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nicolerose232's review against another edition
5.0
I was intrigued by this book because Jodi had done an interview and she mentioned that one of her books was banned, I had never read a book by her before and I always see such good reviews I regards to them. I am a crime junkie through and through. I love crime podcast , documentaries, I binge law and order SVU, and crime and court related media intrigued me. I needed a new storyline to read and I am so glad I read it. Some parts have me goosebumps. 5/5 this book is incredible .
k8teeyo's review against another edition
5.0
This book was so well written but very triggering for those who have experienced gun violence at school.
aejohnson85's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first time I've read one of Jodi Picoult's novels, though many friends have recommended her in the past. I'm not sure why I chose to pick this one up but in many ways, I'm glad I did, though I feel haunted by the issues presented.
Nineteen Minutes begins on March 6, 2007 in small-town Sterling, New Hampshire. The day begins as every other for most - they have no idea this is the day that will change their lives forever. This is the day that perpetually bullied student Peter Houghton chooses to end the torment he suffers at Sterling High every day - he brings a gun to school and systematically kills ten students and injures nineteen others all in the short time frame of nineteen minutes. Local police officer Patrick Ducharme is the first on scene and takes Peter into custody in the school's locker room where he is found with jock Matt Royston and his girlfriend, Josie Cormier, who is still alive. Josie claims she can't remember anything about the morning, including why her boyfriend had been shot twice unlike all the other victims.
The rest of the novel cycles between the past and the present. The past aims to frame Peter's life and show the reader how he eventually broke - while I do not agree with his endgame, as in my opinion, violence is NEVER the answer, I found myself beginning to feel for Peter. NOBODY deserves to be bullied the way he was - starting on his first day of kindergarten where his new Superman lunch box was tossed out the window of the school bus and continuing on into high school where his private declaration of love to Josie was emailed to the entire school...Picoult's strength in this novel is making the reader feel empathy for Peter despite knowing what he will eventually do. Peter lives on the edge of society - never quite fitting in with his classmates (except Josie) or his family, where he is constantly compared to his "perfect" older brother Joey. His one true friend, Josie, ditches him in grade 6 when she feels that it is more important to be popular.
There is A LOT going on in this story, with many different perspectives being told - Patrick, Josie, Peter, Alex (Josie's judge mother), Lacy and Lewis (Peter's broken parents), and Jordan (Peter's defence lawyer).
The present section of the book deals with Patrick's investigation into the shooting, Alex's struggle with being a judge on this case and being a good mother to her broken daughter. Lacy's struggle to figure out what she had done wrong as a parent - was it her fault? And how can she continue to love the son who committed this atrocity? Jordan works to put together the best defense possible for Peter who has admitted to the shootings. Josie, who claims to remember nothing about the shooting struggles with the loss of her boyfriend and best friend while still terrified. It all culminates with Peter's trial. We get a glimpse of the lives of those who were shot but still live - from those who physically healed but emotionally never will, to those who are paralyzed.
This book has stuck with me since finishing it earlier today, and I'm sure it will indefinitely as a teacher. If someone had paid attention to Peter's cry for help - his teachers who looked the other way, his parents who tried to "toughen" him up - then this tragedy would never have happened. I don't understand how anyone can get to the point that Peter got to in this book, but it was horrifying, depressing and heartbreaking to read. Picoult gives a voice to the accused parents - someone who we often don't think of in situations like this...we are generally focused on the victims and their families. Yet Picoult points out in the novel that Peter's family are victims as well - they too lost someone they loved...someone whom they trusted and didn't believe could be capable of such evil.
What really stuck with me is that things are never black or white. The "good" guy is not always who he seems and vice versa for the "bad" guy. And the overarching theme - be nice to people. Think about how your actions and reactions affect others. Stand up for who and what you believe in...don't live a life of regret...
And yes, the "twist" at the end of the novel was quite evident early on, even for a first time Picoult reader like myself, and I do have to admit that I wasn't satisfied with the ending (which is why I took a star off of the rating)...but I'm not sure how there ever could be a truly "good" ending to this book. There is no real way to tie up these kinds of issues with a nice bow...
