Have any of you read Jodi Picoult? I confess, I hadn’t heard of her until just a couple months ago, when I noticed a slew of her books in the store and, reading the backs, thought they sounded interesting. Then I discovered that she’d written Nineteen Minutes (a fictional account of a school shooting), which I had in fact heard of but hadn’t read. So I read one of her books. And then another. And then another.
In other words, I’ve found that I like her books a lot: they’re a mixture of what I think of as summer reading [books that you can spend days reading while lounging out on the porch, or inside on the couch if it’s not actually summer] and genuine ethical conflict. And to my surprise, I’ve encountered quite a bit of math in passing. Nothing central to the plot, but when was the last time I found a novel that mentioned cuisenaire rods? Or tangrams? Or algebra jokes?
Way to go Jodi!
Tags: math in books, picoult
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July 10, 2008 at 10:28 pm |
I’ve read most of her stuff. I haven’t gotten to Nineteen Minutes yet, I’m waiting for day on the beach – or by the pool. I hadn’t even noticed the math… I guess I must have been in beach read mode.
July 11, 2008 at 7:41 am |
It might vary by book: I noticed it particularly in Vanishing Acts and Nineteen Minutes. (It’s not a lot, but it’s impressive to see it at all.)
I learned via email that the math appears because one of her sons is very good in math!
July 15, 2008 at 5:04 pm |
[…] many other people, I find the summer a great time for kicking back and catching up on some reading. My […]
July 17, 2008 at 9:03 pm |
Love Jodi Picoult. I have read every one of her books. If you like these, you might like Nevada Barr (mystery/adventure set in national parks) or Sandra Brown (always a plot twist in the end + romance).
July 24, 2008 at 11:18 am |
Great suggestions Maria! I haven’t read either of those authors, and will check them out when I head to the library tomorrow.