Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

37 reviews

tristinrose's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Child death, Violence, Homophobia, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Cursing, Antisemitism, Bullying, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Suicide, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

kpg1124's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Wow. Not only is this book attention grabbing and creates characters so real you can’t help but get sucked into their world it also paints a starkly accurate picture of race in America. Particularly with a message that I believe is most important, it is the responsibility of white allies to talk to other white people about race and the system that benefits us. The author also gives the reader such a real picture that you find reason for empathy in every story, yes even the skinhead. A must read book for every white American.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Classism, Transphobia, Racism, Antisemitism, Xenophobia, and Suicide attempt

A lesson in how to write real life characters, race in America, and cultivate empathy everywhere. No one is ever too far lost if we take the time to get to know them.

susannah_knox's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book is written in alternating perspectives between Ruth, a Black labor and delivery nurse, Turk, a violent white supremacist, and Kennedy, a white public defender.  The plot pulled me along, but I found the writing wooden - the author's attempt to inhabit a Black woman experiencing discrimination did not feel authentic, and her attempt to inhabit a white supremacist was even more painfully fake.  The book is also filled with gratuitously maudlin back stories, a punch list of unnecessary side plots so the author can check off every point she wanted to make about race in America, and some really painful inaccuracies. The central plot point (no spoilers here as it's revealed in the blurb) was absurd: a nurse would never hesitate to aid an infant in distress just because she had been ordered not to touch the baby by white supremacist parents.  As a former public defender, I found another important plot point (also in the blurb) - that a defense attorney would insist on not bringing up race in a trial on those facts - equally absurd.  And there were smaller things... For example, the idea that a person in Kennedy's life circumstances, in this day and age, would say something idiotic like "I don't see color" is also ridiculous.  And then at the end she has the audacity to lecture her Black client about the difference between equality and equity to win back her trust and then they become besties?  I couldn't believe what I was reading.  Last and also least, it does not take 90 minutes by bus to get from anywhere in Harlem to the UWS.  Seriously, if it takes you that long, get off the bus and walk to the nearest subway station on the west side.  What on earth.  I give the author some points for a satisfying ending, which I don't see often enough in "serious" books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Antisemitism, Child death, Hate crime, Medical content, Racism, Rape, and Suicide

gabbyreynolds's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Physical abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Grief, and Child death

gtrue21's review against another edition

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent, Suicide, Death, Antisemitism, Child death, Self harm, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Grief

sheshallbenamed's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Antisemitism, and Suicide attempt

gem114's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I understand what Jodi Picoult was trying to do here, and after reading her author's note, I accept and appreciate her efforts, but I still have a really hard time being fully okay with it. Picoult knows her audience, and I'm hoping some of her repeat readers benefited from reading this book. Hopefully Picoult is the medium they needed to face the issue of racism and do some introspection. Meanwhile, I'm just hanging out over here trying to stomach the number of times she uses the n word and that

the skinhead gets a redemption arc.

Yes, the story was engaging. Yes, Picoult is a pretty good writer. But yes, it gets super preachy. Overall, I'm feeling kind of meh about it for myself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Antisemitism, Racism, Medical trauma, Child death, Violence, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Medical content, Homophobia, Classism, Pregnancy, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Hate crime

Moderate: Death of parent, Mental illness, and Alcohol

Minor: Suicide

anne152's review against another edition

challenging dark informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Death, Child death, Antisemitism, Slavery, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Minor: Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts

julia_gh's review against another edition

The author is white and typed out full slurs towards queer people, Black people, and Jewish people and though the point was to try and rationalize the views of a white supremacist it still felt very wrong. Heavy trigger warning to mainly anti-Black racism but the hate crimes towards queer people and Jewish people were also horribly terrifying.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

jrdnmanon's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Racism, Violence, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Antisemitism, Medical content, and Homophobia

Minor: Self harm and Suicide