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Nineteen Minutes

Jodi Picoult (Goodreads Author)

4.12 · Rating details · 283,711 ratings · 15,163 reviews

In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five....In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.

Sterling is a small, ordinary New Hamps ...more

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Hardcover, 440 pages

Published March 5th 2007 by Atria Books

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· 283,711 ratings · 15,163 reviews

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May 29, 2007 Sammy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: a-the-best

This book is a hard book to put down because the entire time you're seeking answers. Why? What actually happened? What made it progress to this? Things like that. Things that people asked after Columbine, most recently after Virginia Tech, and after all the other school shootings. Once again Jodi Picoult tackles a sensitive and controversial issue, in an amazingly strong and dignified manner that doesn't have you choosing sides.

She did it to the reader in My Sister's Keeper, where the minute you ...more

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Jan 02, 2008 Kate rated it it was ok

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I have read most of Jodi Picoult's books, and they are always entertaining and easy to read. However, this one was definitely not my favorite, and I often found it a bit formulaic and poorly executed. Maybe it's because I HAVE read so many of her books that I was looking for her signature "twist" at the ending (which an astute reader will guess at halfway through the book, if not earlier), and her characters seem to act in certain ways that are not fitting.

***Spoilers Follow***

****************** I have read most of Jodi Picoult's books, and they are always entertaining and easy to read. However, this one was definitely not my favorite, and I often found it a bit formulaic and poorly executed. Maybe it's because I HAVE read so many of her books that I was looking for her signature "twist" at the ending (which an astute reader will guess at halfway through the book, if not earlier), and her characters seem to act in certain ways that are not fitting.

***Spoilers Follow***

************************************************************

SPOILERS BELOW

The book is centered around a high-school shooting, the culprit a teenage boy named Peter Houghton, who to my mind is not a very convincing villain. The reader is supposed to empathize with Peter from the time he's a baby - this supposed "monster" is shown as a tender, loving boy who gets picked on mercilessly at school. The point, really, is to show that even the most sensitive, nice child can be turned into a killer when he is bullied relentlessly. But I still never really saw Peter, as he is portrayed in the flashbacks, as the same kid who was purported to have killed ten of his classmates in a murderous rampage.

Another loose end that never seems to get tied up is Peter's questioning of his sexuality. In one chapter, Peter is going to a gay bar and a GLAAD meeting, thinking he likes men. He is sitting next to Josie, another main character, and thinking that although she's pretty, he feels nothing for her. Fast forward fifty pages, and he's sending Josie a lovesick email about how much he wants to be a "couple" with her. The point of this, ostensibly, is to show that because the bullies tormented Peter with cries of "homo", that caused him to even question his own sexuality. But the email to Josie just seemed to be a convenient, and very out-of-character, move to tie plot points together.

The most baffling of all, and the hardest to accept, is the infamous Picoult plot twist which is set up through the whole book, via a "second gun" with only a partial fingerprint, that seems to have been fired but nobody can find the bullet, and it's lying on the floor in the room with Josie, her dead boyfriend, and the shooter. Glimpses of a quasi-abusive relationship between Josie and her jock boyfriend surface, and then the bombshell - JOSIE shot the boyfriend! And THEN Peter shot him too! Despite the fact that Josie loved him. Or hated him. Despite the fact that Josie has shown no inclination toward homicide, and happens to be standing face-to-face with the boy who has just slaughtered all of her friends. Does this seem believable to anyone? Again, it's ostensibly because Josie doesn't see another way out of this relationship - the jock boyfriend has threatened to kill himself if she ever leaves him. But shooting him in the gut? That's a bit overwrought and hard to swallow.

I write this review as a loyal fan of Jodi Picoult's work, and an ardent fan of books like "The Pact" and "My Sister's Keeper". I just wish Picoult would step out of the box a little bit and shake things up - just like moviegoers are starting to tire of M. Night Shyamalan's plot twists and wacked-out endings, so I'm beginning to be unsurprised and underwhelmed by Picoult's work. ...more

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Jan 27, 2008 Lara rated it really liked it

Believe it or not, I have never actually read one of Jodi Piccoult's books before. I'm not really sure why, but I haven't.

This particular book has really stayed with me as I finished it, and I think Piccoult makes a few very important points/observations.

