Reviews with content warning for Cursing - Small Great Things

Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

4 reviews

lcl_reads's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative inspiring sad

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.75

As a Black woman living in the United States who has read several novels by Jodi Picoult, I was curious to consider how this one would be handled, particularly because of what I know of Picoult's background. I must admit, I was a little shocked when the first "nigger" was dropped, but as I read I appreciated the way Picoult confronted her subject head on and without flinching.

As I was reading, I felt a bit conflicted about rating the book. I really appreciated this part of the author's note at the end: " I was writing to my own community - white people- who can very easily point to a neo-Nazi skinhead and say he's racist... but who can't recognize racism in themselves." I think my conflicted feelings are because this book is not written for me.

This book was bold in its pursuit and the amount of research and thought Picoult put into the topic was evident to me.

Some critiques I've read of the book are that Ruth's story is not as developed and I actually appreciated that. I would have loved to have more of the respectibility politics, colorism, and relationships between Ruth, her mother, and her sister explored. I also think Picoult was smart in identifying that that was not her story to tell nor was that the point of this particular book.

I think it is important to me to remember that no book can't be everything, so, yes, this book is not everything, but it is the story I think was right for Picoult to tell to the audience she has, from her position, with the support of the research she did and for what it is, it was executed as well as it could have possibly been.

Content Warnings