Just finished up one of my favorite authors, Jodi Picoult. Her latest book Nineteen Minutes is all based on a school shooting. I think it is relevant for our time - AND relevant because I think it is such a real problem when kids that are picked on incessantly, and consequently, struggle with feeling not worth anything! I so felt for Peter in this story - the boy that was teased, taunted, physically hurt, and it all started right off in Kindergarten when his brand new lunch box was thrown out the bus window EVERY WEEK. I hate kids picking on other kids - I absolutely HATE it, but they do - they choose a weak or "different" child and that picking goes on constantly - I saw it and I still see it. So - that's the story - one child so ostracized that he takes to a shooting rampage in his school as his greatest act of revenge. The only thing I didn't like about the book??? It is over 400 pages - when I get to the end of a 400 page book, I want it to feel worth it - this one seemed to rush at the end, throw in a "somewhat" convincing ending, and be done. I'm still not sure that what happened had any strong "reason" for happening ~ it just wasn't convincing enough. I do love Picoult for her twists and turns though - she is great at that!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Nineteen Minutes
Just finished up one of my favorite authors, Jodi Picoult. Her latest book Nineteen Minutes is all based on a school shooting. I think it is relevant for our time - AND relevant because I think it is such a real problem when kids that are picked on incessantly, and consequently, struggle with feeling not worth anything! I so felt for Peter in this story - the boy that was teased, taunted, physically hurt, and it all started right off in Kindergarten when his brand new lunch box was thrown out the bus window EVERY WEEK. I hate kids picking on other kids - I absolutely HATE it, but they do - they choose a weak or "different" child and that picking goes on constantly - I saw it and I still see it. So - that's the story - one child so ostracized that he takes to a shooting rampage in his school as his greatest act of revenge. The only thing I didn't like about the book??? It is over 400 pages - when I get to the end of a 400 page book, I want it to feel worth it - this one seemed to rush at the end, throw in a "somewhat" convincing ending, and be done. I'm still not sure that what happened had any strong "reason" for happening ~ it just wasn't convincing enough. I do love Picoult for her twists and turns though - she is great at that!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I think there are forces in the blog world at work. So many persons have been reviewing Picoult's novels lately! I really will have to try at least one.
Picoult is one of my all time fave authors. Happy reading!
Post a Comment