This is a thought-provoking, raw, honest and amazing story about racism in America. It is written from the POV of three of the main characters - Ruth Jefferson, Turk Bauer and Kennedy McQuarrie. Their lives are very well developed and rounded out. We see them at home, at work, and in all walks of life.
Ruth is a veteran L&D nurse with over 20 years experience who is considered one of the best nurses in her hospital. She is also the only African American nurse in her hospital. This has never been an issue until she runs up against Turk, a white supremist who insists that no African American personnel is allowed to care for his baby, Davis. Things happen that lead to Ruth being charged with negligence of care. In walks Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender who's never had a case like this. There are a few outlying characters to take notice of: Francis Mitchum, Turk's father-in-law, and the leader of a large online white supremacist group. There is also Odette, the prosecutor, and African American. And there's Brit, who is Turk's wife, Francis' daughter and also a longtime white supremacist.
When Davis is 3 days old something happens that causes Turk to go ballistic, and in the end we have Ruth in jail, in her robe, and handcuffed.
Kennedy believes that race and racism should never be brought up in a trial. She wants to build a case on Ruth being wrongfully indicted. Ruth, on the other hand, knows that everything about her case is based on racism. They make it to the end of the trial, having bickered a bit, and enjoyed each other a bit, with racism never being mentioned. However Ruth is headstrong, and she wants the privilege to take the stand and state her own case. Kennedy is strongly against this, however it is Ruth's right, as an inmate, to tell her story.
Ruth opens up to the jury, explaining her life, and opening their eyes to what racism is really like, as told from her perspective. Lots of things happen during this time (no spoilers) that bring the case to it's stunning conclusion. You might just find your jaw on the floor like I did at the end.
Jodi has the way of saying what needs to be said in all her books. She is an amazing writer, always having well researched material, brilliant character development, with thought provoking, deeply layered stories told from various point of views. This story made me take a deep look within myself to see where I stand. Having been raised during the 60s and 70s I feel very blessed to be colorblind - not in the traditional sense - but in the fact that when I look at people I don't see color. I search what's in their heart and choose my alliances based on that regardless of color. The "N" word was commonly used in my household but somehow I instinctively knew it was a "bad" word. My first boyfriend in kindergarten was a black boy named Robert Green, my best friend in first grade was a little black girl, and my best friend now is a black woman I work with. Yet, as much as I want to say she's "just like me," the truth is she's not. I have been the beneficiary of white privilege many times throughout my life, while she has been oppressed many times throughout her life, even today where we work side-by-side together. It's not fair at all, but if we don't speak up about it things will never change. Ruth Jefferson did just that - told the truth. You'll have to read the book to know if that changed things for her or not.
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About the author
Tough read
4.5 stars! This book was difficult to read. The first half was hard. It made me very angry, it made me cringe, and it made me feel like I shouldn’t be reading it. Then the trial started and I grabbed on tight. I didn’t want to put this book down. This book is most definitely about racism. I do believe if this was written by an African American woman this story would have hit a little harder. But regardless this book was not what I was expecting and it opened my eyes quite a bit. I am white and Native American. I love all humans but my skin is white and I know my life was easier because of it. The struggles that a person of color has to face will never fully be understood by someone with skin like myself. But I am glad to see someone addressing it and doing her best to give the story what it deserves. I love that Ruth got her story out no matter what. Ruth is a hero. I love this for her. She deserves it. The end was amazing.
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Top reviews from other countries
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TheFeministPhysicianReviewed in Germany on August 6, 2017
Picoult hat sich wieder einmal selbst übertroffen
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amazonloveReviewed in Japan on March 29, 2022
白人優位なコミュニティで生き抜いてきた、黒人女性Ruthが魅力的
Format: KindleVerified Purchase - Miss S L ElliottReviewed in France on November 14, 2016
a very necessary novel
Format: KindleVerified Purchase - Amy ElizabethReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 11, 2017
but now more than ever are books like this important)
