I've always loved Jodi Picoult books, but this one is easily my favorite. The interesting storyline, tied along with an important and relevant message, caught my attention after just the first few pages. Picoult is such a strong writer because she makes fiction seem like reality. Her characters are so real, that I felt as if they went to school with me every day. I recognize qualities of my friends and other students within her characters, making Nineteen Minutes a very captivating and powerful novel.
Picoult's novel brings up a lot of important questions. Who has the right to judge someone else? How can we stop bullying? Why does bullying even take place? What does it mean to be different? Can the shooter in a school shooting also be the victim? As high school students, are we ever acting truly as ourselves? I think all of these questions are so important because they connect to me and are relevant in every high school student's life. Although I believe that DHS does not face a lot of bullying, we're still not a perfect school. There's plenty of name-calling, side snickers, and people that make fun of others behind their backs. What these students may not realize is how much hurt they are causing another. Nineteen Minutes was an extremely powerful story because it educated me on why bullying has such severe consequences. It is wrong, hurtful, and must be stopped.
Peter was one of the main characters in this book and I both sympathized with his problems, and also hated him for hurting so many innocent people. Josie, however, was a character that I really enjoyed reading about. She was a complex girl-she was constantly faced with the decision of whether popularity or doing the right thing was more important. For a long time, she took the popularity route. As a girl in high school I know how much pressure there is to do the right thing in order to be accepted. Josie is just like any teenage girl; she knew what she was doing was wrong, but was too selfish to stand up for Peter. It was only in the end of the novel, with the final twist, when she admitted to the court room the truth. She shared that she was the one who shot Matt, not Peter.
I think part of the reason Josie shot her boyfriend was because in the moment she was overwhelmed and scared, and she partly believed that both her and Matt were responsible for leading Peter to this place. She was tired of being a coward and not standing up for what she believed in. She knew that how Matt and her other friends treated Peter was wrong, and in the moment, she felt that she needed to cause Matt the pain he caused Peter. That was her way of standing up for herself, as well as Peter. Similarly to Peter, it was clear that Josie was hurting from keeping the truth to herself for so long.
Josie demonstrates that even though it is difficult, it is very important to stay true to yourself and stand up for what you believe it. The students who stand by knowing that bullying is wrong, but never try to stop it, are just as much to blame. Peter felt alone, when all along Josie cared for him and wanted him to stop feeling the pain he felt. But because she never stood up for him or told him that, he never knew.
Nineteen Minutes was a very powerful and deep story that educated me a lot about bullying and it's repercussions. It has taught me how to be a better person and why it is important to stand up for what you know is right, even if it is not the socially acceptable thing to do. I loved reading this novel, and I think it is very important for other high school students to read it as well so that they can be educated about the issue of bullying.
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