15 - nineteen minutes

usually when someone gives me a book and tells me how much it impacted them, i can't wait to read it. nineteen minutes was different, though, because it's about a school shooting. a subject i quite honestly don't like to think about. at all.

someone gave me this book last year for my birthday, and i just finally got the courage to open it. i'd never read a jodi picoult book until now. i know so many people who love her books, but i just always seem to have other stuff piled up to read. after reading nineteen minutes i can see why people are fans of hers. there are so many story lines going on in this book and i am amazed at how she managed to keep them all straight, relevant, and intriguing. but, as i said, nineteen minutes is about a topic that, as a teacher, is really hard for me to think about, much less read a book about and find any sort of - and i use this word lightly - 'entertainment.' to be honest, books like this just make me feel helpless as a teacher. so while i found the story thought provoking, i don't really like how unsettled i feel now that i'm done.

do i think that was her point in writing it? yes.