1. Sometimes the perpetrator of a heinous crime is the biggest victim of them all. Reading the things that Peter went through sometimes brought me to tears. I have never understood how people can treat others so badly, and the behavior of the b ...more

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Jul 29, 2019 KAS rated it it was amazing

YOWSA!! What a thought provoking, absorbing listen!!

While I’m 12 years late, it was great to finally get around to this incredible read, no matter how difficult the subject matter, and unfortunately, still so relevant today.

I chose the audiobook format and found it very hard to hit the “pause” button.

It was impossible for me to not to fall in love with some characters and feel utter hate for the actions of others.

I am purposely being vague about the storyline, as I cannot encourage you enough ...more

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Jul 03, 2009 Madeline rated it did not like it

Shelves: ugh, no-judgements

When I read this book a few years ago, I had already gotten through four other Jodi Picoult - My Sister's Keeper, The Tenth Circle, Vanishing Acts, and The Plain Truth, in case anyone cares. I feel that we had a good relationship. Sure, after the first exciting fling things got predictable pretty fast ("gee, I wonder if this one will have dramatic courtroom scenes?"), but Jodi was still able to keep me hooked. Then I read Nineteen Minutes, and decided it was time to call it off.
One big problem When I read this book a few years ago, I had already gotten through four other Jodi Picoult - My Sister's Keeper, The Tenth Circle, Vanishing Acts, and The Plain Truth, in case anyone cares. I feel that we had a good relationship. Sure, after the first exciting fling things got predictable pretty fast ("gee, I wonder if this one will have dramatic courtroom scenes?"), but Jodi was still able to keep me hooked. Then I read Nineteen Minutes, and decided it was time to call it off.
One big problem with the book is that I was expected to think - or at least consider - that a kid being bullied for years is an excuse to shoot up a high school, killing not only the cliche popular jerks but also several innocent bystanders. No. I'm sorry, no.
It didn't help that the bullied kid in question was utterly unlikable, as was his tragic friend with the abusive jock asshole boyfriend - every high school-related convention and cliche is used and run into the goddamned ground here, and it is unpleasant.
But here's the real reason the book gets one star, and I don't consider this a spoiler because I think people deserve to be warned about this: the morbid fascination of school shootings stems from, I believe, the mystery of why any kid would go to such an extreme. Since most of the people who commit this crime end up killing themselves, we never really know how or if they justified their actions.

With this in mind, pretend you're a writer working on a book about a school shooting, where the killer narrates some of the story. Wouldn't it be a good idea to have a chapter where the reader gets to be inside the killer's head during the actual shooting, so they could understand his thought process and logic?

If you answered "well, duh," then congratulations, you are not Jodi Picoult. Throughout the entire book, we never, ever get to see the shooting through the bullied kid's eyes. Why did he shoot the people who never harmed him, including a teacher who was kind to him and some random girl just walking in his line of fire? Did he feel any remorse during the shooting? What was he thinking? Why did he stop in the middle of his spree to sit down in the cafeteria and eat a bowl of cereal? We never find out, and this infuriated me so much Picoult might as well have ended the book with, "I'm Jodi Picoult and I get paid thousands of dollars to print out crap they sell in airport bookstores! I do what I want, so fuck you!"

Yeah, you know what? Fuck you, Jodi. People are only buying your damn book so they can get into the killer's head in the exact way I've described, and you're just screwing with them. Not cool. ...more

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Jul 03, 2018 Whitney Atkinson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2018, audiobook

3.5 Stars

The oldest book on my TBR is finally complete!! My sophomore year of high school, a classmate of mine gave a presentation on this book saying it was her favorite of all time, and ever since then I've been interested in what she loved so much about it. Books about school shootings have always intrigued me, but they're especially relevant today. I'm glad I read this book after I read A Mother's Reckoning because that gave such an insight to being in the critical spotlight as the mother of ...more

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Aug 27, 2016 XxTainaxX rated it it was amazing

This is a powerful read. After an act of violence is perpetuated at the local high school, those 19 minutes change a New Hampshire town forever. The writing is riveting and poignant. We are reading about the events leading up to the climax. The history of the individuals involved. Their mindset. It's a lot to take in. Especially because the good aren't all good and the bad aren't all bad. I think as readers, it puts us in a unique and introspective position as we are not shown only the parts tha ...more

