This book was so important - I was at first VERY concerned wondering if Jodi Picoult truly has the 'right' to write this book. But reading interviews of her and reading blogs of black book reviewers it seemed the consensus was that she did a good thing in writing it. She reached a large, white audience which is I think the most important thing.
The story was good, the evil characters were evil, and it showed racism in its many forms, both extreme and discreet. It's not the best book about race I've ever read (see The Hate U Give) but it created an opportunity for my 100% white lady book club to talk about race.