Brenda

Nineteen minutes was an exceptionally well told story of the anguish experienced by one young man for 11 years of public school and the 19 minutes it took for him to "payback" the perpetrators of the bullying that made his life hell.

As the mother of a son who was somewhat of a social outcast (due to OCD) throughout high school, I felt an emotional involvement with the characters. However, in the past 15 years since my son's own agonizing experience, I am upset at the failure of the school authorities to effectively end the bullying of vulnerable students. It would seem that nothing has been learned from the investigations into the school massacres of the last decade.

Teaching and embracing diversity in most educational environments has yet to become either policy or practice. Perhaps when "brains" and "techies" are appreciated as much as school jocks there may be less chance of students developing PTSD from bullying, such as the main character of this book developed.

Jodi Picout certainly helps demistify the unfortunate suffering that goes on behind the backs of adults (parents and teachers) for so many students.

What an engrossing story and great read.