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Jan 08, 2011 Kwesi 章英狮 rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: jodi-picoult, owned, 2011

I can't stop loving this book, if you guys only have the chance to read this. Sometimes I find her works destructing, annoying and a good sleeping pill for those people who suffer from insomnia. I might be too judgmental but swear, you can take my words after reading her earlier works. This time Picoult wanted to portray a community, a school, where innocent students were bullied by the jocks. The reality of a typical American school environment for students who suffer to stand out in the crowd ...more

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Aug 11, 2013 Bill rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction

The only other Picoult book I read was My Sister's Keeper, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Nineteen Minutes is a favorite among most people, so I had this one slated to read whenever I wanted a quick summer read.

For the last 100 or so pages, I could hardly put it down. Her formula for keeping the reader engaged works very well.
But I had some issues with this book that annoyed the hell out of me. Firstly, I have never come across so many stupid and needless analogies. Or are they similes? Whatever. ...more

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Feb 18, 2009 Annalisa rated it really liked it

Recommended to Annalisa by: McKay Robinson

Shelves: book-club, issue, contemporary, psychology

I tend to rate books by how much they make me think, how much they make me feel, and how much they draw me into their world. With an almost obsessive interest in Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, Nineteen Minutes gets high marks from me. The book starts with the scene of a school shooting where you feel a disgust for the kid doing the shooting and sorrow for the victims but as you glean settings from flashbacks you come to sympathize with everyone in the book as a victim, each experiencing loss of I tend to rate books by how much they make me think, how much they make me feel, and how much they draw me into their world. With an almost obsessive interest in Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, Nineteen Minutes gets high marks from me. The book starts with the scene of a school shooting where you feel a disgust for the kid doing the shooting and sorrow for the victims but as you glean settings from flashbacks you come to sympathize with everyone in the book as a victim, each experiencing loss of different degrees. I can almost exactly correlate my feelings with the timeline of Columbine grief. In that sense the raw emotions were very real. But in the exaggerated small outcast boy, the popular snotty girls, the stupid cruel jocks, the overprotective parents, and all the other stereotypes I found myself resisting relating to the characters. Sometimes it felt very real, but occasionally it felt like statistics (especially with the random foreign last names).

As your emotions are pulled to sympathize with one person then the next, you're left with the questions of who to blame, who to feel sorry for in the wake of a tragedy. For me I have a natural tendency to defend the underdog, to want to understand what put the perpetrator over the edge, while still reserving a small amount of accountability for them. It was obvious that Picoult seems to share the same allegiance to the bullied, but I would have liked to hear a little more about the stories of those who were shot and understand their motivations. I wanted to feel just as ashamed and saddened for them instead of focusing on aligning emotions with the ones the newscasters want to blame. I enjoyed the forum of different voices in the stories, but where were the voices of the victims who were also causes? Why does somebody bully? Tell their story too. I wish Picoult had put me just as much inside the head of the bulliers as the bulliee to optimize the circle of tragedy.

I kept thinking about those people we all knew and know on the fringe of high school society whom you just hold your breath for in hopes that they make it through without disaster. Some people you just don't know will survive high school. Any lethal combination of triggers could have just as easily brewed a tragedy at any high school. When tragedy does occur, it's human tendency to want to find the triggers and signs that could have made it avoidable, but can anyone really say what is too much for anyone to handle? It makes you wish everyone could live high school with the empathy and understanding we receive later in life, or at least a glimpse of how we will someday overcome it.

(view spoiler)[The person I related to the most was Angela Phlug who told Peter in her letter that she would have liked to friends with him. That would have been me: noticing the smaller insecure kids but never acting or approaching, only reacting. It is the mainstream kids who just follow along caught up in their own teenage angst that don't have issues with these bullied kids but aren't the outspoken type to make them understand.

