Synopsis
"In Sterling, New Hampshire, 17-year-old high school student Peter Houghton has endured years of verbal and physical abuse at the hands of classmates. His best friend, Josie Cormier, succumbed to peer pressure and now hangs out with the popular crowd that often instigates the harassment. One final incident of bullying sends Peter over the edge and leads him to commit an act of violence that forever changes the lives of Sterling's residents. Even those who were not inside the school that morning find their lives in an upheaval, including Alex Cormier. The superior court judge assigned to the Houghton case, Alex - whose daughter, Josie, witnessed the events that unfolded - must decide whether or not to step down. She's torn between presiding over the biggest case of her career and knowing that doing so will cause an even wider chasm in her relationship with her emotionally fragile daughter. Josie, meanwhile, claims she can't remember what happened in the last fatal minutes of Peter's rampage. Or can she? And Peter's parents, Lacy and Lewis Houghton, ceaselessly examine the past to see what they might have said or done to compel their son to such extremes. Rich with psychological and social insight, Nineteen Minutes is a riveting, poignant, and thought-provoking novel that has at its center a haunting question. Do we ever really know someone?"--From source other than the Library of Congress

Jodi Picoult has a knack for turning hot-button contemporary issues into morally troubling and fiercely paced bestsellers. She follows up the phenomenal success of MY SISTER'S KEEPER with NINETEEN MINUTES, a complex and disturbing novel about high-school shootings.

Details
Publication Date:	2007-03-05

Size
Length:	455 pages
Height:	9.5 in
Width:	6.3 in
Thickness:	1.2 in
Weight:	21.6 oz

Industry Reviews
"[Jodi Picoult's] insights into her characters' deep-seated emotions brings this ripped-from-the-headlines read chillingly alive." (starred review)
(01/01/2007)

"This is vintage Picoult, expertly crafted, thought-provoking, and compelling."
(03/09/2007)