“In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world; or you can just jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge” (5). Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult is the story of 17 year-old Peter Houghton, who has been the target of threats and abuse for most of his life. It is the devastating tragedy of a social outcast walking into school and callously shooting the teachers and students who failed him. Nineteen Minutes was enough time to have a profound impact on how I choose to live my life. Nineteen Minutes gives powerful meaning to how social hierarchies play a role in high schools. It analyzes why teenagers choose popularity over ethics. It demonstrates how bullying can destroy one’s sense of self, and forces the reader to explore why people choose to remain silent bystanders rather than stand …show more content…
In my previous high school, I became the target of a private meme group on Facebook. When I tried to defend myself, the cyberbullying became more aggressive. Although the group consisted of many members, the participants all choose to engage in the bullying or remain silent. Standing up for the target could result in social suicide. I put up a good shield, yet I was not impervious to the insults. What if I never transferred schools? What if I endured years of bullying? What if my parents weren’t supportive? Peter wasn’t as lucky as I. His bullying started on his first day of kindergarten when his superman lunchbox was thrown out the bus window. It continued as his head was shoved into a toilet bowl and his body stuffed into a locker. Even Peter’s father favored his perfect, older brother. Nineteen Minutes forced me to feel the impact of Peter’s years of torments. Nineteen minutes symbolizes how small moments can have immense impacts in life. It will always be the book that guides me to make the decision to treat people with compassion and stand up for those that have been