The character I sympathized with the most is Josie. Not only is she stuck in the middle of shouldering Peter's embarrassment and trying to create her own place in high school, but also, and maybe because of it, she's stuck in an abusive relationship. I felt for her as much as I did for Peter, different circumstances but just as alone. With all the foreshadowing discussion of post-traumatic stress syndrome, I did not expect such a heavy indictment. Between the abuse and Peter's gun pointing at her, I think she should have been shown more mercy, although her extended lie could not have worked in her favor. A heavily victimized character, although Peter's mom Lacy comes to a close second clueless in her grief and losing both of her boys. (I did not however sympathize with Alex's unemotional selfishness.) Surprising that Peter didn't make the top of my list for me too, but maybe that's because he finally acted balancing the scales of pity and discord.

My biggest issue with the book would be that we never truly understand Josie's story. Why she was found unconscious with a gash in her forehead? She shot Matt and then what? And why didn't Peter shot himself? He was suicidal. Even though Josie snapped him out of his PTSD and Patrick was there to arrest him, I don't think Picoult justified his inaction enough. You're waiting to learn the entire book why he did not kill himself in the locker room and I wasn't completely satisfied with the answer. And I don't think I ever had a grasp on Josie's feelings for Peter. I understand that before and after she didn't want to see him because he inspired guilt in her, but what exact emotions was she feeling beyond that? I know she didn't like him romantically, but how deep was her level of friendship? Would thy have stayed friends without outside influences? And I didn't like the leap from Peter feeling nothing for her when she leans over him in the copy shop to sending a confession of his love. The confusion with his sexuality was understandable, but I wish the feelings for Josie had come on more gradually--then again normal emotional development does not always correlate with a social outcast. I wish Josie and Peter had had a moment to see each other in the end, or that at least Josie had written Peter a letter. I would have liked some resolution between those two. But that's what a tragedy does is rip apart everyone's lives and there is no easy wrap up to fix grief. (hide spoiler)] ...more

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Jun 09, 2009 Windy rated it did not like it

Shelves: read-in-2009

This is what I have come to understand about Jodi Picoult. She takes a controversial or emotionally-charged topic. School shootings. Childhood leukemia. Amish people. Then she centers that topic around terribly cliched characters and cranks the schmaltz meter to 11. The novels alternate between characters' points of view so quickly that Picoult rivals most TV news stations in offering endless shallow ten-second bits of information. Each little section, offered at a rate that would overwhelm even ...more

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Jan 10, 2018 Suzanne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This was an incredible book! I was so engrossed in it and the ending..Oh my! I absolutely find this book devastating and fascinating. This is easily my new favorite Jodi Picoult book. It is sad and eye opening on the truth and expanse of bullying. Once again Picoult weaves in a story of more controversial topics and slays it.

My quick and simple overall: sad but it is incredibly interesting to read. Fantastic story that touches the reader.

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Oct 02, 2014 Mariah Roze rated it really liked it

Wow! This book really makes you think!! I suggest it to everyone!

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Jan 02, 2018 Tammy rated it it was amazing

Exceptionally written novel that shows us what's in the mind of a fictional school shooter, what led him to commit the crime, and how his actions affect the lives of his family and friends. Picoult is a master at character development.

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May 20, 2007 Wormie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: someone desperate for anything to read

Nineteen Minutes is Jodi Picoult’s most recent novel, and I predict it will become her best seller to date. It focuses on the events leading up to and following a high school shooting.

Peter Houghton, picked on by school mates from the first day of kindergarten, enters Sterling High, and in nineteen minutes kills ten and wounds another nineteen students.

In typical fashion, Picoult shapes her story by providing various perspectives. We are able to put the story together from Peter’s perspective a Nineteen Minutes is Jodi Picoult’s most recent novel, and I predict it will become her best seller to date. It focuses on the events leading up to and following a high school shooting.

Peter Houghton, picked on by school mates from the first day of kindergarten, enters Sterling High, and in nineteen minutes kills ten and wounds another nineteen students.

In typical fashion, Picoult shapes her story by providing various perspectives. We are able to put the story together from Peter’s perspective as well as that of his parents, Judge Alex Cormier, Cormier’s daughter Josie – a student in the school on that day, Patrick – a detective on the case, Jordan – Peter’s attorney. We are able to see all the characters as “human” – sympathetic but faulted.

Picoult has always been a great story-teller, and in this novel, she is able to take a ripped from the headlines topic, and create a fictional story that makes the reader think. Justice is served in the novel, but there is a surprise ending and some twists and turns to keep the reader turning pages.

