Calling All Readers: Book Club -Week 1/3 - Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Welcome to Calling All Readers Book Club!
Week by week, we'll discuss sections of the book we were assigned as a group to read. Our book club is described as "episodic" since we do not read as a group, instead we read on our private time the sections we were assigned to read, and the following week we have an open discussion. We'll note theories, questions, concerns and predictions, until we reach the end.

About the book-
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?
Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy's counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family—especially her teenage son—as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other's trust, and come to see that what they've been taught their whole lives about others—and themselves—might be wrong.
With incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor, Jodi Picoult tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion—and doesn't offer easy answers. Small Great Things is a remarkable achievement from a writer at the top of her game.

Meeting ID: 833 9515 9702

Schedule:
Week 1: June 4th - TBD (To be determined)
Week 2: June 11th - TBD
Week 3: June 18th - TBD

Page count: 510 pages
Price: $12.23
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary

Where to purchase:
https://www.amazon.com/Small-Great-Things-Jodi-Picoult/dp/0345544951

About the Author:
Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-nine novels, including Mad Honey, Wish You Were Here, The Book of Two Ways, A Spark of Light, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, and My Sister's Keeper, and, with daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. Picoult lives in New Hampshire.

Things to note:
1. This book was voted on by fellow readers of Calling All Readers.
2. Before each meeting, make sure you've read the assigned pages.
3. The author is always notified that our group is reading the book. We'll try to connect with them for an interview.
4. It's okay if you arrive late.