Jodi Picoult is a veteran when it comes to writing. Her brilliance and masterful storytelling have given readers compelling works which have all been profoundly impactful. She is known for writing highly engrossing books.
Who is author Jodi Picoult?
Jodi Picoult is an American writer who was born in 1966. She has written 27+ novels, including the New York Times bestsellers My Sister’s Keeper. Her work often deals with controversial topics such as religion, racism, and euthanasia.
Picoult grew up in New York state and graduated from Princeton University. After college, she worked as a technical writer for a Wall Street firm. She began writing short stories while her children were young, and her first novel was published in 1992 (Songs of the Humpback Whale).
In 2003, Picoult wrote My Sister’s Keeper, which tells the story of a teenage girl who sues her parents for the right to refuse medical treatment. The book was made into a 2009 film starring Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin.
Why are Jodi Picoult books special?
Her writing style is popular fiction and will mainly be characterized by stories of moral dilemmas or drama accompanied by a family saga. Her most shocking topics in her novels which could be heavy for some readers are
- holocaust (The Storyteller)
- bullying, school shooting (Nineteen Minutes)
- racism (Small Great Things)
- suicidal (The Pact)
She has managed to write more than twenty-seven books and continues to deliver.
Her book titles have earned her a spot as a top New York Times best-selling author. To give you a piece of her brilliance, we have compiled popular and the best Jodi Picoult books on Amazon.
What Are The Most Popular Jodi Picoult Books?
01 Wish You Were Here (2021)
This is a story of resilience and triumph that features Diana O’toole’s life. By thirty, she should already be married. By thirty-five, she should be done having kids and have already moved to New York. She is to do all this and at the same time excel professionally in the very competitive world of art. Her boss hints that she can get promoted if she closes a deal with a very high-profile client. Meanwhile, she is confident that her partner Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose when they travel to the Galapagos before she hits thirty.
When a virus strikes their city the day before their departure, Finn tells her that it is swamped at the hospital and he can’t leave. He tells her that she should still go for the non-refundable trip not to be a waste. She goes, but her vacation is simply horrendous because of the pandemic. Borders are closed, and the island is under quarantine. Being stranded, she connects with one family, but she is also highly suspicious of outsiders. There, she will examine her choices, relationships and keep wondering whether she will be a completely different person after going home.
02 My Sister’s Keeper (2004)
This book examines what it actually means to be a good person, self-discovery, and following your heart. Anna’s family gets torn apart due to conflicting needs and deep affection that goes beyond human weakness. It is a story about a girl that chooses to sue her parents to have rights to her own body.
Since birth, Anna’s life has been about helping her sister Kate who was born with leukemia. She loves her deeply. Anna has had to undergo surgeries, shots, and countless transfusions for Kate to have a fighting chance. She was conceived as Kate’s bone marrow match.
She never questioned this role before, but now she feels she is not truly herself and that her sister has always defined her. She, therefore, makes the decision that can potentially break her family and have fatal consequences for Kate. Kate needs a new kidney, and Anna begins to question her preparation in helping her.
03 The Book of Two Ways (2020)
The book highlights the choices that change the course of life. Dawn Edelstein is crossed by many thoughts when a flight attendant asks passengers to prepare for a crash. She doesn’t remember her husband but Wyatt Armstrong, who she saw a decade-plus ago. She survives the plane crash, and all the doubts she has lived with begin reoccurring. Wyatt is an archaeologist in Egypt, and Dawn was forced to leave the career after life’s intervention. It now seems like she is being granted a second chance.
After the crash, the airline is to take survivors wherever they need. Dawn’s destination should be home to her family, but she could also take a different path to reconnect with Wyatt. As the story unfolds, her possible lives unspool, and so do her doubts and secrets. She must confront her choices and the questions she never really asked.
04 Nineteen Minutes (2008)
Nineteen Minutes is thought-provoking, insightful, and will stay with you until the very last chapter. Through the book, Jodi mirrors a real-life headline story that will make you question your judgment. She brings forth the issue of a school shooting which is quite relevant. You will get to see that there can be more to a story beyond a headline.
