Small Great Things Audiobook By Jodi Picoult cover art

Small Great Things

A Novel

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Small Great Things

By: Jodi Picoult
Narrated by: Audra McDonald, Cassandra Campbell, Ari Fliakos
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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

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. Social justice Thought-Provoking Fiction Literary Fiction Scary Genre Fiction Sagas Heartfelt Inspiring Women's Fiction

Critic reviews

“Small Great Things is the most important novel Jodi Picoult has ever written. . . . It will challenge her readers . . . [and] expand our cultural conversation about race and prejudice.”—The Washington Post

“A novel that puts its finger on the very pulse of the nation that we live in today . . . a fantastic read from beginning to end, as can always be expected from Picoult, this novel maintains a steady, page-turning pace that makes it hard for readers to put down. It also allows for conversations to be had and for people to sit back and look at their lives, actions (past and present) and wonder how they will move forward. This is a fantastic book not only because it addresses something that happens in America and around the world every day, but it also shows us that change is possible too.”—San Francisco Book Review

“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

“Small Great Things embraces . . . empathy, hope and humility.”—Newsday

“[An] author at the top of her heart-rending game.”—The National

“A gripping read about an issue of urgency.”—The Vancouver Sun

“A book that needs to be read.”—The Detroit News

“Exciting and fast-paced.”—New York Journal of Books

“[Picoult] offers a thought-provoking examination of racism in America today, both overt and subtle. Her many readers will find much to discuss in the pages of this topical, moving book.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Powerful . . . revelations abound.”—The Free Lance-Star

“Picoult has outdone herself.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“A courageous and important work.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune

“I couldn’t put it down. Her best yet!”—New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman

“A compelling, can’t-put-it-down drama with a trademark [Jodi] Picoult twist.”—Good Housekeeping

“It’s Jodi Picoult, the prime provider of literary soul food. This riveting drama is sure to be supremely satisfying and a bravely thought-provoking tale on the dangers of prejudice.”—Redbook

“Jodi Picoult is never afraid to take on hot topics, and in Small Great Things, she tackles race and discrimination in a way that will grab hold of you and refuse to let you go. . . . This page-turner is perfect for book clubs.”—Popsugar

Featured Article: The Absolute Best of Jodi Picoult in Audio


You’ve probably heard of Jodi Picoult and her stellar reputation in the world of contemporary fiction. Picoult’s novels explore topical issues through compelling stories that are often known for inspiring listeners to shed a tear. But Picoult is such a prolific writer that it can be difficult to know which audiobook to listen to first. Here are our suggestions for the best Jodi Picoult audiobooks—the ones that should go on your listening list straight away.

Featured Article The Absolute Best of Jodi Picoult in Audio
Compelling Narrative Structure • Thought-provoking Exploration • Unexpected Plot Twists • Emotional Impact

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Picoult almost always makes me think. And Small Great Things is no exception. It's "ripped from the headlines" and fairly well done.

The setup and development of the plot were well done but the big "plot twist" was manipulative. I'm not going to provide any spoilers, but as soon as I saw it coming, I was annoyed with the author.

The main characters (Ruth; her son; her sister; Turk and Brittany, her accusers; and Kennedy, her public defender) were well drawn if painfully close to stereotypes - or maybe archetypes. This bothered me. She also had some very preachy moments in that she put lots and lots of words in the characters' minds so that lessons could be conveyed. These factors detracted from what was otherwise a pretty good book.

On the other hand, Picoult really made me think about some painful truths about race relations in America. One of the best things seemed to be her successful attempt to let her readers at least come close to understanding how "the other" feels.

For this I am grateful. I recommend the book.

Hard to read for several reasons

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Jodi Picoult has me in awe. The story and the way it's told will forever change the way I view people and hopefully my interactions with those who are different from me. I'm grateful for this book and plan to hand it to many people this Christmas.

There aren't enough stars for this perspective altering story.

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I had to mentally prepare myself to listen to this novel. I knew the subject material would be difficult and emotionally trying. I also knew that the author, Jodi Picoult, researches her books extremely well and knows what she is talking about, so I knew I wouldn't be getting feel-good fluff. The subject material is very relevant and it demanded my attention. The book was sitting there waiting to be listened to. l only recently became interested in listening to books by Picoult and have been pleasantly surprised, so I dived in.

An extremely brief synopsis just in case you aren't familiar with the story line. A successful, experienced African American nurse is unjustly accused of purposely causing a baby's death by his white supremacist parents. In the process, she is dragged to jail in the middle of the night, loses her license and job, and suffers untold indignities as she fights to clear her name and avoid a long prison term. You don't need to know any more details, trust me.

I was totally engrossed in the audiobook and sat, for the good part of two days, in a semi-catatonic state on the couch listening to the story unfold. I was unable to pull myself away, as I had to know how it played out. When I wasn't listening, I was examining my own beliefs and behaviors regarding racism. I still am. This book brings on a certain level of discomfort and demands self-examination. Which can be good, right?

For me, this wasn't just a great listen. It was an emotionally draining and valuable "experience." The narrators were perfection. Picoult outdid herself in capturing the characters and their motivations. You get what you pay for and very much more with this author.

If I were to have a tiny quibble or complaint, it would be that the end tied up a little to prettily. The twist (Picoult always has twists--you wait patiently for them) was not believable and should have been edited out. Really. But I don't feel this diminished the story in any significant way. In other words, its effects were small and not great.

Strongly recommended for everybody.

Absorbing, Engrossing and Eye Opening Must-Read

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This was a very interesting and powerful book. It hits on some very timely topics of racism and gave a lot of food for thought. I listened to this one for book club and we ended having a 2-hour meeting, which was a first for us, our meeting do not usually go the full hour.

I found all the characters to be interesting but I felt Ruth was the most fleshed out. Maybe if Turk had been more fleshed out I could have understood the ending better. Now, let us get over the elephant in the room, the ending, let’s just say that took it down a star for me I thought it was too pretty and wrapped in bow. I know that in the author’s notes she explains why she did it but it still kind of felt like a letdown to me.

Overall, I think this was a timely book that I would recommend for book clubs because the discussion after reading was great!

The narration by Audra McDonald, Cassandra Campbell & Ari Fliakos was fabulous I thought all three really captured the character and brought them to life. I will admit that the Turk chapters were harder to listen to just because of the language he used but he is a white supremacists so… I also thought that Cassandra did a good job with the character of Kennedy and in doing Ruth’s voice when she spoke in her chapters. Audra was amazing as Ruth she really brought her to life there is a scene at the end where just from her voice I could picture perfectly Ruth standing in the door with her hand on the handle.

3 Stars

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This is a powerful novel that examines race relations and perceptions from all sides, even those I didn't expect.

Powerful

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