# Jodi Picoult

> A former eighth-grade English teacher, she has written about thirty novels built around moral and legal dilemmas, from a sister who sues for control of her own body to a nurse on trial for a newborn's death.

- Novelist · My Sister's Keeper · Small Great Things
- Known for: Novels built around moral dilemmas, among them *My Sister's Keeper*, *Nineteen Minutes* and *Small Great Things*; Wikipedia counts about 40 million copies of her books in print in 34 languages.[1][4]
- Born: 1966
- Last updated: 2026-11-14
- Editorial review: approved 2026-11-15
- Web page: https://authorbackstories.com/authors/jodi-picoult/
- Reading list (PDF): https://authorbackstories.com/authors/jodi-picoult/reading-list.pdf

## Featured book: Newest book

*Hollow Bones* (2026). Molly Fitzgerald, who lost her mother on September 11, 2001, when she was two months old, runs emergency preparedness for Rhode Island, until an unexpected event shakes her marriage. It was published in the US and Canada on September 15, 2026.[3]

## At a glance

- Born: 1966, in Nesconset, New York, on Long Island[1]
- Education: Princeton University, A.B. in English (1987); Harvard Graduate School of Education, Ed.M. (1990)[1][10]
- Before writing: Jobs on Wall Street, in textbook publishing and at an advertising agency, then teaching; she ended as an eighth-grade English teacher[11]
- First novel: *Songs of the Humpback Whale* (1992)[1]
- Also wrote: Two young adult novels with her daughter, Samantha van Leer, and five issues of DC's *Wonder Woman*[9][1]

## Jodi Picoult's Backstory

### Early life

Jodi Picoult was born in 1966 in Nesconset, New York, on Long Island; her mother and grandmother were both teachers, and she wrote her first story at age five.[1] At Princeton she studied creative writing with the novelist Mary Morris, published two short stories in *Seventeen* while still a student, and graduated in 1987 with an A.B. in English after a 320-page senior thesis.[1] She went on to earn an Ed.M. in teaching and curriculum from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1990.[10]

### Teaching and a first novel

Before her books sold, she worked on Wall Street, in textbook publishing and at an advertising agency, then taught creative writing and eighth-grade English.[11] Writing novels had always been her "Plan A," she told Harvard's education magazine; when a school system laid her off early in the year to cut costs, she finished the book she had been writing on the side, with a newborn at home.[10] It took her three years to find an agent, she said, and she kept calling agencies after each rejection to ask who else might want the work.[11] *Songs of the Humpback Whale* was published in 1992.[1]

### Moral dilemmas

Her novels turn on questions that trouble her: "I write about the things that are keeping me up at night because I don't have the answers," she told Harvard's education magazine.[10] Wikipedia lists among her subjects abortion, the Holocaust, assisted suicide, race, eugenics, LGBT rights, the death penalty and school shootings.[1] Her classroom fed the books: *The Pact* (1998) drew on a student who kept a journal to cope with depression.[10]

*My Sister's Keeper* (2004), about a girl conceived as a genetic match for her sister who sues her parents for control of her own body, became her best-known book and a 2009 film.[17][16] *Nineteen Minutes* (2007), about a school shooting, and *Change of Heart* (2008) each debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list, and *Handle with Care* (2009) and *House Rules* (2010) also reached No. 1.[1] In 2007 she also wrote five issues of DC's *Wonder Woman*.[1]

### Later books

*Small Great Things* (2016) follows a Black labor and delivery nurse charged after a newborn whose white supremacist parents barred her from his care dies.[4] *A Spark of Light* (2018) tells a hostage standoff at a Mississippi reproductive health clinic in reverse order, and *Wish You Were Here* (2021) strands a woman on a Galápagos island during the COVID-19 lockdown.[5][1] She wrote *Mad Honey* (2022) with the novelist Jennifer Finney Boylan, and *By Any Other Name* (2024) argues that the poet Emilia Lanier wrote works credited to Shakespeare.[1] With her daughter, Samantha van Leer, she wrote two young adult novels, *Between the Lines* (2012) and *Off the Page* (2015); a musical of the first opened Off-Broadway in 2022.[9][15][18] Her newest novel, *Hollow Bones*, came out on September 15, 2026.[3]

### Book bans

In March 2023, 20 of her books were removed for review by Florida's Martin County School District after a single parent's complaint, and Picoult criticized Moms for Liberty for seeking their removal.[1] In 2024 she toured with Unite Against Book Bans, focusing on library censorship.[1] She lives in New Hampshire with her husband.[9]

