Nineteen Minutes
3 journalers for this copy...
I read this book about four months ago but didn't have time to review it. I've just discovered the notes I made back then, but I don't remember it well enough to write a full review. I do know that it was a book which made me neglect my household duties, I read it immediately after Lionel Shriver's 'We Need to Talk About Kevin', which is also about a high school massacre, so obviously I compared the two. Whereas Kevin and his mother provoked strong feelings in me, and I found a great deal of sympathy with the mother, despite her faults, I didn't feel close to the characters in this novel; somewhat paradoxically as Peter in 'Nineteen Minutes' has far more justification for his alienation and rage. Kevin, at least as portrayed by his biased mother, was evil from early childhood; Peter was provoked by long-term persistent bullying.
Here are the notes I made whilst reading:
At one point, after the shootings, Josie throws herself to the ground when she hears a car backfire. This reminded me of a friend of mine who grew up in a village on the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland in the heyday of the IRA bombings; he mentioned that this was his instinctive reaction to a loud noise.
I was surprised to read that you can buy ammunition in Walmart!
Both this book and 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' are told from the adults' point of view. I felt that this book sounded very scripted, with an emphasis on what people said and did, looking back, with a lot of "Alex said this", "Josie did that"; I wonder if Jodi Picoult did this so that she could control how it would be used if a film was made of the book.
I wondered why, if prisoners are innocent until proved guilty, Peter was only allowed to have one visit a fortnight (apart from his lawyer). As a minor, however obviously guilty, would it have been legal to keep him in virtual solitary confinement? Another legal question which puzzled me was why Peter's father, Lewis, wasn't called to testify.
"Children didn't make their own mistakes. They plunged into the pits they'd been led to by their parents." (p.369).
"Taking credit for what a child did well meant accepting responsibility for what they did wrong." (p.370).
As a parent, these are statements I cannot entirely agree with; there comes a point where parents have to step back and allow their children to take responsibility for themselves and make their own mistakes. There comes a point where it is no longer possible to know their whereabouts 24/7, where you have to trust them. All you can do is hope that you have set them a moral compass to follow, and keep the lines of communications open when they want to ask for help and advice. I don't believe parents can claim much responsibility for children's achievements, nor is it their fault if their children fail.
Here are the notes I made whilst reading:
At one point, after the shootings, Josie throws herself to the ground when she hears a car backfire. This reminded me of a friend of mine who grew up in a village on the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland in the heyday of the IRA bombings; he mentioned that this was his instinctive reaction to a loud noise.
I was surprised to read that you can buy ammunition in Walmart!
Both this book and 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' are told from the adults' point of view. I felt that this book sounded very scripted, with an emphasis on what people said and did, looking back, with a lot of "Alex said this", "Josie did that"; I wonder if Jodi Picoult did this so that she could control how it would be used if a film was made of the book.
I wondered why, if prisoners are innocent until proved guilty, Peter was only allowed to have one visit a fortnight (apart from his lawyer). As a minor, however obviously guilty, would it have been legal to keep him in virtual solitary confinement? Another legal question which puzzled me was why Peter's father, Lewis, wasn't called to testify.
"Children didn't make their own mistakes. They plunged into the pits they'd been led to by their parents." (p.369).
"Taking credit for what a child did well meant accepting responsibility for what they did wrong." (p.370).
As a parent, these are statements I cannot entirely agree with; there comes a point where parents have to step back and allow their children to take responsibility for themselves and make their own mistakes. There comes a point where it is no longer possible to know their whereabouts 24/7, where you have to trust them. All you can do is hope that you have set them a moral compass to follow, and keep the lines of communications open when they want to ask for help and advice. I don't believe parents can claim much responsibility for children's achievements, nor is it their fault if their children fail.
Added to the ForeignExchange book boxes.
Journal Entry 3 by bookguide at Haus der Jugend - BC Convention 2019 in Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz Germany on Friday, April 26, 2019
Released 4 yrs ago (4/26/2019 UTC) at Haus der Jugend - BC Convention 2019 in Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz Germany
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
This book has been released as part of the following BookCrossing challenges:
- The Ultimate Challenge - read and release books, with extra points for a monthly theme
- Reduce Mount TBR (To Be Read) - read and release books on the TBR list since before the end of the previous year. My reading goal is 36 books.
- The Ultimate Challenge - read and release books, with extra points for a monthly theme
- Reduce Mount TBR (To Be Read) - read and release books on the TBR list since before the end of the previous year. My reading goal is 36 books.
Still left over from the convention and staying with me for now.
