Nineteen Minutes

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Author(s):

Jodi Picoult

Label: Washington Square Press
Publisher(s):

Washington Square Press

Studio: Washington Square Press
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
Binding: Paperback
List Price: $15.00
Our Price: $10.20
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Jodi Picoult, bestselling author of My Sister's Keeper and The Tenth Circle, pens her most riveting book yet, with a startling and poignant story about the devastating aftermath of a small-town tragedy.

Sterling is an ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens--until the day its complacency is shattered by an act of violence. Josie Cormier, the daughter of the judge sitting on the case, should be the state's best witness, but she can't remember what happened before her very own eyes--or can she? As the trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and the adult community begin to show--destroying the closest of friendships and families. Nineteen Minutes asks what it means to be different in our society, who has the right to judge someone else, and whether anyone is ever really who they seem to be.

Amazon.com

Best known for tackling controversial issues through richly told fictional accounts, Jodi Picoult's 14th novel, Nineteen Minutes, deals with the truth and consequences of a smalltown high-school shooting. Set in Sterling, New Hampshire, Picoult offers reads a glimpse of what would cause a 17-year-old to wake up one day, load his backpack with four guns, and kill nine students and one teacher in the span of nineteen minutes. As with any Picoult novel, the answers are never black and white, and it is her exceptional ability to blur the lines between right and wrong that make this author such a captivating storyteller.

On Peter Houghton's first day of kindergarten, he watched helplessly as an older boy ripped his lunch box out of his hands and threw it out the window. From that day on, his life was a series of humiliations, from having his pants pulled down in the cafeteria, to being called a freak at every turn. But can endless bullying justify murder? As Picoult attempts to answer this question, she shows us all sides of the equation, from the ruthless jock who loses his ability to speak after being shot in the head, to the mother who both blames and pities herself for producing what most would call a monster. Surrounding Peter's story is that of Josie Cormier, a former friend whose acceptance into the popular crowd hangs on a string that makes it impossible for her to reconcile her beliefs with her actions.

At times, Nineteen Minutes can seem tediously stereotypical-- jocks versus nerds, parent versus child, teacher versus student. Part of Picoult's gift is showing us the subtleties of these common dynamics, and the startling effects they often have on the moral landscape. As Peter's mother says at the end of this spellbinding novel, "Everyone would remember Peter for nineteen minutes of his life, but what about the other nine million?" --Gisele Toueg

Customer Reviews

"Nineteen Minutes"

I read "Nineteen Minutes" for a book discussion book...the first by Jodi Picoult. I found the book fascinating and gripping. The author moved me along as she wished and I believed until the end that there would be a different scenario for the end. I will read more of her books. In fact, I have some already, but I will be forewarned about her different slant of writing...but I'm ready for it. I am also from NH, and I'm happy to have her as one of my new authors.

nineteen minutes

It is true, Jodi writes a captivating story, but I just don't get the need for the vulgarity. She is a true vulgarian. John Grisham writes a captivating story and yet never uses the vulgar profanity that Picoult uses. I know that society is using the infamous "f" word with greater frequency, and I shouldn't be shocked, but it is offensive and I just wanted to be one voice that condemns the use of it.

Tough to read, tough to put down

This is a story about cruelty and evil. Since it's about a school shooting, you'd assume the bad guy is the one with the guns. Think again.

What the shooter does is unforgivable, killing 10 kids and hurting many more. But he acts more as a reaction to cruelty and evil than because he is naturally that way himself.

Everyone has, at one time or another, felt like an outsider, like they don't belong. Peter Houghton is an oddball from the beginning, and school is a place where such kids are often tormented. In a series of searing vignettes, Peter is essentially tortured by other students. It reminded me of baby birds in the wild, who will sometimes peck weaker siblings to death.

The final pages have the requisite Jodi Picoult surprise ending, which left me wanting to read high-schooler Josie's narrative. It's not there, so the reader is left to wonder what she is thinking.

At first I was hesitant to read this book, because of the grim subject matter. Once I started, it was hard to put down. I wish the author had written more about the high school kids and less about the adults, but it's still a compelling read. I won't let my 9th-grader read it, because it has sex scenes way too raw, but it would be good for 12th-graders and older.

So, SO Much better than My Sister's Keeper

17 year old Peter Houghton has always been bullied. From kindergarten to high school, he could never seem to catch a break. One day, an incident drives him over the edge and he brings a gun to school and gets his revenge. The act takes Nineteen Minutes.

Josie, Peter's former best friend who left him to join the popular group, is devastated when she finds out her boyfriend is killed and friends are injured in the shooting. She feels like she has no one to talk to about what happened. She can't talk to her boyfriend, one of Peter's tormentors, because he is killed in the shooting. Her other friends are either dead or injured. Her mom is a judge and might have to sit in for this trial. Not only can she not talk to anyone, she can't to remember what happened that day.

Sterling, New Hampshire will never be the same.

I was nervous before reading Nineteen Minutes, simply because I hated My Sister's Keeper. Thankfully, Nineteen Minutes didn't disappoint.

The story is told by multiple points of view, in third person, and goes back and forth between the flashbacks and present day. The trial portion of the novel interested me the most. Hearing the victim's parents yelling at Peter for what he did to their loved ones and hearing the cases that each lawyer brings is riveting. The flashbacks are mostly in Josie's view, but seeing as she was a former best friend to Peter, we see her witness most of the bullying as they grow up together.

This story really hit home to me, I wasn't bullied and didn't bully others, but I did a project on Violence and Bullying and know that this happens a lot more than we care to believe. I've read many true stories of incidences that happened to Peter in this book. And some where the victim dies from the abuse they got from their tormentors, either from suicide, or from being murdered by their bullies. This book literally made me angry while reading it, because I know that this kind of stuff happens every day. While I want to say that Peter's victims got what they deserved, I can't. No one deserves to be murdered. Peter did something wrong. Yet at the same time, I can't really fault him for going to that extreme. When he asked for help, no one would listen. They would say that it's just a case of boys being boys. It's truly saddening to hear teachers say that and hearing Peter's mother say that.

While the ending, just like in My Sister's Keeper, is predictable, this is truly a gem. I'm glad Jodi Picoult wrote it, so I could have the change to read it.

BORING!

Do NOT waste your money. Luckily, I bought this at a 1/2 price book store. I am going to sell it back before I even finish it. I do not understand how so many people liked this book. It isn't even interesting.

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