I was recommended this book by a friend, because of my interest in psychology. The first thing that I learned while reading this book what the importance of perspective. The author goes back and forth between different perspectives of the characters. She tells a story through her perspective one chapter and then the next is the same story but through the other person's perspective. When Jodi Picoult uses this technique (that I haven’t seen anywhere else) it really solidified the importance of perspective. Perspective and the opinions people have are everything and they’re extremely important in a story so I found it very effective that she incorporated multiple in her book. “But Turk Bauer is not silly and selfish; based on the way he brandished that confederate flag tattoo, I’m guessing he is not too fond of people of color.”- from the perspective of Ruth. She then goes into this situation of Turk being very unreasonable towards her and it seems as if he is just a huge asshole that is very racist for no reason. She goes into the backstory of Ruth and how she grew up, how she was constantly looked down upon because she was black. THEN it goes into Turks chapter. Starting off with, “The first nigger i ever met killed my older brother. I sat between my parents in a vermont courtroom, wearing a stiff-collared shirt choking me while men argued and pointed at diagrams of cars and tire skids.” from Turks point-of-view. This then explains a possibly “why” to how he is so extremely hurt by the murder of his brother that he now holds this extreme grudge and defence system against black people because of it. It’s obviously not an explanation but it is good to know why people do the things they do, understand them and try to find common ground later in life.
The second thing I learned was that important issues, like racism are applicable to everyone. I don’t see myself as a racist and I also don’t see myself as being discriminated upon. Racism is an important topic to be discussing but it’s also a sensitive one since it affects many people. Issues like this shouldn’t be shied away from and Jodi does a great job in doing so. She breaks it down into situations that really cut deep into really any person. She makes it applicable to others, not just of color. The versatility of how she wrote is something I will take away. “Freedom is the fragile neck of a daffodil, after the longest of winters. It’s the sound of your voice, without anyone drowning you out. It’s having the grace to say yes, and more important, the right to say no. At the heart of freedom, hope beats; a pulse of possibility.”
The last thing that I learned was that if you have a voice, use it. Similar to the last thing I learned everyone can relate, so if you have a way to express the pressing issues, take advantage of it. Jodi used the platform that she was given and that’s important. I sometimes think that my voice won’t matter and that others won’t listen or care. But Jodi showed me that was wrong when I read this book. Small Great Things really solidifies the fact of knowing the value of your words and your presence. Something everyone should understand and be able to use. “Deborah, my wife, is a stockbroker. I took her last name when we got married, hoping to start over as someone new, someone better...I work with the local chapter of the Anti-Defamation League. I go to high schools and prisons and temples and churches, talking about hate.”
The second thing I learned was that important issues, like racism are applicable to everyone. I don’t see myself as a racist and I also don’t see myself as being discriminated upon. Racism is an important topic to be discussing but it’s also a sensitive one since it affects many people. Issues like this shouldn’t be shied away from and Jodi does a great job in doing so. She breaks it down into situations that really cut deep into really any person. She makes it applicable to others, not just of color. The versatility of how she wrote is something I will take away. “Freedom is the fragile neck of a daffodil, after the longest of winters. It’s the sound of your voice, without anyone drowning you out. It’s having the grace to say yes, and more important, the right to say no. At the heart of freedom, hope beats; a pulse of possibility.”
The last thing that I learned was that if you have a voice, use it. Similar to the last thing I learned everyone can relate, so if you have a way to express the pressing issues, take advantage of it. Jodi used the platform that she was given and that’s important. I sometimes think that my voice won’t matter and that others won’t listen or care. But Jodi showed me that was wrong when I read this book. Small Great Things really solidifies the fact of knowing the value of your words and your presence. Something everyone should understand and be able to use. “Deborah, my wife, is a stockbroker. I took her last name when we got married, hoping to start over as someone new, someone better...I work with the local chapter of the Anti-Defamation League. I go to high schools and prisons and temples and churches, talking about hate.”