With that said, my first reaction upon finishing the novel was, “that’ll make a great movie”. I then realized how sad that reaction was.

Nineteen Minutes doesn’t contain the artistic writing that Picoult’s earlier novels did. A few years ago, when I discovered Jodi Picoult’s books, I considered myself a big fan. I loved her novels and anxiously awaited the publishing of the next. I thought her writing was truly gifted! She had a way of telling a story by not telling a story. She wove together threads of personality and insight to create beautiful rich tapestries that were character studies, and by introducing me to a new character I learned something of value.

In Nineteen Minutes, Picoult told a story – a good one. But the nuance and magic of her earlier writing is gone. While I enjoyed the novel, there was nothing there that will stay with me. I was like watching a good made for TV movie – well done, but so what?

So, perhaps my review of this book isn’t fair. I give it three stars, because it is a well-written story. It will be a huge commercial success, and it will be on the best-seller lists. While it may further establish Picoult as a best selling contemporary novelist, it also may mark the end of my Picoult fan-club membership.

Ms. Picoult, we all have to pay the mortgage, and I understand. You give the people what they want, and you get financial rewards. I hope that in between these best selling works, you will still exercise that wonderful craft that you have been blessed with. I hope that your new found audience (who WILL buy anything with you name on it) will read some of your earlier novels and see the beauty and intricacies of your writing. I hope that someday soon you will be able to have commercial success by returning to your real gift – the “art” of writing.
...more

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Jun 15, 2007 Janna rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Picoult writes books that are easy to read, yet usually compelling topics that are presented in a way that easily spark thought and discussion. If you read enough of them (I've read 4 and picked up on this trend in the second book), you can see that they are forumulaic in plot design and pace. This makes it easy to guess what the "big twist" at the end of her book will be. For instance, I suspected very early that Josie shot Matt, really as soon as it was mentioned that he had two bullet wounds ...more

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Dec 27, 2018 Karina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I picked this up not reading the synopsis and thought it was a book about teen pregnancy. I have liked some of Jodi Picoult's books and felt weary about investing time in a 400+ book. As I started it it was startling to discover it is a book about a high school shooting. The story goes back and forth, sometimes I lost track of where I was but kept reading. The story centers around the mothers of the main characters and the kids involved.

Peter is an outsider, a loser, a nerd, a cast off picked o ...more

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Jan 19, 2009 Dawn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, five-stars, contemporary-fiction

This is an amazing story from one of my favorite authors.
The subject matter is really hard to deal with, especially if you have teenagers or have ever been ridiculed at school. She handles it superbly and puts us right into the action. Feeling the anguish, the anger and the hurt. Showing us how true it is that there is always two -or more -sides to every story. We are forced to grapple with what is just and right. How far our culture will go to be accepted and what a huge impact a teenagers soc ...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Suzanne rated it really liked it

This was my first Piccoult novel. I really liked it. Reflecting on this has made me think I need to re visit some more of her writing. This I look forward to. Sometimes I need a reminder.

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Jul 20, 2019 enqi ☁️✨ kell maresh lovesite rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: standalones, 2019, made-me-feel-things

BUY / BORROW / BYPASS: Borrow

the thing about jodi picoult is she always manages to write breathtaking, captivating novels that make you feel.

In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn; color your hair; watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five.
In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world; or you can just jump off it.

at the beginning of the book, you think you’ve got it all fi BUY / BORROW / BYPASS: Borrow

the thing about jodi picoult is she always manages to write breathtaking, captivating novels that make you feel.

In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn; color your hair; watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five.
In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world; or you can just jump off it.

at the beginning of the book, you think you’ve got it all figured out. you know who the victims are, and you know who the killer is, and you think it should be easy to pick a side in a courtroom. but throughout the book, picoult works on changing those assumptions and stereotypes, works on altering them in subtle ways you never see coming until you realise your moral compass has seemingly been overturned — you don’t know which side to choose anymore. the shooter who calculated his killing of ten people, or the bullies who tormented him to that breaking point? you become starry-eyed and admire the popular kids like the others in the book do, and yet chapters told from the shooter’s perspective help you realise that they are openly malicious to outcasts, and the girl who exists in both worlds — the main character — reveals to us the shallow, insipid lifestyle they lead, and how popularity is something that can always slip through your fingers.

