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Nineteen Minutes
Nineteen Minutes
Author: Jodi Picoult
In Sterling, New Hampshire, 17-year-old high school student Peter Houghton has endured years of verbal and physical abuse at the hands of classmates. His best friend, Josie Cormier, succumbed to peer pressure and now hangs out with the popular crowd that often instigates the harassment. One final incident of bullying sends Peter over the edge an...  more »
Info icon
ISBN-13: 9780743496728
ISBN-10: 0743496728
Publication Date: 3/5/2007
Pages: 352
Rating:
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 739

4.1 stars, based on 739 ratings
Publisher: Atria
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 222 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 17
Wow,what a great but tragic story. A boy who is picked on from the first day of kindergarden until high school. What being bullied really does to a child day after day. The tragedy of Columbine and all the other school rolled into one. this story made me feel such pity for the boy who felt he had no other recourse but to do what he did.The results were tragic, the outcome shattered lives forever but it made you really think of what kids go through and what they do to others. I know I thought of my own two grown children who were treated in very similar ways. In my opinion this is Jodi Picoults best book.
reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 69 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 14
This was not my favorite Picoult book. While I connected with the characters (she has a gift for making everyone sympathetic), for some reason I couldn't completely connect with Peter, the school shooter. I understood his motives and felt his shame, but Picoult doesn't let you into his head quite enough. The Pact was much better at making me feel everything the two teens went through.

If you like Picoult, you'll like this one, but I don't think it's her best. Even the huge revelation in the courtroom falls flat. She set it up well, but I just didn't feel the shock that I've felt while reading her other books.
usseryron avatar reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 12
Fantastic book incredibly well written. Harking back to "Lord of the Flies," Picoult explores the dynamics of unsupervised group behavior among school children. It deals with all the themes that screech "inappropriate" for a young audience (F word numerous times, teen sex, violence, etc.) but it may be the most appropriate book for students and teachers and parents concerned with bullying and the related social dynamics. The story seems so well researched I had a hard time remembering that it is fictional. An expert witness for the defense of the Columbine-style shooter asks, (paraphrasing) "What is the most vivid memory you have of your school days? If you're like 95 out of 100 people, that memory revolves around your humiliation at the hands of a bully." (I have to paraphrase because my copy stays loaned out to fellow educators.) And what are the consequences of unchecked chronic bullying? At its most extreme: Columbine.
booknookchick avatar reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 117 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 10
Enough happens in this book it could be a two-part miniseries. The chapters shift back and forth from past to the present to add important background info and I found it annoying.

Nineteen Minutes has much more depth than My Sister's Keeper in character development and story structure. Picoult's ability to fabricate events surrounding an entire school community that is so hauntingly real is amazing.
reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 10
WOW! This book will pull at your heartstrings. If you are a teacher, if you have children, if you have been the victim of bullying or if you were a bully, this is a must read.
Read All 233 Book Reviews of "Nineteen Minutes"

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reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 6 more book reviews
This was an excellent book although it was disturbing and especially in light of recent school shootings and the sadness and questions left behind. Having said that it is a read that every parent should read to evaluate what we do to our children and what bullies can do to our children.
4iggies avatar reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 13 more book reviews
Excellent book. My dad and I listened to it crossing the country and my 85 year old dad enjoyed it and it created some good conversation as we drove. The twist in the story was unexpected and interesting.

It reallt
reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 10 more book reviews
Being the mother of a 5yo and 5 month old, this story was very hard to read, but brought back high school and all of its political nuances. Having 'read' it on CD was helpful to me, as I think the style/format lends itself to hearing the story since the story jumps forward and backward in time. Very well written and insightful. I have to agree with others that the ending was disappointing and seemed to reach to far to make a point that could have been made without quite so much drama. I enjoyed it and will recommend to other mothers with small children as a guide to 'pay attention' to your kids regardless of their rank in the social strata.
reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 40 more book reviews
I have never before read a fictional story which could have passed as a non-fiction story because it is so real. My hands were shaking and my eyes welling up with tears toward the end.

