31+ Small Things Quotes Goodreads. Ruth jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a connecticut hospital with more than twenty years' experience. Small great things, jodi picoult the book deals with the issue of race in america and revolves around the protagonist, a delivery nurse named ruth jefferson. She effectively creates a language of her own, a juvenile lucid language which complements the wistful mood of the book beautifully. The god of small things is a very very clever book, but what makes it exceptional is that it is both beautiful and crafty, a rare combination.