writing this review was cathartic for me in a way. because for a long time after, i couldn’t stop thinking about this book. and after a while, i figured maybe putting my thoughts on paper (technically, a review site) would help me make some headway with my roiling thoughts. everyone seemed to understand why the ending played out the way it did. but without spoiling too much, i had been rooting for them, and i didn’t feel good about the ending because it hurt.

picoult excels in characterisation. she writes character-driven stories, weaving together many threads in the form of side stories until they all collide at the end. she’s very masterful in the way she fleshes out every character and gives each of them an important role to play. there are some characters i liked, some i acknowledged, some i despised. this book has it all.

and the ending. i can’t say i agreed with it, but try as i might, i couldn’t think of a more fitting way to end the book. picoult’s books always involve some sort of purge, or a plot twist that you don’t see coming, and although sometimes i’ve called them out on being there purely for the shock factor, this one didn’t feel that way.

A mathematical formula for happiness:Reality divided by Expectations. There were two ways to be happy: improve your reality or lower your expectations.

...more

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May 06, 2008 Jann rated it really liked it

This was the first Jodi Picoult novel I've picked up, despite having her recommended by several of my friends for various novels. I have to admit the plot summary was intriguing enough to pique my interest.

I grew up in a world where school shootings hadn't happened yet. Columbine happened when I was a senior in high school, just a couple months short of graduation. I remember the shift in collective conciousness at the time, how that one terrible event affected us all. After all, it could've be This was the first Jodi Picoult novel I've picked up, despite having her recommended by several of my friends for various novels. I have to admit the plot summary was intriguing enough to pique my interest.

I grew up in a world where school shootings hadn't happened yet. Columbine happened when I was a senior in high school, just a couple months short of graduation. I remember the shift in collective conciousness at the time, how that one terrible event affected us all. After all, it could've been any high school in America, right? Our graduation rehearsal was later cancelled based on copycat threats received.

This story was a different insight into the situation. The way she follows the police detective, the judge, the accused, and one victim is in-depth and the backstory provided gives, if not a total method, at least some peek into the harsh experiences of high school students at varying social levels. I found the account of the accused boy's mother especially sad and touching. It's easy to read this and feel compassion for the mothers that have actually been faced with this situation. It's another thing to wonder if I would feel that way myself, if my child were involved in something so horrific. After Columbine, I don't remember giving the shooters' families much thought. I was saddened for the innocent victims and terrified for myself to think something like that was even possible.

I liked this book because it made me stop and think about many things I haven't pondered in a long time. There is an element of fear and uncertainty to being a parent--at some point, you aren't responsible for your child's action and you have no idea what they will become. In many ways, you just hold your breath and hope for the best. Only in a few rare instances do things go south in the manner they have for these fictional parents.

On the whole, having the "action" upfront was a relief. Very few books that I've read lately are that way. Also, I was expecting way more gore. It was graphic to the point necessary, but it didn't make me ill. The choppy third person omniscient narrative style worked well for me, too. It kept things moving, even during a story from the past that was meant to illustrate 'how they got here'. The characters were diverse and interesting, especially Josie. I wasn't quite as interested by Peter as I thought I might be (I knew going in there would be at least something in here about the shooter), but maybe only because so many other deep characters fleshed out the story.

It wasn't the easiest to read, just because of the thought-provoking content. But it was worth it, and will definitely make you wonder about how such significant changes can be wrought in such a short period of time. ...more

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Jul 31, 2009 Karla rated it really liked it

Shelves: amnesia, tear-jerkers, 2009, american, mystery, mourning, new-hampshire, crime

I really feel this book well haunt me. It left a strong impression on my heart. I loved the writing style which gave me a window into all sides of the story from parents of the students, victims, lawyers, judge, shooter, shooter's parents and so on. Was a mystery that made me continue to figure out what all went down. I would recommend this to anyone, it opened my eyes. If my kids were older teens I'd like them to read this as well. Bullying is a huge problem and this was an extreme case. Kids n ...more

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Apr 27, 2016 Love Fool rated it it was amazing

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.

