Jodi Picoult

Readers of the bestselling novelist Jodi Picoult know that her specialty lies in telling stories that examine ethical and social issues of deep complexity and great urgency, in a tradition that stretches back to Louisa May Alcott and Charles Dickens. She joins us in this episode to talk about her riveting new novel A Spark of Light, the nail-biting story of a hostage situation in a clinic that provides reproductive health services to women — among them, abortions.  She talked with us about the novel's unusual structure, how she researched one of the most hotly contested issues that divides Americans — and what she learned about the issue along the way.