## Fun facts

- She wrote her first story at age five.[1]
- To find an agent she sent out her Princeton senior thesis and kept calling agencies after each rejection; it took three years.[11]
- She finished her first novel after being laid off from a teaching job early in the school year, with a newborn at home.[10]
- Her mother said she would know her daughter had made it when she saw her books stocked at Costco.[10]
- She has said that nearly half of her fan mail comes from men.[10]
- She wrote issues 6 to 10 of DC's *Wonder Woman* in 2007, though she says she wasn't a fan of the character as a child.[1][10]
- *Sing You Home* came with a CD of original songs, one for each chapter, written with the musician Ellen Wilber.[6]
- Her daughter came up with the idea for *Between the Lines* while daydreaming in French class; the two wrote it over about two years, taking turns saying each sentence aloud.[7]
- She has said she regretted letting Nick Cassavetes direct the film of *My Sister's Keeper* because he changed the ending.[16]
- When her children were small she often jotted plot ideas on laundry tickets.[11]

## Books

In order of first publication; each series is kept together in reading order.

Titles from the bibliography on Picoult's official site; first-publication years from her Wikipedia bibliography, checked against the official book pages and, where they disagree, Kirkus Reviews' release dates.[2][1][13][14]

- 1992: *Songs of the Humpback Whale* (Novel). Her first novel.[1] [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Songs%20of%20the%20Humpback%20Whale%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 1993: *Harvesting the Heart* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Harvesting%20the%20Heart%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 1995: *Picture Perfect* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Picture%20Perfect%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 1996: *Mercy* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Mercy%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 1998: *The Pact* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=The%20Pact%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 1999: *Keeping Faith* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Keeping%20Faith%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 2000: *Plain Truth* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Plain%20Truth%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 2001: *Salem Falls* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Salem%20Falls%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 2002: *Perfect Match* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Perfect%20Match%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 2003: *Second Glance* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Second%20Glance%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 2004: *My Sister's Keeper* (Novel). A girl conceived as a genetic match for her sister sues her parents for control of her own body.[17] ISBN 9780743454537. [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/131187/9780743454537) · [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/isbn/9780743454537)
- 2005: *Vanishing Acts* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Vanishing%20Acts%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 2006: *The Tenth Circle* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=The%20Tenth%20Circle%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 2007: *Nineteen Minutes* (Novel). Debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list.[1] ISBN 9780743496735. [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/131187/9780743496735) · [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/isbn/9780743496735)
- 2007: *Wonder Woman: Love and Murder* (Graphic novel). Collects her five issues of DC's Wonder Woman.[1] [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Wonder%20Woman%3A%20Love%20and%20Murder%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 2008: *Change of Heart* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Change%20of%20Heart%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 2009: *Handle with Care* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Handle%20with%20Care%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 2010: *House Rules* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=House%20Rules%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 2011: *Leaving Home: Short Pieces* (Story collection). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Leaving%20Home%3A%20Short%20Pieces%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 2011: *Over the Moon* (Play, with Jake van Leer). A musical play script for middle and high school casts.[8] [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Over%20the%20Moon%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 2011: *Sing You Home* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Sing%20You%20Home%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- **Between the Lines** (series, 2 books, 2012–2015). Two young adult novels written with her daughter, Samantha van Leer.[15]
  - 2012: Book 1, *Between the Lines* (Novel, with Samantha van Leer). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Between%20the%20Lines%20Jodi%20Picoult)
  - 2015: Book 2, *Off the Page* (Novel, with Samantha van Leer). ISBN 9780553535594. [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/131187/9780553535594) · [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/isbn/9780553535594)
- 2012: *Lone Wolf* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Lone%20Wolf%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 2013: *The Storyteller* (Novel). [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=The%20Storyteller%20Jodi%20Picoult)
- 2014: *Leaving Time* (Novel). ISBN 9780345544940. [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/131187/9780345544940) · [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/isbn/9780345544940)
- 2016: *Small Great Things* (Novel). A Black labor and delivery nurse is charged after a newborn in her care dies.[4] ISBN 9780345544971. [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/131187/9780345544971) · [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/isbn/9780345544971)
- 2018: *A Spark of Light* (Novel). A hostage standoff at a Mississippi reproductive health clinic, told in reverse order.[5] ISBN 9780345545008. [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/131187/9780345545008) · [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/isbn/9780345545008)
- 2020: *The Book of Two Ways* (Novel). ISBN 9781984818379. [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/131187/9781984818379) · [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/isbn/9781984818379)
- 2021: *Wish You Were Here* (Novel). ISBN 9781984818430. [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/131187/9781984818430) · [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/isbn/9781984818430)
- 2022: *Mad Honey* (Novel, with Jennifer Finney Boylan). ISBN 9781984818386. [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/131187/9781984818386) · [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/isbn/9781984818386)
- 2024: *By Any Other Name* (Novel). ISBN 9780593497210. [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/131187/9780593497210) · [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/isbn/9780593497210)
- 2026: *Hollow Bones* (Novel). ISBN 9780593726259. [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/131187/9780593726259) · [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/isbn/9780593726259)

