Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

When I first picked up Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult I was hesitant to read the book. I was afraid that it would be a knock off of the true Columbine story; that the situations, characters, and setting would be so similar that it’d be fake. However, once I was invested in Nineteen Minutes I realized that it was not only not a knock off but that it was a way to truly get closer to the true story of Columbine. Like the rest of the world, Columbine to me was a distant tragedy that happened to someone else somewhere else. Jodi Picoult humanized the killer and the victims in such a vivid way that I will never forget.

Nineteen Minutes is the fictional story of Peter Houghton. Peter is bullied his whole school career and finally gets so fed up he walks into school one day and opens fire at his peers. In a high school with over 1000 kids, most of which have all gone to school together since kindergarten, Peter’s reputation as a looser stayed with him over the years. On top of the bulling he has un-returned love, a death in his family and he loose his one and only friend to popularity. My heart hurt for Peter. He was the victim to me until the story would turn to the parents of the dead. Then, just like that my loyalties would change and my heart for hurt for the grieving families. Jodi did her best to victimize all the characters involved however, I never got those aching feelings for the kids that survived the shooting. They seemed to learn nothing from the shooting and were still the arrogant pricks as before.

Jodi Picoult also touches of several other high school no-nos besides the invisible social latter. Her characters include a controlling boyfriend with tendencies to abuse his girlfriend. There is a bulimic girl. There is a situation in which a teachers overlooks bad grades for jocks, cheerleaders or others from the popular crowd. Most importantly, Jodi Picoult discusses the lack of adult help that Peter Houghton received. His complaints of bulling were often disregarded. Other times the bully would come back harder for revenge if Peter told on him. Or if he fought back instead he would find himself in trouble too. There just is not a good way to address a bully situation.

One of my favorite things about high school is that it only last four years. Then it’s done! And you never ever Never ever ever have to go back. You have to see the big picture. High school is only a tiny teeny portion of the world that makes little to no difference at all. Go there make some good grades, get to college, move on. A school shooting is such a waste and such a preventable thing. This should never happen. But the truth is that Columbine was not the first school shooting and sadly it very well may not be the last. My son goes thought a metal detector every morning at his school. Not because it’s a bad school or in a bad neighborhood. It’s a great school is a snotty north Dallas neighborhood. The metal detectors are there to protect the kids from each other, but more importantly, to protect those kids from themselves! How devastating would be to allow one of those little monsters hurt another kids and then have them pay the price for the rest of their lives. It wouldn’t be quite fair. They haven’t fully learned of the great big world out side of cafeteria gossip and trips to the mall.

Overall, I love Jodi Picoult and look forward to reading her again.