Book Discussion of Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

I'm planning to start the book in the next day or two 🙂I hope we have some more participants, but silent participants are welcome, too, like with the last book.

@ReadBooks7. I have the book and am planning to start it soon.

@adventurousBranch3786 sounds great! Thank you!

@diligentNest7099 this is our most recent book thread. Welcome 😊

Hi everyone! I started the book yesterday, and I'm hooked. I had read it a long time ago, and I had forgotten just how good it is and how the storyline grabbed me. I'm looking forward to discussing it!

@ReadBooks7. I’ve been grabbed by it too!

@adventurousBranch3786 this is definitely one of her best books. She is so absolutely talented.

Hi everyone! Just checking in to see who might have joined in the book reading, who might still be interested, and how everyone is liking the book so far. I am a little less than halfway through. I have a hard time putting it down.

@ReadBooks7. I like it. I am only up to chapter 4. I hope that I’ll be able to read some more chapters soon. It’s very good.

@adventurousBranch3786 I am glad that you like it!

Hi everyone! I'm just checking in about book progress. I finished it already; I always have a hard time putting Jodi's books down and find myself staying up late to read. 

I also want to get some input about an idea that was presented to me about a possible book club of sorts. If I understand correctly, it would take place in one of the chat rooms, and people would be able to sign up and join, similarly to how we join here, but instead with our own chat room. Again, if I understand correctly, the room would remain open, and people would be able to leave messages and answer discussion questions at their convenience. 

I haven't given it too much thought, but I want to get input from others. I'm not sure if there are advantages to that versus this (this being a forum post).

Thank you!

@ReadBooks7.  Hi I’m up 10 page 150 so I still have a way to go. So far the book is very good.  I’m not sure about the chat room for book discussions. I’ll have to think about it some more.

@adventurousBranch3786 thank you! I haven't had a lot of time to think it over, and I'm not really sure if there are advantages to it versus here. I tend to think, if something is working well, why change it? But if there is good reason to try a different approach, it can be worth considering. I like our posts here, though!

@ReadBooks7. Chat room versus forum discussion either way is fine with me. I wonder if more people would attend a chat room discussion. Btw I’m up to page 220 and hope to read some more today.

@adventurousBranch3786 I was thinking that a chat room could potentially draw more people, especially if it is announced by Cups leadership. I think that is likely the one advantage. Thank you for the feedback!

@ReadBooks7. I finished the book today.

@ReadBooks7

@adventurousBranch3786 what did you think of the book, overall? Thank you for letting me know! I will start posting some discussion questions. 

@ReadBooks7 

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@hafsanoor4 thank you for sharing! This is very insightful!

@ReadBooks7.     Omg it was a very powerful and emotional experience. I found it sad and tragic. Even though it was fiction it was about things that are really happening.

@adventurousBranch3786 Jodi has a natural talent of presenting some of the hardest hitting events that are reality and providing all sides. This book is one of her best, I think. It really showcases how tragic this type of event is from all sides.

I have had a busier week than anticipated, but I will begin posting discussion questions asap.

Discussion Question One from the back of the book:

"Alex and Lacy's friendship comes to an end when they discover Peter and Josie playing with guns in the Houghton House. Why does Alex decide that it's in Josie's best interest to keep her away from Peter? What significance is there to the fact that Alex is the first one to prevent Josie from being friends with Peter?"

@ReadBooks7. I guess that Alex felt it was an unsafe environment for Josie after witnessing that the guns were unlocked and accessible to children. 

I’m not sure what the significance was in Alex preventing Josie from being friends with Peter other than she sensed a dangerous situation and wanted to protect her daughter.

@adventurousBranch3786 I agree with you. I think that this situation was simply a mother doing what she believed was best. I do not really know how she could have handled it differently. Too risky.

I have had a busier week than usual so my questions and replies might take a bit longer than usual 😊

@ReadBooks7. No worries.  The only thing I could think of is if Alex would let Peter visit Josie at their house. But I could see why a parent would be worried after a situation like that.

@adventurousBranch3786 that is true, that might have been a different way to handle it. I guess Alex was just really stunned and worried about seeing a young child handling a gun, so I do understand her response.

Discussion Question Two from the back of the book:

"Alex often has trouble separating her roles as judge and mother. How does this affect her relationship with Josie? Discuss whether Alex's job is more important to her than being a mother."

@ReadBooks7.  Initially I thought that Alex’s job was more important to her but that started to change after the horrible incident. By the end of the book I thought Alex valued being a mother at least as much as her career.  I thought that Josie resented her mother for not being very  involved in her life.

@adventurousBranch3786 I think that Alex cared very much about being a good mother, but I think at times she could have done a better job. That, I am sure, could be said for any parent, or most parents. I think she tried, but in all honesty, I feel like all of the parents in the book could have tried a lot harder. I compare this book to House Rules, for example, and while the mom in that book struggled to manage being there equally for both of her children, I think she put in a lot more effort and really did the best she absolutely could.

I have had an extremely busy week, but I'll post more questions asap 🙂

I have not forgotten about posting. I have just been way, way busier than usual💚

@ReadBooks7. No problem at all.

I will post a few questions while I have some time 💚

Discussion question Number Three from the back of the book:

"A theme throughout the novel is the idea of masks and personas and pretending to be someone you're not. To which characters does this apply, and why?"

@ReadBooks7  The one that stands out the most to me was Josie. She felt she had to pretend to fit in.

@adventurousBranch3786 I agree. I really felt for Josie about this, although I have to admit, I did not quite understand completely why she felt this way. I might have missed it or been too focused on Peter's character development, but I am not sure why she developed this need to fit in at all costs instead of learning to stand her ground and be true to herself. It made me not like her at times.

@ReadBooks7. I think there can be a lot of pressure to fit in and be popular. It must be worse now with the internet and social media. Those things weren’t around when I was younger but I have heard that there is a lot of pressure for young people.

Question Four from the back of the book:

"At one point defense attorney Jordan McAfee refers to himself as a "spin doctor," and he believes that at the end of Peter's trial he "will be either reviled or canonized" (page 250). What is your view of Jordan? As you were reading the book, did you find it difficult to remain objective about the judicial system's standing that every defendant (no matter how heinous [their] crime has the right to a fair trial?"

@ReadBooks7.  I felt neutral about Jordan. I’ve seen in real life things that defense lawyers have done that made me angry . It seemed to me what Jordan did was within reason compared to some cases that I have seen. 

@adventurousBranch3786 I felt much the same. I think he took his job seriously and was trying to defend his client and remain ethical. I also think that he sincerely felt that Peter was a victim and that, while that does not condone his actions, he truly was a troubled young man who might not have completely thought through his actions.