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gtrue21's review against another edition
4.25
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
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.
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
bgoodbookclub's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is not an easy read, but it is an important one. This book has multiple points of view, which kept me interested. It gives great insight into understanding systematic racism, which can be a difficult topic. It is painful to see the prejudice against Ruth and I hated every section that I had to read from Turk's POV. Systematic racism is a truth that is real in this country, even if it is hard to acknowledge.
I did worry about this story, as I do my best to stick with #OwnVoices and Picoult is a white woman, however, I think it is a very important story and one that she did a good job researching. The author's note touches on this and is important to read.
Favorite Quotes:
"It's as if the little Post-it note on the patient file of Davis Bauer has nicked a vital artery, and I can't figure out how to stop the bleeding."
"'This has been going on so much longer than either of us, Kennedy. From where you stepped in, in your life, it looks like we've got miles to go. But me?' She smiles in the direction of the girls. 'I look at that, and I guess I'm amazed at how far we've come.'"
“Neither of these is true. She looks like an illustration in a book, two-dimensional, when she ought to be leaping off the page.”
"What Kennedy said to all those strangers, it's been the narrative of my life, the outline inside of which I have lived. But I could have screamed it from the rooftops, and it wouldn't have done any good. For the jurors to hear it, really hear it, it had to be said by one of their own."
I did worry about this story, as I do my best to stick with #OwnVoices and Picoult is a white woman, however, I think it is a very important story and one that she did a good job researching. The author's note touches on this and is important to read.
Favorite Quotes:
"It's as if the little Post-it note on the patient file of Davis Bauer has nicked a vital artery, and I can't figure out how to stop the bleeding."
"'This has been going on so much longer than either of us, Kennedy. From where you stepped in, in your life, it looks like we've got miles to go. But me?' She smiles in the direction of the girls. 'I look at that, and I guess I'm amazed at how far we've come.'"
“Neither of these is true. She looks like an illustration in a book, two-dimensional, when she ought to be leaping off the page.”
"What Kennedy said to all those strangers, it's been the narrative of my life, the outline inside of which I have lived. But I could have screamed it from the rooftops, and it wouldn't have done any good. For the jurors to hear it, really hear it, it had to be said by one of their own."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Death of parent
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