Topics that are controversial are seldom black or white; however, there are many vocal people camping out on each end of the spectrum in regards to these topics. Jodi Picoult's book, A Spark of Light, centers around one of the most controversial topics in the United States today - abortion.
The amount of research that the author did to put together this complicated, beautifully written book was phenomenal. She captured perspectives from both sides, but also gave humanity to the voice of every single person in the book.
The setting in the state of Mississippi is no accident, as this state has the most strict abortion laws. The author creates a perfect balance of the challenges that people at the Center face every day and the humanity that we should all strive for in our relationships.
The interconnection of the characters in this book will no doubt surprise the reader and the reverse chronological manner, in which the story is told, is fitting to this story.
In the author's note, she challenges us to work on not demonizing those who are pro-life, pro-choice, or simply pro-birth - as the issue is many shades of gray.
As with all polarizing, controversial issues the challenge becomes being able to see both sides of the equation. There will always be people who camp out in the black and white, but for most of us we fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. The same is true of other controversial issues like gun control, inclusion of people in the LGBTQI+ community, and immigration.
While I, like the author, have never had an abortion, I have had miscarriages. No matter what, a loss of a pregnancy will hurt - both physically and emotionally - and it would be nice if we, as a society, could see that there is no easy decision when it comes to complicated issues.
This book rates as one of the best books that I've read this year, so I hope that you'll find some time to enjoy it as well.