Author: Jodi Picoult
One-sentence summary: A veteran labor and delivery nurse is put on trial for the death of a baby after she was asked by her supervisor (and the baby’s parents) not to touch the baby because she is black.
B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 9
Our favorite thing about it: Everything. It’s just so well done.
Our least favorite thing about it: It’s a tough topic and parts of the book were really uncomfortable to read.
Main Topics of Discussion: Racism, Grief, Justice System
Our favorite quote: “What if the best thing for Ruth isn’t winning this case?...What if the reason this is so important to her isn’t because of what she’s going to say…but rather the fact that she is finally being given the chance to say it?”
Notes: The thing that impressed us most about this book is just how well researched it seemed. Picoult must have done her homework because we thought each of the three main perspectives presented in the novel were so honest and spot-on. Of course, that’s the opinion of 6 white women, so we can definitely speak to Kennedy’s perspective. For the other two – they seemed very real to us. This whole book is tough. You cannot dodge the social commentary that Picoult is throwing out. So, at times, it was hard to pick up. On the other hand, we could not put it down. It goes without saying that Picoult knows how to write. But the fact that she chose this topic and did it SO well is just fantastic. We finished reading and felt much better off for having read the book. Here’s a few points of our discussion:
- One minor criticism about the ending – it was almost too neat. Almost. Having Turk do a 180 and encounter Ruth again was nice to see because it gives us hope that change really is possible. Brittany’s ending is enough of a downer that we guessed having a hopeful and full-circle ending for Turk is allowable!
- The insight into the white power movement, while hard to read, was interesting and enlightening. Choosing young people who have terrible family lives and then taking them in, indoctrinating them, and giving them a place to belong made so much sense.
- Kennedy’s perspective was possibly the most interesting to us because she could have been us. Her sometimes selfish motives, her obliviousness, but also her desire to help and to change. Walking through this trial with her and learning with her along the way was probably our favorite part of the book. This is just a novel, but man does it teach!
- Picoult doesn’t let Ruth off the hook either. She learns and grows as well. She has her assumptions challenged and she makes a brave decision about the direction of her trial that could have changed her life forever.
- As much as we didn’t want to sympathize with Brittany or Turk, we did. When their baby died. Picoult does an excellent job of shining a light into the dark world of grief. It’s shattering and also hard to read about. But so real.
- One thing we realized about Turk and the white supremacists in general was that theirs is largely a story about anger, not hate. They choose to channel their anger (about many things – this time the death of a baby) into hate instead of actually dealing with it. When Turk figures this out, he’s finally able to let go of his hate and tackle his anger in more productive ways that don’t destroy himself, his family, or others.
Memorable Meeting Moments: This was Rachel’s birthday month so she got birthday books, cards, and a balloon drop.
What We Ate: Amberly made us a huge crockpot full of chili with all the toppings we could want. And three types of Fritos. Sweet potato slices topped with avocado, bacon and other yummy things were our appetizer. She also got us Nothing Bundt Cupcakes for dessert!
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