Jodi Picoult

In the aftermath of a small-town school shooting, lawyer Jordan McAfee finds himself defending a youth who desperately needs someone on his side, while detective Patrick Ducharme works with the primary witness--the daughter of the judge assigned to the case.

A Novel

Nineteen Minutes

The book is well written which I why I give it a 4 star. Otherwise I might rate a 3. The story is heavy and sad. Makes you stop and think about how to treat others. Chapters are long but break down among the characters point of view. My first read from the author. 

Jeannie Gallagher

Sasha-Gaye Solomon

Lauren Grey

This was my second time to read this novel. That is a big deal for me, because I normally don't re-read books, but I had gone through a dry spell and figured I needed a good Picoult story to reignite my passion for reading and she did not let me down. I read this book fairly quickly and now I am wanting to find another good book to read.

Nineteen Minutes is one of my all-time favorite books. It is phenomenal, because it dares to explore a topic and feelings that America would prefer to keep hidden. This book is about a high school shooting. It is sad and at times hard to read, but getting to read about such a horrible incident from all kinds of different points of view is extremely thought-provoking.

In some parts of this novel I can relate to one of the main characters, Peter, who is classified as the shooter. Not saying I have ever wanted to shoot up a school, but I have been teased. Some kids, such as myself, are able to grow the thick-skin you need to survive in a world as mean and cut-throat as high school, but others get left behind, because they fail to do this. Getting to see what happened and why from the shooter's perspective is incredible and I strongly encourage every reader to try and see this situation through his eyes.

The characters in this story are well thought out. They can be related to. At times you want to reach in and strangle them, other times you want to just yell at them, and occasionally you want to sit them down and let them cry on your shoulder. You really begin to feel for them.

I would strongly recommend reading this book, if you haven't already had the chance to do so.

Cheri Fuller

I wanted to like this book more but there were a few things that stood in the way. But first I need to say that, as a mom of a high schooler, the first chunk of this book sent my anxiety soaring. I spend more time than I probably should being afraid of my kid being mowed down because someone did what Peter did. It happens regularly and it scares the shit out of me.

As far as the things that prevented me from being totally engrossed in the story... There were many sections that seemed to drag on for no reason. Too much detail about things that weren't moving the story forward had my attention straying. The constant back and forth in time was tough at times, too. I get the point and it certainly helped build up the tension but there were some points that it was more annoying than helpful. There were also weird POV shifts that were just for a line or two. 

There was a lot of good stuff that made sticking with this very long novel worthwhile. While reading, I knew that there was something much more to the story than what we were being told but I didn't expect what actually happened. I love that. Being in the heads of the kids was well done and those were my favorite parts.

I don't see myself reading this one again but I'd still recommend it.

Jaymie Lemke

Every child in high school should read this book.

Michelle Li

Nineteen Minutes had a very captivating storyline. Right off the bat, I was hooked by the first "chapter". I loved the way this book was organized. Instead of chapters, it went by time frames. I also liked the bouncing-back-through-time kind of thing. The type of writing used really intrigued me. Everything about this book was just so great. The overall message related to friendship, parent and children relationships, and judging others. Without giving much away, I'm just warning you that there was a very shocking ending -- just like any other Jodi Picoult book. She never fails to disappoint.

Samantha Molenaar 

I loved this book! 
It was a bit hard to follow since there are so many different POV’s throughout but it was fantastically written and a great story.

mayra

it's amazing how relevant this book still is in 2020

Amy Maddess

There’s a slightly unnecessary twist in the last few pages which I saw as kind of a cop out, and feel like the authour could have worked through the ending a little more to make it raw and real and not try to have it make sense- because the reality is that tragedies like this don’t make sense. The rest though, was spot on and I feel like it’s really important to explore the topic of gun control and teen violence- now more than ever. I would recommend this second only to ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ if you want a book that explores the unanswerable questions that swirl in the aftermath (and preclusion) of a school shooting aka mass child murder.

Andrea

That's an amazing book. 
Jodi Picoult have had another master piece. 
This book is real. It has real feels. IT contains the real world. This cruel world.

The startling and poignant story of the aftermath of a tragic high school shooting, from the bestselling author of My Sister's Keeperand The Pact.

Caitlyn Phillips

I love how Jodi writes about issues that are current. I've read lots of autobiographies about school bombings, and I enjoyed hearing different perspectives. Even though it was fiction, I found myself more open I accept that there are different sides to these stories.

Ciska van Bokhorst

Had er iets meer van verwacht. Meer over de impact bij volwassenen. En had door waar het verhaal heen ging. Maar ze heeft wel een prettige schrijfstijl.

This is the first of Picoult's books that I have read and I was not disappointed. It is hard to say that I enjoyed this book, because of the subject matter if nothing else. I did find it compelling and I couldn't wait to see how it all played out. There was a little twist at the end that I found intriguing. Good book.

Kourtney

I enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down at times. What kept me from giving it 5 stars was that certain events of Columbine were used (having just finished Columbine by Dave Cullen it is fresh in my head) and for some reason that did not sit well with me. I have been racking my brain for the past couple of days trying to process why it was bugging me so much when I was reading it, but it is one of those things I cannot put my finger on. If I can, I will update my review. But great story that should be read by everyone!

Sterling is a small, ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens - until a student enters the local high school with an arsenal of guns and starts shooting, changing the lives of everyone inside and out. The daughter of the judge sitting on the case is the state's best witness - but she can't remember what happened in front of her own eyes. Or can she?

Amy Buckle

After reading the blurb of this novel, I was left with an assumption of how I would feel after I had finished. The premise of the novel is about something which is all too common in American high schools – shootings. So I assumed it would be a compelling and tragic narrative. But imagine if the person doing the shooting was your son, whose bullying had become so unbearable that “his revenge was murder.” Then what? Where would your allegiance lie?... read the full review here: https://www.amybucklesbookshelf.co.uk...

Neeti Choudhari

Why do teens hate so much? Why is there a need to be a part of the popular crowd? Why do kids get bullied? Just because they are different than you? Why is there a need to bully and humiliate someone? Why so much hate and discrimination? These were the questions I was gripped with, while reading Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult.
Peter, a 17 year old boy, has been bullied, shamed, humiliated publicly his entire school life. On the first day of Kindergarten, his new Superman lunch box was thrown out of the bus. One day, he enters the school, armed, and shoots everyone in his way.
The book deals with the repercussions a bullying incident can have on a person. The book deals with how the kids are obsessed with being included in the popular crowd. The ones who aren't a part of their clique? They are to be laughed at, to be made fun of. What do you do when complains of such incidents to the school officials only makes it worse? What do you do when you're the one constantly being detained for self-defense? The book deals with abusive teenage relationships. The book deals with the dynamics of a parent/kid relationship. If your kid complains to you about being bullied, what do you do? Do you threaten him to toughen up or do you stand up with him against the bully? What do you do if suddenly your kid has stopped opening up to you? If your child is a murderer, how do you forgive him? Yes, the book deals with many issues.
Above all, what do you do if you're being bullied every single day of your life?
Though many questions raised and answered, I found the book a bit slow. There was no action, like in her usual works. Nothing was happening, no decisions were being made. Last 100 pages were splendidly gripping, that's when the courtroom action began.

Nineteen Minutes A Novel

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