Jodi Picoult has a talent for making y ...more

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Apr 12, 2008 Celia rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: People who love Jodi Picoult

Recommended to Celia by: bookclub

Is there a shelf for a book I have to stop reading because I can't stand something about it? In this case, that the writer is a machine that swallows magazines whole and spews out a topic of the month.

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Jan 29, 2009 Lois rated it really liked it

Shelves: hard-copy-books-i-own, books-i-reread-in-2010

I am almost done with this book-it is excellent but harrowing to read.
The author commits to the story line and the characters and even when you almost want her to back away from the messiness and the reality she hits you even harder.

********Slight spoilers below**************
This book explores a school shooting from the view point of the shooter, the victims, the parents of the victims, the small town, the detective, the judge handling the case, the lawyer prosecuting the case, the lawyer defend I am almost done with this book-it is excellent but harrowing to read.
The author commits to the story line and the characters and even when you almost want her to back away from the messiness and the reality she hits you even harder.

********Slight spoilers below**************
This book explores a school shooting from the view point of the shooter, the victims, the parents of the victims, the small town, the detective, the judge handling the case, the lawyer prosecuting the case, the lawyer defending the shooter, the parents of the shooter.
I like that while the shooter is a victim of bullying from pre-school on and you really want to identify with him and feel sorry for him and like him-it does not work. It kind of reminds me of Native Sun and Bigger Thomas-you really want to feel sorry for Bigger and like him but he is just such an unlikeable character. I kind of feel that way with Peter. You can see how tortured he is for years, how his well meaning, loving, intelligent, active parents try to help him and it only makes it worse. You can see where the teachers and principals and school officials try to help but none of them seem to really get the situation. You can even see in Peter when he is finally offered an opportunity to bully and at first gleefully joins in but then sees himself in the victim. You can see how a misfit-picked on, dismissed by his parents and teachers and classmates, might see a school shooting as his way to get even. You can also see the loathing and hatred he feels for himself, the desire to fit in and be liked whatever the cost.
The bully's character is also explored, not as thoroughly, but some of the bullies are just students glad to be part of the in crowd and willing to hurt another student to maintain the status qua. You can see the true bully who feels he truly is raised by lowering others-you either are the bully or the one being bullied-he sees no other way to be.
It makes me think of High School and my own experience.
I think this book also explores the disconnect that happens between a parent and child as that child reaches their teen years. Or even before that, when you try as a parent in your own inept way to really help your child. It explores how much of parenting is guess work and trial and error. It explores the feeling that your child is different from you and you do not know how to connect to them, to help them though you can see they suffer and would do anything in your power to stop it. How complex the social issues our children experience are-even if we want to teach them to ignore the bullying or rise above the pettiness-how maybe that is not a reasonable option for them. How to reach a child that has gone astray. How a truly good mother and father could raise a killer without even realizing it. How we do not live in a vacuum and perhaps if as adults we really found a way to effectively deal with bullying and really understand the impact it has on our children-whether they internalize it and it effects their adult life, commit suicide or go on a shooting rampage. How do we reach these kids?-the bullies as well as the bullied. Clearly this is not an isolated issue as we have had shootings in high schools, grade schools and even colleges. What in our society breeds this type of discontent?
I finished the book-it was an emotional rollercoaster-I sobbed, my heart broke, nothing was black and white-only shades of grey. Unfortunately the author backed out with a shocking 11th hour confession-I have now read about 4 of her books and see this is just her writing style. It is too bad too because she is such a phenomenal world and character builder and she picks such controversial topics she could write true literature-the talent is there-but she backs off-at the end needing to tie up loose ends and a shocking confession that really makes no sense and takes away from the powerful value of the novel. The best novels that deal with controversial subject matter resist the urge to finish everything up in a neat little bow-I refer to her books conclusions as the Law & Order twist. Her books are still great and powerful beyond measure. Perhaps one day she will learn that the most greatest authors tell the most powerful stories by not finishing them and letting each reader take something different and in their mind create their own ends for the characters. ...more

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Apr 08, 2011 Ellie rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2011ind-chal200bks, popular-escape, fiction

Well, I've gone all over GR saying negative things about Jodi Picoult which leaves me blushing when I write I really, really liked Nineteen Minutes. I held out as long as I could while reading it-I admit, I am compelled to read books about school shootings, such as Columbine by Dave Cullen and We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. And so, despite my repeatedly dissing Jodi Picoult, of course I had to read 19 Minutes. And I have a number of complaints: the "ripped from the headlines" hoo ...more

