not a particularly good movie -- but it thinks it's gonna get that Oscar. 

It's also questionable for a white woman to write from the perspective of any Black person.

It did keep my attention though, and I enjoyed the change of character perspective throughout. I also appreciated how well-researched it was.

Bottom line: it was fine.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Medical content, Violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Classism, Violence, and Suicide

Minor: Pregnancy