On Oct. 22, Anderson’s Bookshop brought No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult to North Central College. She did a Q&A and a book signing for her latest novel, “A Spark of Light.”
The Harvard and Princeton alumni is an American writer who has published 24 novels, with the last eight being best sellers. Currently, there are 14 million copies in 34 languages around the world.
“A Spark of Light” is a take on reproductive rights and focuses on an event that occurred at the last surviving abortion clinic in Mississippi. The names of the people involved with this event are kept anonymous. There are nine main characters in this book, with each explaining their own standpoint on the topic and event. The story centers around one man’s decision to enter the clinic and go on a killing spree. This rampage harmed employees, patients and the other hostages, including the 15-year-old daughter of the negotiator outside who was unaware of her presence.
This book describes the course of that day, starting with the hostage situation and then traveling back in time. Each chapter provides details of every hour. The story consists of seven months of research and includes interviews of 150 women who have gone through an abortion. Just one regretted it, but all of them think about it every day. She learned that one out of four women will have an abortion, 75 percent because they can’t afford the child.
“I can’t say that my way is the right way but I do ask you to read all of the different points of views and ask yourself where do you stand?” said Picoult.
