Jodi Picoult is a must read
New book released
Photo Courtesy of LBJ Photo Library from Lauren Gerson- Wikimedia Commons
Jodi Picoult has made a plethora of wonderful books tackling important topics, which makes the news of a new book that much more exciting.
Jodi Picoult is a New York Times bestselling author and has published 30 books according to Lyceum Agency. Some of her books, to name a few are, The Pact, Handle with Great Care, House Rules, and Small Great Things. She is not just an author though. On her official website, you are able to see everything Picoult has been a part of. She has written the text and lyrics for musicals such as The Book Thief and Breathe, and many of her novels have been adapted to films such as My Sister’s Keeper. One of the characters from that novel, Jesse Fitzgerald, is a character in her newest book Hollow Bones, that was recently released out into the world.
Picoult is praised for her deep novels and My Sister’s Keeper is no exception as it explores the Fitzgerald family and the daughter, Kate’s battle with Leukemia, according to the Health Story Hub. Questions about bodily autonomy, ethical dilemma, and grief are brought up to the reader as we see the characters deal with Kate’s illness and the other daughter Anna’s decision to sue for medical emancipation. This decision stems from her body being medically used to help her sister fight cancer. Jesse is the oldest of the three siblings.
In an interview done by Shereads Magazine, Jodi Picoult says her new novel is about the main character, Molly Fitzgerald, a director of emergency preparedness for Rhode Island, who lost her mother to the tragedy of 9/11. She is married to Jesse and is expecting a daughter with him. In the interview, Jodi says that for Molly “disasters have a way of happening, and when one happens close to home, Molly learns that you can prepare for anything—except what you never see coming.” This novel also tackles postpartum health, which was especially challenging for the author to write about.
Picoult does not shy away from difficult topics, as, according to ABC News, twenty of her books have been banned; in Florida, the titles were pulled off the shelf. Her novel Nineteen Minutes “for the 2023–2024 school year, ... was the number one most frequently banned book having been banned 98 times,” as reported by Medium. Written in 2007, it explores the traumatic events of a school shooting and the effect of bullying and violence. The reason it is banned is because of some of the sexual scenes depicted, but writer Lorie Kleiner Eckert believes the scenes “are pivotal. They do a lot to explain the motivation of the characters, and the plot would be weakened without them.”
For Picoult, the importance of Nineteen Minutes is that it explores the idea that not every situation is black and white, as she explained in her interview with New England. It helps develop critical thinking skills for the reader and it pushes readers to look at other perspectives on a given situation. The novel also teaches the importance of having difficult conversations surrounding topics like sex and mental health.
These conversations are continued in Hollow Bones as a review on Booklist stated that “Picoult never shies away from difficult subject matter, and here she shines a light on postpartum psychosis and the devastating fallout both the condition and its under-diagnosis can cause. … [it is a] powerful and deeply affecting exploration of grief, loss, guilt, and enduring love.” This novel jumps back and forth between past and present as the lies we tell ourselves to survive are revealed.
This novel can be ordered online or bought at local bookstores such as Sundance Books. It is a must read for anybody interested in reading a novel that moves you to the core and changes how you see the world around you.