House Rules by Jodi Picoult

This summer I read House Rules, a novel by Jodi Picoult. I thought this was a perfect example of excellent writing and in particular, I enjoyed this brief passage from my mother's point of view:

     When Jacob slept, the slate was wiped clean, and he could have been any child. Any ordinary child.
     Instead, during his waking hours, he was extraordinary. And that truly was the definition for him -- outside the perimeter of the norm. At some point in the English language, that word had acquired positive connotation. Why hadn't Asperger's?

This novel dealt with the difficulties of a family with a seventeen year old teenage son with Asperger's Syndrome, which is actually on the autism spectrum, and  no one in the family is not affected by his condition and it actually caused the separation of the parents. And to add to all this, Jacob is also being accused for a murder and his Asperger's is preventing him from communicating effectively with the people that could help save him. But despite these circumstances, Jacob's mother refuses to give up and perseveres in her quest to not only show the rest of the world her son's innocence, but also to change how people view Jacob and kids that aren't bad but just are not the same as everyone else. Therefore, I think this novel is an example of excellent literature because it has a main character that does not have any superpowers but still shows the audience what a true hero is. This quote in particular shows how while the mother acknowledges reality and the situations that they have been placed in, she still maintains her optimism for a better future. And despite the simplicity of the language throughout the novel, it still causes the reader to stop and think about what exactly they are reading and to question societal beliefs that they may have unconsciously adopted as their own. I also find it very interesting that it explicitly mentions the evolution of the English language and how words have connotations that can change with the passage of time. Essentially, this novel accomplishes what I think all great literature should, it engages the reader and raises questions about the world we live in, all while telling a great story about characters that we learn to love and adore.