Nineteen Minutes begins on March 6, 2007 in small-town Sterling, New Hampshire. The day begins as every other for most - they have no idea this is the day that will change their lives forever. This is the day that perpetually bullied student Peter Houghton chooses to end the torment he suffers at Sterling High every day - he brings a gun to school and systematically kills ten students and injures nineteen others all in the short time frame of nineteen minutes. Local police officer Patrick Ducharme is the first on scene and takes Peter into custody in the school's locker room where he is found with jock Matt Royston and his girlfriend, Josie Cormier, who is still alive. Josie claims she can't remember anything about the morning, including why her boyfriend had been shot twice unlike all the other victims.
The rest of the novel cycles between the past and the present. The past aims to frame Peter's life and show the reader how he eventually broke - while I do not agree with his endgame, as in my opinion, violence is NEVER the answer, I found myself beginning to feel for Peter. NOBODY deserves to be bullied the way he was - starting on his first day of kindergarten where his new Superman lunch box was tossed out the window of the school bus and continuing on into high school where his private declaration of love to Josie was emailed to the entire school...Picoult's strength in this novel is making the reader feel empathy for Peter despite knowing what he will eventually do. Peter lives on the edge of society - never quite fitting in with his classmates (except Josie) or his family, where he is constantly compared to his "perfect" older brother Joey. His one true friend, Josie, ditches him in grade 6 when she feels that it is more important to be popular.
There is A LOT going on in this story, with many different perspectives being told - Patrick, Josie, Peter, Alex (Josie's judge mother), Lacy and Lewis (Peter's broken parents), and Jordan (Peter's defence lawyer).
The present section of the book deals with Patrick's investigation into the shooting, Alex's struggle with being a judge on this case and being a good mother to her broken daughter. Lacy's struggle to figure out what she had done wrong as a parent - was it her fault? And how can she continue to love the son who committed this atrocity? Jordan works to put together the best defense possible for Peter who has admitted to the shootings. Josie, who claims to remember nothing about the shooting struggles with the loss of her boyfriend and best friend while still terrified. It all culminates with Peter's trial. We get a glimpse of the lives of those who were shot but still live - from those who physically healed but emotionally never will, to those who are paralyzed.
This book has stuck with me since finishing it earlier today, and I'm sure it will indefinitely as a teacher. If someone had paid attention to Peter's cry for help - his teachers who looked the other way, his parents who tried to "toughen" him up - then this tragedy would never have happened. I don't understand how anyone can get to the point that Peter got to in this book, but it was horrifying, depressing and heartbreaking to read. Picoult gives a voice to the accused parents - someone who we often don't think of in situations like this...we are generally focused on the victims and their families. Yet Picoult points out in the novel that Peter's family are victims as well - they too lost someone they loved...someone whom they trusted and didn't believe could be capable of such evil.
What really stuck with me is that things are never black or white. The "good" guy is not always who he seems and vice versa for the "bad" guy. And the overarching theme - be nice to people. Think about how your actions and reactions affect others. Stand up for who and what you believe in...don't live a life of regret...
And yes, the "twist" at the end of the novel was quite evident early on, even for a first time Picoult reader like myself, and I do have to admit that I wasn't satisfied with the ending (which is why I took a star off of the rating)...but I'm not sure how there ever could be a truly "good" ending to this book. There is no real way to tie up these kinds of issues with a nice bow...
danoreading's review against another edition
4.0
Book 1 of Honeymoon reading. This was as melodramatic as Jodi gets, but I still really liked the story.