Sterling, a New Hampshire town, is an ordinary place where nothing fascinating ever takes place. Not until an act of violence destroys its complacency. Peter Houghton kills ten residents. As his trial unfolds, the thoughts behind what has made the sweet and loving boy become a murderer are fascinating.
Josie Cormier, who is a teenager and daughter to the case’s appointed judge, is supposed to be the state’s best witness. However, she cannot really remember what transpired or can she? Fault lines begin to show between the adults in the community and the high school, destroying relationships.
05 The Storyteller (2013)
This can be simply defined as a harrowing portrayal of love and forgiveness. After her mother dies, Sage Singer is grieving and beset with self-doubt. She joins a support group. There she meets Josef Weber, a likable retired teacher and the two befriend each other.
As their friendship develops, they both share secrets. Josef confesses to Sage that he is a murderer. This has been his deepest secret. He reveals an abominable act he once committed and asks her for an unimaginable favor- to kill him. Sage is highly intrigued to discover that Josef and her family’s history overlap. She now begins to feel that somehow, he deserves that fate.
Should she honor his request or do nothing? The dilemma is whether his death would be justice in the current legal system or simply murder. Morality, legal action, and doing the right thing are at odds with each other.
06 The Pact (2006)
Through this tale of love and friendship, Jodi will bring you to a very relatable world. In it, one terrifying moment brings about every parent’s greatest fear; thinking that you know your children but do you know them at all? Two families, the Golds and the Hartes, have been inseparable neighbors for eighteen years. With that, Chris and Emily, who are in high school together, are friends, but their friendship starts blossoming into something more.
Bonds that seemed so indestructible will suddenly become threats that need unraveling when an unimaginable tragedy occurs. Nobody is ready for the truth. Emily is shot and dies, and Chris is the sole witness. There is one bullet in the gun Chris secretly took from his father’s cabinet. He tells the police that the bullet was meant for him. However, a local detective doubts the suicidal pact Chris tells. Being the only suspect, Chris is put on a murder trial, and these two families suffer extreme anguish.
07 Small Great Things (2016)
Small Great Things is a book that highlights severe issues of birth, death, and responsibility.
A newborn baby dies after a hospital procedure, and Ruth Jefferson, a labor and delivery nurse, is held responsible. The baby’s parents are white supremacists who did not want Ruth anywhere near their child. Ruth is an African American. The baby suffers cardiac arrest, and Ruth is the only one present. Should she obey the orders of not touching the baby? Her hesitation to perform CPR is charged as a crime.
Kennedy, who is her public defender, advises that she shouldn’t use race as a winning strategy in court. His advice strongly conflicts with Ruth but she strives to maintain an everyday life for her teenage son and family, even when the case turns into a media buzz. During the trial’s progress, the two will have to trust each other. They discover that all they knew might be all wrong.
08 Plain Truth (2000)
Plain Truth is a gripping, well-crafted, and psychological addiction set in Amish country in Pennsylvania. It is a story about love, loss, faith, choices, and community. A particular morning, a dead child is discovered in a barn. Nobody really knows how this came to be. The police come in and instantly identify the young mother and the possibility that somebody murdered the baby.
Someplace else, Ellie Hathaway, a lawyer, is befogged about her profession and relationship. She defends the indefensible, and when her last case ends, she finds herself drawn into this case. Working pro bono, Ellie becomes more involved by taking responsibility for the murder suspect, Katie.
Despite all the circumstantial evidence, Katie maintains that she never gave birth. Confounded by Katie and the Amish beliefs of work over leisure and others over self, Ellie seeks help from an old friend only to discover that it is not only Katie who needs help. The justice system here is very different from what she knows. A man from her past life has also shown up.
Final Thoughts on the most popular Jodi Picoult Books
We believe that we have provided you with a glimpse of what Jodi’s writing entails. Emotions, challenges, and even controversial topics. We also feel that the Jodi Picoult books ranked above deserve a space in your bookshelf. Whether you are a first-time reader of her books or a longtime fan, you need these books to complete your collection. Each one is a page-turner that will have you rethinking your values and opinions.
If you are an open thinker check also our favorite books on social issues.