“If I cannot do great things,
I can do small things in a great way”
Martin Luther King Jr.
Jodi Picoult's "Small Great Things" attempts to illuminate the American race issue through a fictionalized tale of dilemeas based on a true story of a black nurse barred from caring for a white baby: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/detroit-nurse-claims-hospital-barred-african-american-staff-from-caring-for-white-child/
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| Tonya Battle |
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/detroit-nurse-claims-hospital-barred-african-american-staff-from-caring-for-white-child/
The Picoult style of oscillating between viewpoints works well as the plot jumps predictably and predictably-unpredictably, provoking the reader to feel deeply and ultimately deflated as developments become complicated and unsolvable. But as her title implies, from MLK's insight, we can all rise out of ignorance('ignore' is in ignorance), open our eyes and hearts and act. Picoult's paragraph in her Author's Note is worth repeating, re-reading and absorbing:
"So what have I learned that is helpful? Well, if you are white, like I am, you can't get rid of the privilige you have, but you can use it for good. Don't say I don't even notice race! Like it's a positive thing. Instead, recognize that differences between people make it harder for some to cross a finish line, and create fair paths to success for everyone that accommodate those differences. Educate yourself. If you think someone's voice is being ignored, tell others to listen. If your friend makes a racist joke, call him out on it, instead of just going along with it. If the two former skinheads I met can have such a complete change of heart, I feel confident that ordinary people can, too."
Thoughtful reading,
LK
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