Jodi Picoult
Born: May 19, 1966 – Nesconset, New York, United States
Jodi Picoult is an American novelist known for fiction that probes family conflict, medical ethics, legal dilemmas, and social justice. Her notable works include My Sister’s Keeper, Nineteen Minutes, and Small Great Things. A bestselling author, she has written numerous New York Times bestsellers, with several books adapted for film and television.
Biography & Author's Journey
Jodi Picoult’s career grew from a conventional literary apprenticeship into one of the most durable commercial-success stories in contemporary American fiction. Born and raised on Long Island, she studied creative writing at Princeton, where an early workshop with Mary Morris became a defining turning point. After Morris pushed her to cut and rebuild a story, Picoult kept revising until she sold work to Seventeen while still an undergraduate. She graduated from Princeton in 1987, went on to Harvard for a master’s degree in education, married fellow Princeton alumnus Tim van Leer, and wrote her first novel, Songs of the Humpback Whale, while pregnant with her first child. The pattern that would define her work was already visible: disciplined craft, heavy revision, and a willingness to bring private family pressures into dialogue with larger public questions. ((https://alumni.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/2021-01/EveryVoiceSpeakerBios.pdf))
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By Any Other Name
Jodi Picoult
Shakespeare's hidden truth: one woman's genius across four centuries.
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Deadly secrets unravel when a mother defends her accused son.
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When Asperger's meets murder, rules blur between innocence and guilt.
Leaving Time
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A daughter's quest unravels mysteries of elephants, memory, and motherhood.
Nineteen Minutes
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Bullying's deadly aftermath: one moment shatters a community forever
A spark of light
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One day, one clinic, many lives forever transformed by choice.
Small Great Things
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A black nurse's life unravels when a white supremacist couple's baby dies, sparking a tense legal and racial drama.
Mad Honey
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Secrets and identity collide when murder shatters a mother's unconditional love.
By Any Other Name
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Shakespeare's hidden truth: one woman's genius across four centuries.
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Deadly secrets unravel when a mother defends her accused son.
House Rules
Jodi Picoult
When Asperger's meets murder, rules blur between innocence and guilt.
Leaving Time
Jodi Picoult
A daughter's quest unravels mysteries of elephants, memory, and motherhood.
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Community Voices
"If writing fiction were an Olympic track event, Jodi Picoult would be a gold medalist"
— TIME
"It's hard to exaggerate how well Picoult writes"
— Financial Times
"Picoult has become a master—almost a clairvoyant—at targeting hot issues and writing highly readable page-turners about them"
— The Washington Post
"Jodi Picoult is not one to shy away from fictional controversy"
— Daily Mail
"Picoult writes with a fine touch, a sharp eye for detail, and a firm grasp of the delicacy and complexity of human relationships"
— The Boston Globe
"Picoult writes with an all-knowing and piercing eye"
— Library Journal
"Picoult writes with unassuming brilliance"
— Stephen King
"Picoult is a master of the craft of storytelling"
— Associated Press
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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