thehawk72's review against another edition
4.0
They should make kids read this book in school. The kinds of torture Peter had to go through...and from the first day of school? What kind of people do that? It's sick and twisted and just plain awful! If people understood that it could be just anyone that would get hurt, we wouldn't have such a huge problem with bullying. I am just infuriated that society is still like this. That it was like this even four years ago. What kind of people are forming the world like this? Yes, I understand, it is just a fictional story, but what makes people think this might not be true? It might not happen? People say to themselves "Psh, I'm too awesome, theres no way I would get bullied" and those are the people that do bully. They care too much about themselves to even consider other people. I went through a major bullying experience, so I understand that just because you lay behind in the shadows and go through the motions, as I believe Peter's psychiatrist stated in here, that things can still happen to you. They happen to people every day, normal people. And you know why? Because every minute of every day in our lives, we are being judged. Judged about a clothing brand, or a music taste, or even a silly old lunchbox. So what? It's just a lunchbox. Why can't the world see that? It's just a band. It's just a shirt. It's just a kid. Why hate someone just because they are different from you? Why pick them out of a crowd just because you don't like their music, or their hairstyle, or their notebook? What does it matter, really? Why can't people just see that? And why, instead of saying "fuck you" to the world and doing what they want to do, they decide that their lives are no longer worth living? They decide that nobody likes them, so what is the point of staying alive? Everyone wishes they were dead anyway. I don't know how I would have handled the exact situations of being punched or shoved into lockers, but I can only ask the questions I know few ponder in their minds. Why would one kid, one normal average everyday kid, get picked on for years of his life, by people who don't even know him? Girls, too, it doesn't just go for guys. I can only state what I have experienced and witnessed and hope to god that everyone will finally open their eyes and think about someone else's feelings for a change instead of their own. Because listen here bullies, just because you think something is funny, doesn't mean it is. It probably messes the kid up so bad that he, oh I don't know, brings guns to school and starts shooting you? You could be the next victim for picking on a victim, so watch yourselves.
Aside from that long opinionated review I hope you all read, Matt was a terrible boyfriend and just a plain dick.
Aside from that long opinionated review I hope you all read, Matt was a terrible boyfriend and just a plain dick.
icarooster's review against another edition
3.5
The teenager POVs, especially Josie's were really hard to sit through because of how unrelatable and almost unrealistic they were. You could tell it was written by someone far removed from teenagers, which I don't usually mind too much, but because those scenes were really important to the book, it irked me. Peter's viewpoint was very sympathetic, which I wouldn't mind, but I think it shies away from looking into factors other than bullying that have influenced school shooters, which I think is a bit of a shame and over simplification of the issue.
I do really how it's less clear cut, and there's a lot of grey area. Jodi Picoult does a really good job at that with her multiple POVs. I'm not usually drawn to courtroom dramas but I really like her approach. Overall I just think that other books have probably done it better, especially with "We Need to Talk About Kevin" in mind.
I do really how it's less clear cut, and there's a lot of grey area. Jodi Picoult does a really good job at that with her multiple POVs. I'm not usually drawn to courtroom dramas but I really like her approach. Overall I just think that other books have probably done it better, especially with "We Need to Talk About Kevin" in mind.
kcohrs19's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, and Outing
bo_books's review against another edition
4.0
School shooter, daughter of prosecutor attended the school. Daughter was friends with the shooter as a child & was in a relationship with one of the boys killed.
brady13000's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mvasso's review against another edition
4.0
I am still trying to figure out how I feel about "Nineteen Minutes" because it left me with so much to think about that it's going to take a while to sort out. At this point, my opinion is that although there are parts that are over-the-top with the drama (making some aspects seem unrealistic), this is a very interesting book. As she does in most of her books, Picoult takes a very controversial real-life issue and shows several aspects of it through a compelling fictional story. Bullying, mental illness, peer pressure, grief, guilt, drug use, homophobia, single parenting...there's a lot going on in this thing. Instead of portraying schools shootings as a clear-cut, black-and-white issue, Picoult shows the gray areas. I sympathized with almost every character--including Peter--at some point, and I also felt angry at almost every character at some point. Picoult does a great job of humanizing Peter without letting him off the hook for what he does. Perhaps "humanizing" isn't the right word--it's like she shows how Peter was dehumanized by the abuse he took from his classmates but doesn't take all of the blame off him (as lots of kids are bullied but most of them don't kill people because of it). The book is relatively dense and short on dialogue, yet somehow it seemed to move quickly and I couldn't put it down. I also enjoyed the big twist at the end and thought it was a satisfying conclusion. This is one that will stick with me for a while.