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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In ‘the most important novel Jodi Picoult has ever written’ (The Washington Post), the acclaimed author tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion''and doesn’t offer easy answers.
‘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.’—Roxane Gay, The New York Times Book Review
Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years’ experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she’s been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don’t want Ruth, who is Black, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene?
Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy’s counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family'''especially her teenage son—as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other’s trust, and come to see that what they’ve been taught their whole lives about others—and themselves—might be wrong.
Genre: General Fiction
‘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.’—Roxane Gay, The New York Times Book Review
Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years’ experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she’s been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don’t want Ruth, who is Black, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene?
Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy’s counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family'''especially her teenage son—as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other’s trust, and come to see that what they’ve been taught their whole lives about others—and themselves—might be wrong.
Genre: General Fiction
Praise for this book
"I couldn’t put it down. Her best yet!" - Alice Hoffman
"Picoult carefully shows how close the dangerous beliefs of someone like Turk can come to all of us, and also how the seemingly innocuous prejudices of a person like Kennedy can do just as much damage. . . . I admire her for telling this particular story, even if some might feel parts of it aren’t hers to tell. . . . It’s a story that should be told, no matter the pitfalls, and I hope other well-known authors follow Picoult’s brave path, forcing their captive audiences to face unpleasant facts and perhaps enact change—even if the only change is talking about things we normally keep hidden inside." - Marissa Stapley
"Picoult carefully shows how close the dangerous beliefs of someone like Turk can come to all of us, and also how the seemingly innocuous prejudices of a person like Kennedy can do just as much damage. . . . I admire her for telling this particular story, even if some might feel parts of it aren’t hers to tell. . . . It’s a story that should be told, no matter the pitfalls, and I hope other well-known authors follow Picoult’s brave path, forcing their captive audiences to face unpleasant facts and perhaps enact change—even if the only change is talking about things we normally keep hidden inside." - Marissa Stapley
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