Ruth Jefferson, an African American labor and delivery nurse with twenty years experience, is asked not to attend to a newborn whose parents are white supremacists. Unfortunately, she is put in a position where she is in attendance when the child dies and the parents immediately want justice because they believe she must have been at fault.
Race conflicts are not only between races but among the races themselves. Jodi Picoult points out through her story that there are entitled white people, white supremacists and neo-nazis who follow Adolf Hitler and in the black community there are people who embrace the black culture and those, like Ruth, who are lighter in color and try to fit in with the professional white community.
Turk, the father of the baby who died, has learned to hate, first with his father and then his father-in-law who leads men into violently accosting anyone who is different.
Tying it all together is Kennedy McQuarrie a white public defender who learns that even though her client works hard, dresses well and has had a good education, she is still followed around a department store by employees with a view that because she is black she may be a thief. Ruth herself has had a complicated life with an unlikely friendship with a rich family because her mother was their maid for over 50 years and she often played with their child.
Ruth and Kennedy develop a friendship through the trial proceedings and each learn about each other and the struggles they have on both sides of the fence.
It's an emotional story and my thoughts after reading the book is that we should be kinder and have more empathy for each other - whether we are alike or different shouldn't matter.
Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as though who are. Benjamin Franklin.
