19 Minutes

This was my first experience with a Jodi Picoult novel, and I’m not sure I would really seek out another one. This book was extremely difficult for me to read (thus why I am posting on a Friday night). I can see that is a well-written book. Picoult does a great job with character and plot development. The flashbacks give very need insight to a story like this one. The feelings of all of the characters involved, from Josie and Alex to Peter and Patrick and everyone else in the novel, don’t seemed far fetched or too over done. In fact it is some of the reality that is almost too hard for me to bear. With the first flashback where Peter is on his way to the first day of kindergarten and has his new Superman lunch box (that he is so excited about) taken from him and thrown out the back of the bus, I had to pause and put the book down because it was too much for me emotionally. I am still having a tough time with the image in my mind writing about it in this blog posting. It makes me feel so bad for him that I feel like crying. I can remember having some similar experiences growing up and I find that now I have a serious soft spot for kids (real or fictional) who are picked on or feel really different.

As far as recommending this book to teens, I probably still would despite my own personal feelings. It deals with a lot of relevant feelings and emotions that they may be feeling about the stereotypes and labels people receive in high school whether they want them or not. Also, with so many shootings and weapons at high schools and colleges in the news since Columbine, I feel like as a librarian, I would need to be open to talking about the subject and the various subjects that surround tragedies like one in the book. This is a topic that kids need to feel like they can talk with someone and be open about their feelings. I feel like the messages in fiction and reality is the same again and again, teens want to be listened to and shouldn’t be bullied for being different. It doesn’t mean that every teen or young adult is going to do what Peter did, but I feel like adults need to try to be aware of what is happening with the teens they are working with and that teens and young adults need to aware of how they are treating each other. I feel like Picoult does a good job with a really difficult subject.