Nineteen Minutes

A novel

By: Jodi Picoult

Narrated by: Carol Monda

Jodi Picoult, bestselling author of My Sister's Keeper and Small Great Things, pens her most riveting book yet with a startling and poignant story about the devastating aftermath of a small-town tragedy.

Sterling is an ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens--until the day its complacency is shattered by a school shooting. 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. Nineteen Minutes asks what it means to be different in our society, who has the right to judge someone else, and whether anyone is ever really who they seem to be.

This Novel is An Amazing Literary Accomplishment

Nineteen Minutes is one of my favourite books by Jodi Picoult. I read it years ago, and I decided to listen to it because I was in a reading rut. So many things struck me as profound in my second time reading this book.

Picoult always tackles difficult politically charged topics, and of course Nineteen Minutes is no exception. This novel is not for the faint of heart. It deals with a horrific school shooting and the aftermath and pieces left behind for so many people in pain. However, it goes deeper.

We get into the mind and heart of the shooter and his parents, and the reasons why he decided to kill many of his fellow students. Of course, the reasons are never justified, but the way Picoult digs into the shooter's past is somehow empathetic.

The fact that this book was written is a shameful part of our history as Americans, but yet it's important. Albeit fiction, Picoult dives into why these shootings happen and continue to happen, and it's not just about the guns. It's gut wrenching, sickening and hideous, but it's a phenomenal work of fiction.

I wish she would write books like she used to- and I hope she goes back to her roots.

-Wendi

Another thought provoker!

I’m a huge fan of true crime. I like Ms Picoult books because she makes her audience think about a perspective we all hope we never have to in real life. This story as with every other Picoult book makes you think a bit deeper about a current topic and start poking holes in your own theories. You may not change your mind on the big picture, but you at least see a different perspective which is sorely lacking in so much of our society. Thumbs up. Good story. Good performance.

3rd book of Jodi Picoult.

she is an fantastic story teller!!! Always a lesson to be learned. I recommend this book.

Worth your credit.

I love most of her books and was afraid I wouldn’t like this one because it was about school shootings. It made me realize even more we must do more to keep our children safe. I grew up with bullies and the popular kids and you did also I imagine. My school years were very different in the fact arguments and hurts were settled with guns. I’m not sure why because gust about every pickup truck had a gun rack containing the good ole boys’ rifle. There were fist fights and that was about the worst thing. My generation was raised with discipline and if you wanted something you earned it. We were at the dinner table on time and if you didn’t like what was on the menu, tough. We knew we were loved and we loved and respected our parents and elders. This book made me see how very different today’s world is.. it seems all of these killings go back to. Bullying and parents knowing nothing about their children’s lives.

A sad little boy becomes a man with no future

good book . much like real life these days in our schools. sad but true.