by Jodi Picoult
First published 2016
Ruth Jefferson has delivered babies for over twenty years at a Connecticut hospital. When she starts examining a newborn during her shift, supervisors quickly pull her away. The white supremacist parents refuse to let Ruth, an African American nurse, care for their child. The hospital honors their demand. The next day Ruth finds herself alone with the baby when he stops breathing. She freezes, torn between following orders and saving a life. Her brief hesitation before starting CPR proves fatal. The infant dies and Ruth faces serious criminal charges. Public defender Kennedy McQuarrie takes the case but insists they cannot mention race during the trial. Ruth struggles with this strategy while trying to protect her teenage son from the media storm surrounding her case. As the trial proceeds, both women must examine their assumptions about race, justice, and each other. Picoult explores how prejudice shapes the legal system and tests the limits of doing what seems right.
Genres: fiction, african-american, crime, contemporary, social-issues, legal-thriller
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, social-commentary
Setting: Connecticut, United States
Period: 21st-century
480 pages · Hardcover · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: racism