Since 1992, Jodi Picoult has published 27 novels, which have been translated into 34 languages. Her books are best classified as family sagas, and often tackle controversial topics, including eugenics, race relations, school shootings, and others.
With so many intriguing titles to choose from, it can be hard to find a place to start. In this post, we’ve rounded up 10 of her very best novels from the last 30 years that you’ll definitely want to add to your reading list.
Best Jodi Picoult Books
Below are 10 of Jodi Picoult’s best books, based on Goodreads ratings.
1. My Sister’s Keeper
Kate was conceived to provide a bone marrow match for her sister, who suffers from leukemia. Now a teenager, Kate begins to question her moral obligations as she continues to endure countless surgeries and medical procedures.
Ultimately, Kate will decide to fight for the right to make decisions about her own body, suing her parents for emancipation. The book was adapted into a film starring Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin in 2009.
2. Small Great Things
Ruth Jefferson is a Black labor and delivery nurse in Connecticut with over 20 years of experience. One day, after performing a routine check-up, Ruth is informed that she’s been reassigned to another patient.
The parents of the child she was treating are white supremacists, and they don’t want Ruth to touch their child.
The next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Because Ruth hesitates before performing CPR, she’s charged with a serious crime.
As the trial moves forward, Ruth and her white public defender, Kennedy McQuarrie, work to gain each other’s trust, and they come to see that what they’ve been taught their whole lives about others—and themselves—might be wrong.
3. Nineteen Minutes
Sterling was a quiet New Hampshire town until the day it was shattered by a school shooting. Josie Cormier, the daughter of the judge sitting on the case, should be the best witness, but she can’t remember what happened— or can she?
As the trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and the adult community come to light, destroying the closest of friendships and families. It appears that no one is who they seem.
4. The Pact
When the Golds moved to Bainbridge, New Hampshire, they immediately made friends with the Hartes. It was no surprise that years later, their teenaged children’s relationship began to move beyond lifelong friendship.
But when 17-year-old Emily is found dead—shot with a gun that Chris took from his father’s cabinet—and Chris is found with an open head wound, it appears the two were part of a suicide pact. The two devastated families are left desperate for answers about what really happened and who their children really were.
5. The Storyteller
Sage Singer is a baker who’s trying to escape a reality of loneliness, bad memories, and the shadow of her mother’s death.
When Josef Weber, an elderly man in Sage’s grief support group, begins stopping by the bakery, the two strike up an unlikely friendship.
But everything changes when Josef confesses a terrible secret and asks Sage for an extraordinary favor. Now questioning the closest friendship she’s ever had, Sage also begins to question the assumptions and expectations she’s made about her life and family.
6. Plain Truth
When a dead infant is found in an Amish barn, the baby’s mother, 18-year-old Katie Fisher, becomes the prime suspect.
Ellie Hathaway, a disillusioned big-city lawyer, agrees to defend Katie, and two cultures collide. For the first time in her career, Ellie faces a system of justice very different from her own. She must find a way to reach Katie on her terms.
And as she unravels the tangled murder case, Ellie must also confront her own fears and desires when a man from her past reenters her life.
7. House Rules
Jacob Hunt is an 18-year-old with Asperger’s syndrome. He lives with his mother, Emma, and his younger brother, Theo. To manage his anxiety and outbursts, Jacob lives by a highly structured schedule, but his deep interest in forensic analysis borders on obsession.
When a murder rocks his small hometown, Jacob’s behavior looks a lot like guilt to the police. But did Jacob really commit murder, or is he protecting someone else?
8. Leaving Time
Jenna Metcalf has spent the last 10 years searching for her missing mother, Alice, a scientist who mysteriously disappeared in the wake of a tragic accident.
Jenna pours over her mother’s journal entries, which mostly detail her research of grief in elephants, yet Jenna hopes the entries will provide a clue to her mother’s whereabouts.
Desperate to find the truth, she enlists the help of Serenity Jones, a psychic who rose to fame finding missing persons, and Virgil Stanhope, the jaded private detective who’d originally investigated Alice’s case.
As the three work together, they realize that their hard questions may lead to even harder answers.
9. Handle with Care
Charlotte and Sean O’Keefe live a life of sleepless nights, mounting bills, the pitying stares of “luckier” parents, and a world of the what-ifs.
Their daughter, five-year-old Willow, was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone syndrome. She’s smart as a whip, kind, brave, and already becoming as pretty as her mother.
But everything changes when Charlotte and Sean are forced to confront the most serious what-ifs of all: What if they had known earlier of Willow’s illness? What if things could have been different? What if she had never been born?
10. Change of Heart
June Nealon was looking forward to years of laughter and adventure with her family, but in a heartbeat, everything was taken from her. Now she spends her life waiting for time to heal her wounds, and for justice to be served.
Shay Bourne also has nothing left to do but wait. Then he’s given one last chance for salvation, and it lies with June’s 11-year-old daughter, Claire.
But there’s an ocean of rage and bitterness distancing Shay and Claire. Is June willing to grant her enemy’s dying wish in order to see her own dreams come true?
What to Read If You Like Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult’s books are thought-provoking, full of intrigue, and often address contemporary issues.
This makes them excellent choices to discuss with others, so if you enjoy Picoult’s work, you may also like these exciting book club books.
Do you have a favorite Jodi Picoult book? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.
