Peter was a loving and sensitive young boy and on his first day of kindergarten, he found out that's not how he was supposed to be. He had his lunch box thrown out of the bus and from that day on was relentlessly bullied, even by his older brother. He tried to find help, but this only made things worse.
Josie was his best friend until her mom stopped them from hanging out when they were still young. Their paths crossed from time to time, they did live in a small town, but by high school they traveled in different social circles.
As the story is told, we go from months before the shooting to years before, from days after to the day of. I actually tried to read the book, but had a hard time starting it. I opted to listen to it and I'm glad I did. Nineteen Minutes was one of those books that I felt a sadness for towards the end, because I really cared about the characters and I wasn't ready to let them go. The people were complex and well developed. This was a book that made me look at my own actions and thoughts as well as what others may be dealing with. It taught me to not be too quick to judge and to really listen to my children. I cannot say enough good things about this book.
Some quotes from the book that really resonated:
"If you spent your life concentrating on what everyone else thought of you, would you forget who you really were? What if the face you showed the world turned out to be a mask, with nothing beneath it."
"You were born with six silver spoons up your ass... you're granted passage and you don't even realize that other people never get to walk that way. Being on the fringe is the most dis-empowering feeling."
I give it a 5 out of 5....I loved it.
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