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

3rd book of Jodi Picoult.

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

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.

More than 19 minutes of enjoyment!

A Picoult book that should be on your reading list! I enjoyed it a great deal.

Unexpected ending

I liked all the characters. Not personally in a good way, but realistically as these are real life people that we meet everyday. We live in a pretty screwed up world at times and this story just goes to illustrate that. Enjoyable read, although sad and thought provoking. I recommend this book.