Small Great Things: A Novel

Loved this book. Also delivered in great condition

Picoult hat sich mit diesem Buch erstmals in ein neues, sehr umstrittenes Feld getraut: Rassismus in Amerika. Manche mögen sagen, dies sei nicht ihr Recht, da sie weiss ist. Das Buch ist (wie immer bei Picoult) ausserordentlich gut recherchiert. Sie erzählt die Geschichte von mehreren Perspektiven und schafft es, dass man sich in alle Protagonisten hineinversetzen kann, obwohl diese extrem unterschiedlich sind. Ruth, eine schwarze Krankenschwester in NYC, hat ihr ganzes Leben versucht, niemanden vor den Kopf zu stossen und alles richtig zu machen. Sie hat gute Noten, bemüht sich in der Schule, bekommt ein Stipendium und geht schliesslich zur Yale Nursing School, um Krankenschwester zu werden. Sie hat sich ihren Traum erfüllt. Ihren Sohn erzieht sie ebenfalls auf diese Weise. Eines Tages passiert jedoch etwas, was sie spüren lässt, wie sie als Schwarze in einer Weissen Welt von allen anders behandelt wird - sie ist nicht so akzeptiert, wie sie bisher geglaubt hat. Wahnsinning spannend und gut geschrieben, eines der besten Werke Picoults bis jetzt.

This book is an eye opener, to all the discrimination that we do and that we receive.. A must read.. 👌👌 I've become a fan of the author.. Her writing style is so damn good.. 👍

I read, cried, smiled and read some more. I savored reading this book and was sad to finish it last night. This is a special story, unlike anything I’ve read before… it deserves to be read thoughtfully. I found parts of it difficult to read for different reasons. It’s a powerful story, told from different perspectives. One perspective is that of a white supremacist and it briefly includes spontaneous violence that, had it been televised, I surely would have held my hands up to block the view more than once. But the compelling story is so much more than that, so I’m glad I didn’t let those parts deter me from reading through – and in fact, I think those bits are important to the whole story and belong there regardless of how difficult they might be to read. I found myself pausing throughout this novel to allow what I was reading to soak in, and to recess for a little self-reflection. Reading this book my eyes are opened wide to just how pervasive racism and biases are – they permeate so many aspects of our daily lives. My own realization that I have not been sensitive enough to recognize just how ubiquitous racism is, and how privileged I am, has left me feeling disappointed and embarrassed at my own naivety around these subjects. Despite that embarrassment, I’m thankful this book afforded the opportunity to learn more about these issues and I appreciated the careful and thoughtful manner the author approached challenging topics. I enjoy Jodi Picoult’s writing style, and especially admire how she quietly and expertly weaves examples of veiled racism into a storyline dealing with flagrant racism. I found myself often raising my eyebrows and thinking ‘I never realized or even considered that…’ when encountering so many examples of the injustices minorities can face in every day living. I was deeply moved by Ruth’s unyielding bravery in the face of great adversity, by her relationships with her family, and by Kennedy’s journey to self-awareness too. Discussing this book with my husband last night, I found myself choked up even just talking about the author’s notes at the end. I don’t feel like I can do this book any justice in trying to capture its importance with my own review. I’ll just say that I expect each person’s experience reading it may be different, but it is so worth reading. I feel enriched for having read it and I can’t wait for my husband to finish it so we can discuss it more fully. I highly recommend this book, especially for book clubs, because this is one you're going to want to discuss after reading.

Ruth lavora da vent'anni come infermeria del reparto maternità di un ospedale del Connecticut, apprezzata e stimata per la sua competenza e professionalità da superiori e colleghe. Durante uno dei suoi turni, Ruth inizia un check-up di routine su di un neonato, ma dopo pochi minuti le viene detto che i genitori sono suprematisti bianchi e che non vogliono che Ruth, che è afro-americana, tocchi il bambino. L'ospedale accetta la richiesta ( pur sapendo trattarsi di atteggiamento razzista nei suoi confronti) ed assegna Ruth ad un altro paziente. Il giorno dopo però, il neonato va in arresto cardiaco mentre leì è l'unica infermiera presente nella nursery, in quanto la collega è stata chiamata per un'emergenza e le ha chiesto di sostituirla. Che fare? Ruth deve obbedire agli ordini ricevuti o deve intervenire? Non voglio svelare oltre della trama di questo romanzo, avvincente come tutti i romanzi della Picoult, la quale, con incredibile empatia ed intelligenza, affronta temi delicatissimi come la razza, i privilegi dell'essere "bianchi", il pregiudizio, la compassione e non offre risposte facili. Un libro per riflettere e, magari,perchè no, uscirne migliori. Assolutamente consigliato, ovviamente in lingua originale, per apprezzare la scrittura dell'autrice.

I found this book trite, not particularly well written, and with surprisingly bad grammar.