What I'm Reading: Nineteen Minutes

I just finished reading "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult. Without giving anything away, it's about a high school student named Peter that is bullied relentlessly, and feels the only way to stop it is to shoot his bullies. Picoult used the Columbine shooting for the majority of her research, so there are many similarities. I was in 5th grade when Columbine happened and still remember that day all too well so this book hit a little too close to home. Although it was quite intense at parts, I really enjoyed reading it. So often Jodi Picoult's books make you think, and this book did exactly that. Although Peter shot and killed people in this story, you can't help but feel sorry for him and what he had to endure. The book brings up the topic of "battered woman syndrome" and you ask yourself if that would work in Peter's case. Women in abusive relationships sometimes end up killing their partner or spouse because in their mind, they have no other way out so they use battered women syndrome as their defense. Is Peter's situation the same? Or could the school have done more to protect him?



*We also read "House Rules" by Jodi Picoult, which I HIGHLY recommend. It's another book that makes you think about the legal system, and whether or not it works for people that are "different."