## Latest news

- Oct. 2, 2026: She gave the keynote conversation at the New Hampshire Book Festival, talking about *Hollow Bones*; New Hampshire Public Radio broadcast the recording on October 8.[12]
- Sept. 15, 2026: *Hollow Bones*, a novel about a daughter of a September 11 victim and the marriage she has built, was published in the US and Canada; the UK edition followed on November 5.[3]

## Adaptations and other media

### Film

- *The Pact* (2002). Based on *The Pact*. A Lifetime original movie.[1]
- *Plain Truth* (2004). Based on *Plain Truth*. A Lifetime original movie.[1]
- *The Tenth Circle* (2008). Based on *The Tenth Circle*. A Lifetime original movie.[1]
- *My Sister's Keeper* (2009). Based on *My Sister's Keeper*. Directed by Nick Cassavetes for New Line Cinema, with Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin and Alec Baldwin; it changes the novel's ending.[16]
- *Salem Falls* (2011). Based on *Salem Falls*. A Lifetime original movie.[1]

### Stage

- *Between the Lines* (2022). Based on *Between the Lines*. A musical with a book by Timothy Allen McDonald and songs by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson, directed by Jeff Calhoun; it ran Off-Broadway at Second Stage's Tony Kiser Theater until September 11, 2022.[18]

## Timeline

- 1966: Born in Nesconset, New York.[1]
- 1987: Graduates from Princeton with an A.B. in English, after a 320-page creative writing thesis.[1]
- 1990: Earns an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.[10]
- 1992: Publishes her first novel, *Songs of the Humpback Whale*.[1]
- 2004: *My Sister's Keeper* is published.[1]
- 2007: *Nineteen Minutes* debuts at No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list; she writes five issues of *Wonder Woman* for DC Comics.[1]
- June 26, 2009: The film of *My Sister's Keeper* opens in US theaters.[16]
- July 2022: A musical of *Between the Lines* opens Off-Broadway at Second Stage's Tony Kiser Theater.[18]
- March 2023: Twenty of her books are removed for review by Florida's Martin County School District after a parent's complaint.[1]
- Sept. 15, 2026: *Hollow Bones* is published.[3]

## What's next

*Hollow Bones* (2026) is the newest book on her official bibliography; no next novel has been announced there.[2]

## Sources

1. [Jodi Picoult](https://wikiwand.com/en/articles/Jodi_Picoult). Wikipedia (via Wikiwand). (reference)
2. [Jodi Picoult's Books](https://jodipicoult.com/jodi-picoult-books.html). Jodi Picoult (official site). (primary record)
3. [Hollow Bones](https://jodipicoult.com/hollow-bones.html). Jodi Picoult (official site). (primary record)
4. [Small Great Things](https://jodipicoult.com/small-great-things.html). Jodi Picoult (official site). (primary record)
5. [A Spark of Light](https://jodipicoult.com/a-spark-of-light.html). Jodi Picoult (official site). (primary record)
6. [Sing You Home](https://jodipicoult.com/sing-you-home.html). Jodi Picoult (official site). (primary record)
7. [Between the Lines](https://jodipicoult.com/between-the-lines.html). Jodi Picoult (official site). (primary record)
8. [Over the Moon](https://jodipicoult.com/over-the-moon.html). Jodi Picoult (official site). (primary record)
9. [Jodi Picoult](https://penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/83188). Penguin Random House. (website)
10. [One on One: Jodi Picoult](https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/ed-magazine/09/06/one-one-jodi-picoult). Harvard Ed. Magazine. (primary record)
11. [Mothers Who Write: Jodi Picoult](https://www.writerswrite.com/journal/jodi-picoult-9013). Writers Write. (primary record)
12. [Jodi Picoult on Hollow Bones at the NH Book Festival](https://www.nhpr.org/arts-culture/2026-10-08/jodi-picoult-hollow-bones-nh-nhpr-newhampshire-book-fest). New Hampshire Public Radio. (news)
13. [Plain Truth](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jodi-picoult/plain-truth/?page=2). Kirkus Reviews. (news)
14. [Change of Heart](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jodi-picoult/change-of-heart-2/). Kirkus Reviews. (news)
15. [Off the Page (novel)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Off_the_Page_(novel)). Wikipedia. (reference)
16. [My Sister's Keeper (film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Sister%27s_Keeper_(film)). Wikipedia. (reference)
17. [My Sister's Keeper](https://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/my-sisters-keeper). Bookreporter. (website)
18. [BETWEEN THE LINES Will Close Off-Broadway September 11](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BETWEEN-THE-LINES-Will-Close-Off-Broadway-September-11-20220817). BroadwayWorld. (news)