"If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way." - Martin Luther King Jr.
I love that quote. I mean, I love MLK Jr. and what he stood for, but man, that quote truly sticks out. If you're gonna live by any mantra, that is one that you should really consider.
This
book was hinged on the exploration of racial issues. The plot line features Ruth as the only black RN in the hospital in which she worked. She's a labor and delivery nurse and has been for the past 20 years, so she's obviously very good at her job. She loves her job and cannot imagine doing anything differently.
Enter Turk Bauer + his wife, Brit. They're at the hospital to deliver their first son. We soon find out that they are a white supremacist family and come from a big community of them. When Ruth is assigned to the family, she is not aware, as the first nurse had been white, so it wasn't an issue until now. Well, obviously they make a ruckus about not letting the black nurse touch them or their new Aryan son, which is discrimination, but the nurse in charge, Marie, is scared of repercussions if she does not grant their wishes due to patients rights. Which is the bigger issue? To Marie, clearly she's trying to calm the family; however, Ruth takes it personally and says some things in the heat of the moment that could come back to cause problems later.
One night, the hospital is understaffed and Ruth is called in to cover another nurse and then work a double. Her friend, a white nurse, is assigned to watch Davis, the new baby, during her shift, but when one of the other new mothers-to-be has an issue during delivery, both she and Marie are called away to help...leaving Ruth with Davis, who cannot be left alone due to his recent circumcision. That's when it all goes downhill...
This book was exceedingly difficult to read due to the controversial issues covered throughout the novel. I truly loved this story, but I cried at least eight times throughout. It is so unfair how people of color are treated differently just because they look different, and due to that difference some see them as 'less than'. Less what, though? Less intelligent? Not true if they can get college degrees and doctorates as easily as white people. Less cultured? Again, not the case. Look at MLK Jr. or Michelle Obama. No, they're no different than me or Billy Bob down the street. Some white people just need a scapegoat to make themselves feel better, more powerful. However, when I put myself in Kennedy's - the white lawyer - shoes, I find myself lacking. I am not explicitly racist, but by not talking about the issues, I'm part of the problem. By not allowing myself to call it a race thing, when it most definitely is, I'm perpetuating the issue. I do not know the best way to solve the issue, or even if it will be solved in the next few decades, but I DO know that I will do my best to be an ally when needed and to do my damnedest to not be part of the issue. I will never understand what it's like to be treated as less than due to the color of my skin. I will never understand what it's like to be written off because I am different than someone else - different than what they think I should be. I do understand what struggle is, what it's like to be in a situation because of circumstance. Applying that understanding, I can try to put myself in their shoes - though it'll never be a perfect situation. I can try to help.
One of my favorite lines from the book is "
How many exceptions do there have to be before you start to realize that maybe the truths you've been told aren't actually true?" This really made me open my eyes. Reminds me of
question everything, and maybe we should. Maybe we should interrogate everything we are presented and not take anything as fact. There's no need to be rude about it, but engage with new ideas and allow yourself to be open to change. Sometimes when you are so unwilling to change, you miss out on so many experiences that could alter your reality. It's striking to me how the biggest proponents of an idea or belief can be the biggest hypocrites.
This entire book has really made me rethink my own beliefs and prejudices. I have biases, I know, but prejudices was a new one for me. I was like Kennedy "
I don't see color", but maybe I was as bad as the rest of them. All I can do from here on is be better. I urge you to read
Small Great Things and let yourself be challenged.
ARC received in exchange for honest review.
This was such a sad book and really frustrating, as well.