I don't want to write any spoilers, but please, PLEASE, if you're a parent, if you're a teacher or school administrator, pick up this book and read it. It's a story we know but desire to pretend we don't know!

I seldom write book reviews unless I think the book is brilliant or thing the book is a waste of time. This book, in my opinion, is truly brilliant as well as shocking for the truth that is buried within it!
reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 42 more book reviews
One of the best books I have read in a long time and I read a lot of books. I have read a few of Jodi Picoult's books but so far this is the best one. She really gets into the mind of the boy that does the shooting and from there she thoroughly describes the hurts and the fears and the feelings of all the other characters of the story. It was one of those books that I couldn't wait to get done with whatever I was doing so I could get back to the book and read some more. It is a rather thick book but worth every page. A really great read.
reviewed Nineteen Minutes on
A fascinating (fictional) study of a very current topic. As always Jodi Picoult tackles difficult moral issues head on. Definitely food for thought that should be required reading for all parents of teenagers, educators, and students. The character development is excellent and the writing economical.
reviewed Nineteen Minutes on
Well done. Good writer
reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 2 more book reviews
Plots with school shootings and bullying have been rampant in the past 10 or so years, but I think this was one of the first. It's a thoughtful book and emotionally taxing but worth the read. Not a big fan of the author myself, but this was a moving story.
daedelys avatar reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 1218 more book reviews
Even though it barely glosses the surface, I really like that an author tried to take the time to write a story about how, even just a little, it is for kids who get picked on when they're young. It's definitely something that needs to start at home (like put a baby monitor in your kids room until they're 18, especially if they talk to ANYONE online--seriously, trolls start young) and parents need to stop raising bullies (and realize all kids aren't angels).

My big complaint is the ending. It's getting to be a thing for Picoult when she can't figure out what to do with a character's future.
aladdin avatar reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 154 more book reviews
Focus on school shooting, of course life changing for all. Technique: intricate flashbacks and 1st person examination of the minutiae of the peoples' challenges living life and coping with real or perceived hardships. Very long in the middle. Some characters (like real people) very self absorbed, with "poor pitiful me" attitudes and few coping skills (like real people). But I got tired of reading about it. Way too much drama. I skipped about 100 pages and picked up the last 20 and feel like I only missed filler. Maybe I've moved on from Picoult as this flashback technique seems to be her main writing style, and it can become tedious.
reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 11 more book reviews
Unexpected twist. Thought-provoking for sure.
jfred avatar reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 10 more book reviews
The best book I have EVER read! I could't put it down! This was the first Jodi Picoult book I had read and I must say it hooked me! The ending was AMAZING and I can honestly say I did not see it coming! A MUST READ.
reviewed Nineteen Minutes on
Good book
reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 4 more book reviews
A good read, page-turner...although parts were a bit predictable, I enjoyed it!
reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 636 more book reviews
I love her books. I know they're terribly Lifetime-movie-esque, but I just love them. Utterly emotional, impossible to put down. You care about all of the characters - and there is always a twist at the end. This one was no different.
amandatorres avatar reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 2 more book reviews
Excellent!
She is my favorite female author.
This is one of her best books to date.
reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 6 more book reviews
Waste of time reading this, I was very disapointed. I usually enjoy reading JP's books but this one was like someone else wrote it. It didn't have the usual style or content. I think JP was trying too hard to be a teenager in this, language was very intense.
reviewed Nineteen Minutes on + 6 more book reviews
I think that every teacher should have to read this book. Great book!

Book Wiki

Original Publication Date (YYYY-MM-DD)
People/Characters
Peter Houghton (Primary Character)
Josie Cormier (Primary Character)
Alex Cormier (Primary Character)
Lacy Houghton (Primary Character)
Jordan McAfee (Major Character)
(Show all 6 People/Characters)
Fictional Places
Important Events

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