Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square Press)

After enduring years of verbal and physical bullying, one final incident sends Peter Houghton over the edge and he commits an act of violence that takes only 19 minutes but changes the lives of everyone in his hometown of Sterling, New Hampshire forever. Two of those people are Josie Cormier (once his best friend and champion) and her mother Alex who, as superior court judge, is assigned to the case. Josie, who abandoned Peter in sixth grade for the popular crowd, is also a witness but can't remember what happened--or can she?

As always, Ms. Picoult has written a compelling, thought-provoking and complex book. I have read nine of her books to date and I must say this one is the most heart-rending and probably her best one yet. Nineteen Minutes is a difficult book to read and as Ms. Picoult has said herself it was her most difficult one to write because she has teen-agers of her own.

It is the story of bullying and a devastating school shooting. It is the story of the masks that all of us wear to hide our true selves just to get through the day.  It also touches on the popular kids who are at times victims of their own popularity. The book asks some tough questions and answers some but leaves others for the reader to ponder.

I recently heard Jodi Picoult speak and this book is one of the ones she speaks about on her book tours. She has done her research and is alarmed by the lack of policies in schools for dealing with bullying. Some school districts are using Nineteen Minutes as a starting point for discussions about dealing with bullying. It is a sad book and not an easy one to read but is ultimately a must read for parents, teens, teachers and school administrators. 

A quote from the book says: "Adolescence is about fitting in, not standing out." Ms. Picoult dedicates the book "to the thousands of kids out there who are a little bit different, a little bit scared, a little bit unpopular: this one's for you."

I would highly recommend this book but beware Peter and Josie and those who love them will break your heart.

WAYRN-2010

Remember, there is Always time to read!