Nineteen Minutes

I read Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. This book is about a school shooting that occurred in the small city of Sterling, New Hampshire. The shooting tests family relationships in the town and how you can live in the same house and not know your own son. It also tests society as a whole.
The story has many characters: Josie Cormier, part of the popular group at school, is constantly worrying about people seeing through her fake surface and losing the acceptance of her "friends." Josie's mother, Alex, is the judge on the case and is desperately trying to get back her daughter she feels she's losing. Peter Houghton, in the same grade as Josie, has been bullied since the first day of kindergarten and is finally seeking revenge. Then there's Patrick Ducharme, who was called to the school moments after the shooting, just trying to piece the whole, unbelievable tragedy together.
I really liked this book because it’s packed with emotion, action, and surprise. You get to see each character develop as their side of the story is told. It can be a harsh wake up call about how what you say and how you treat others really affects them. It’s definitely one of those books where you’re still thinking about it days after you finished reading it. This book raises so many questions about bonds between families, society, and especially high school communities. I think anyone would really enjoy this book. No matter who you are, you’ll be able to relate to the story because there’s so many different kind of people represented. Throughout the book, the author shows you into everyone’s point of view to see if a town that experienced something so horrible can ever mend.