August Book Selection: Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Our August Book Club Selection – Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

We will be voting on books in July however, this came in from one of our members (thank you Laura!) and I'd like to make sure I have enough time to order copies at the Grayslake Library. I've read this before and I think this is going to be a GREAT discussion.

About This 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 Black, 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.
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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In “the most important novel Jodi Picoult has ever written” (The Washington Post), the acclaimed author tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion—and doesn’t offer easy answers.

“A gripping courtroom drama . . . Given the current political climate it is quite prescient and worthwhile. . . . This is a writer who understands her characters inside and out.”—Roxane Gay, The New York Times Book Review

Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publication Date: October 11, 2016
Pages: 480

How To Get a Copy:
You can get a copy on your own (library, purchase, Libby, etc.) But I also have some books on hold at the Grayslake Library, 100 Library Lane, Grayslake, IL. They will be available about five weeks before the date of this book club.

• Bring your library card (from any library) and go to the checkout area.
• Tell them you are there to pick up a book for Lit Happens Book Club.
• They will register your card with Grayslake if your library is not part of their consortium and they will check out the book to you.
• There will only be limited copies available, so do not wait until the last minute.

Restaurant:
We will meet in their back room. They will provide us with separate checks so either have dinner or, at the least, appetizer or desert.