“ 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 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.”
— R OXANE G AY , The New York Times Book Review
“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
“Given that Picoult is wrestling with the subject of white privilege, writing Ruth’s story in the first person might seem like an exercise of that very prerogative. Can Ruth be the hero of her own story? Or must she be saved by Kennedy? Turns out, this is Picoult’s driving concern, too. That Small Great Things embraces this question with empathy, hope and humility is no small feat.”
— Newsday
“The gem of this novel lies in the characterization of Picoult’s three narrators: Ruth; Ruth’s white public defender, Kennedy McQuarrie, who prefers to keep race out of the courtroom; and Turk Bauer, the baby’s father. As the narrators alternate throughout the novel, their perspectives on the case are strikingly distinct.”
— Vox Magazine
“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
BALLANTINE BOOKS • NEW YORK