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Sep 06, 2007 Courtney Payne rated it it was ok

My introduction to Jodi Picoult was through the book My Sister's Keeper, which was one of the best books that I read last year. Not so much for her writing, but for the subject matter and the way she crafted the book to have every side of a controversial topic be addressed from a first person perspective by many characters. I quickly picked up several more of her novels after I wept like a baby reading my Sister's Keeper. Every time I was disappointed. But I keep trying. I picked up the audio of ...more

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Apr 21, 2009 Best Eggs rated it it was ok

Shelves: reviewed, fiction

I've read quite a lot of Picoult now. I started on a high note - My Sister's Keeper, which apart from the cop-out ending, was a really fantastic read. I mostly enjoyed her books with the exception of Salem Falls which failed to ring any bells for me at all, but this book, Nineteen Minutes was... tedious. It started off ok, but one major character turned out to be a red herring and just another woman in need of a f*** and her opposite number, who looked like she was going to be an uber-earth moth ...more

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Aug 15, 2017 Cody | codysbookshelf rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, jodi-picoult

A review can't do this book justice, but I feel I must say something. It's been a long time since I finished a novel feeling so emotionally drained and, yet, so rewarded. Reading this — perhaps Picoult's most infamous novel — is an experience unlike any other. Do yourself a favor and check it out, now.

My favorite read of 2017 (so far).

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Nov 08, 2017 William Lawrence rated it it was amazing

Shelves: education, social-science

Ten years after the publication of Nineteen Minutes and I finally got around to reading it, but the problem of mass shootings is just as urgent now. This is a book that takes you through the suffering of a whole community after one bullied teen is driven to commit the unforgivable. Honestly, I hated parts of the book, particularly some of the early chapters, and then I latched on to the characters of the detective Patrick, the defense attorney Jordan, the judge Alex and her daughter Josie, and t Ten years after the publication of Nineteen Minutes and I finally got around to reading it, but the problem of mass shootings is just as urgent now. This is a book that takes you through the suffering of a whole community after one bullied teen is driven to commit the unforgivable. Honestly, I hated parts of the book, particularly some of the early chapters, and then I latched on to the characters of the detective Patrick, the defense attorney Jordan, the judge Alex and her daughter Josie, and there was no turning back. And then there was Peter, the shooter, who you come to understand, and the sadness of Peter's family affected by his actions. Ultimately, you come to realize the entire community has failed.

But beyond the suspense and mystery of figuring out why this tragedy happened, there is a greater analysis of community and public institutions like school. Toward the end of the story on page 388, the narrator explains why Peter doesn't really see the difference between school and prison:

"Jail wasn't all that different from public school, really. The correctional officers were just like the teachers-- their job was to keep everyone in place, to feed them, and to make sure nobody got seriously hurt. Beyond that, you were left to our devices... And like school, jail was an artificial society, with its own hierarchy and rules... And as with high school, the only way to get through jail was to stick it out and do your time."

We are urged to get down to a real examination of schooling, and why so many aspects of this artificial environment need to change. Too many kids are primed through a pipeline straight to prison. Too many experience utter humiliation throughout their schooling. And as I write about in my own novel The Punk and the Professor, too many teachers are complacent, and some actually contribute to the bullying. See the real life examples of this in the Brandon McInerney - Larry King tragedy. Whether we are looking at the dropout problem in my book or extreme crimes in Picoult's book, the outcomes are tragic. The question is, how do we change this?

I haven't been brought to tears in the final pages of a novel in a long time. The last twenty pages took this book from a 4 star to a 5 star! ...more

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What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Characters eat ice cream at Dairy Joy near Lincoln, MA. [s]	6	16	Jun 18, 2019 05:03PM
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About Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult

49,873 followers

Jodi Picoult is the author of twenty-four novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers Small Great Things, Leaving Time, The Storyteller, Lone Wolf, Between the Lines, Sing You Home, House Rules, Handle with Care, Change of Heart, Nineteen Minutes, and My Sister’s Keeper. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children.

Her new novel, A SPARK OF LIGHT, is available in hardcove ...more