![\"Cover](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Nineteen-Minutes.jpg?resize=193%2C300&ssl=1\")
By Jodi Picoult\n\u00a9 March 5, 2007, Atria Books
\nFile size: 4.1 MB
\n468 pages
\nISBN-13: 978-1416538950\n
<\/p>By Jodi Picoult
\n\u00a9 March 5, 2007, Atria Books
\nFile size: 4.1 MB
\n468 pages
\nISBN-13: 978-1416538950\n
Caution: This review contains spoilers\u2014not of the ending, but of the story\u2019s arc. Still, I don\u2019t think that will diminish the book\u2019s impact on readers.<\/p>\n
Nineteen Minutes<\/em>, which tops the list of banned books for the 2023-2024 school year, is the tale of a small-town school shooting, the events that led up to it, and the aftermath and consequences. From the very first page\u2014which is the beginning of a letter left behind by the shooter\u2014to the last, this book is filled with eye-opening revelations of what happens when school bullying is allowed to go unchecked. It\u2019s also a glimpse inside the personal hell of young students who are in that hot seat and can\u2019t seem to find their way out. But it also delves into relationship violence, friendship, and the concept of belonging, all themes that are highly relevant to high school students. So why was this book banned?<\/p>\n One simple reason: there is a single scene that depicts a date rape, and the word \u201cerection\u201d is used.<\/p>\n Let me repeat that. This book was not banned for its depiction of gun violence or bullying, which is the overarching theme of the entire book, but for a single, brief scene in which a domineering boy date-rapes his girlfriend. Date rape is absolutely a horrific experience that no student wants to endure; I have personal experience in this matter, as do some of my readers, I expect. Yet it seemed to me that banning this book based on that single scene, without any mention of the other tragedies or traumas prevalent in this book, was a very telling detail.<\/p>\n Told through the perspectives of several students and their parents, Nineteen Minutes<\/em> shows us up close and personal what it\u2019s like to be bullied. Not just sometimes. Every damn day. All damn day, at school. What it\u2019s like to be disbelieved, or have our efforts to make it stop actually make it worse. And what it\u2019s like to be told by those to whom you turn for protection that you need to toughen up. This book is a bold, bright flag that waves to honor every child, every teen who has been through that torment, and those who sacrificed who they were at their cores in order to fit in, just so they could avoid the bullying. It\u2019s also a cautionary tale to parents, teachers, and guardians who don\u2019t believe it\u2019s as bad as the kids say it is. (Trust me. It is.)<\/p>\n I believe with all my heart that this book is important. Yes, it\u2019s hard to read about such violence, especially knowing it came from a kid. Yes, it\u2019s hard to decide, afterward, whether the student got what he deserved. But I do not believe it should be banned; I think it should be required reading for parents, teachers, and students. Why? Because it asks really tough questions. How do we stop bullying? How can we help our kids get through that kind of experience and heal with little emotional scarring? What can the schools do to prevent such abuse by fellow students? How can we help our kids be more accepting of other kids who don\u2019t \u201cfit the expected mold\u201d?<\/p>\n And what are our kids saying that we aren\u2019t hearing?<\/p>\n Nineteen Minutes<\/em> is beautifully written and compelling, a riveting, chilling tale that, while fictional, could easily be a true one. I strongly urge you to read this book, especially if you have kids in school. Most highly recommended.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Jodi Picoult \u00a9 March 5, 2007, Atria Books File size: 4.1 MB 468 pages ISBN-13: 978-1416538950 Caution: This review contains spoilers\u2014not of the ending, but of the story\u2019s arc. Still, I don\u2019t think that will diminish the book\u2019s impact on readers. Nineteen Minutes, which tops the list of banned books for the 2023-2024 school…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8n0kX-1Nc","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":603,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2018\/02\/19\/what-not-to-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":6894,"position":0},"title":"What Not to Do","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"February 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"(Caveat: It is not my habit or intention to belittle another author\u2019s writing. 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