Nineteen Minutes
By: Jodi Picoult

Josie is the main character in this book. She is the
character that everyone has a connection with. The book
really revolves around her life, and this big event that has
taken place.
Protagonist
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Matt is Josie’s boyfriend. He is the one that brings all of
the negative into the story. He is a huge part in why this
school shooting happened, and why he was killed. He
made Josie become someone who she wasn’t.
Antagonist

My favorite character is Patrick Ducharme. He is the police
officer. He was the first one into the shooting and because
of him lives were saved. Not only was he a hero, but he
also ends up falling in love with Josie’s mom Alex. After all
that has happened in their lives, he has really proven to
their family that everything can and will be normal again in
the future.
Favorite Character

My least favorite character is Matt. He was Josie’s
boyfriend. He is the one that made her popular. She did
not respect him at all and hated who he had made her.
She never ended it because she wanted to be popular even
though she hated who she was because of it. Even though
Josie didn’t know it, he tortured her in so many ways and
was a big bully. Matt ends up dying in the school shooting.
Least Favorite Character

The two main characters are Josie and Peter. These two go
way back in their lives. They were best friends all through
their childhood. There were two things that stopped them
from being best friends through high school. The first one
was an incident that happened when they were younger
when Peter showed Josie his Dad’s guns. Alex Josie’s mom
didn’t allow them to hang out anymore. The second
reason was that Josie really just wanted to be popular.
Peter didn’t care for that, and continued to live his life.
Peter was really “different” and didn’t really have friends.
He didn’t fit in with anyone. Josie went in the other
direction and got her boyfriend Matt and became one of
the popular crowd even though she hated who it made her.
Exposition

Peter became the boy who was always bullied and
tormented. The final humiliation was when he was trying
to get Josie to sit with him at lunch. Everyone laughed at
him, and Matt pulled his pants down. He stood there half
naked and completely mortified, and then he ran out of
there. A few days later, Peter stole a gun from his
neighbors house. This is when he started planning for his
revenge.
Rising Action

On March 6, 2007, Peter Houghton brings chaos to Sterling
High School. He shot and killed ten people, and injured
many more. Josie was not shot but had hit her head and
put uncontieous. When she woke up she didn’t remember
a thing. Matt had been killed in the shooting, and when
Josie found out she didn’t know what was going to happen
to her life. She didn’t think she could be the popular girl
without him.
Climax

After the shooting they have to figure out a lot of what
really happened, and how it happened. Patrick takes
charge in this case. If feels really close to home for him,
he says that this is the worst thing he has ever seen. He
gets everyones side of the story. Peter takes the blame for
all that he has done. His parents can’t believe they didn’t
see this coming and they don’t know how they hardly knew
who he really was. Josie begins to go on with her life, she
hardly talks to the popular crowd anymore.
Falling Action

Five months after, Josie comes out with the truth. She
admits that she is the one that shot Matt. She goes to jail
for the next four years. She should now get the help that
she needs. She turned her back on a friend who needed
her, she became popular and hated who she was, and she
was always thinking about killing herself. Now she can get
the help and when she gets out of jail she can just be
Josie. She will love herself for that.
Resolution

Time Period: The book goes back and
forth between the present time and the
past. So really it goes back to when both
Josie and Peter were born. She goes to
jail in March 2008. The book covers
about 18 years of their lives.

Place: Sterling, New Hampshire. This is
a very small town where everyone knows
everyone.
Setting
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1. Peer Pressure:
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2. Violence:
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3. Bullying:
Teenagers need to be taught and
learn how to be their own person. They need to realize that it
is okay to be who they are, and stand up for what they believe
in.
No matter how bad things get for, you
should never result into violence. It only brings you down to
their level and in this story ends up ruining the rest of your
life.
Bullying is being just straight up mean.
This usually means that you have something wrong with
yourself, or you do this to make yourself feel better about you.
There is just no way to justify that bullying is the right thing
to be doing.
Themes

I give this book a 10 in rating. I really
loved this book, it taught me a lot, and
also just always kept me wanting to know
more. I never wanted to put the book
down.
Rating

I have put this book into two social issues
that I think go hand in hand with each
other. They are….
BULLYING
 SCHOOL VIOLENCE

Social Issue

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWJut
7KQhI4
You Tube Video
MUSIC
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School Violence
by Crys
You put your kids to bed
With Good intentions in your head
You tuck them in tight
You wish them a good night
Tomorrows another school day
And with it knowledge comes their way
You teach them to care
You teach them to share
You teach them to trust
You teach them that learning is a must
Morning comes and you send them to school
With the knowledge they should follow the rules
Later in the day you get a call...
Theres been a shooting...
Your child has taken a fall!
Another student full of rage
Went to school with guns and hand grenades
Teachers and students are running scared
Theres blood everywhere, bodies in the halls
Friends and teachers are involved
You don't know what to do
Your in a daze, it happened so fast
It all ended in a blast!
Your child has been taken away
And it happened within a school day
We all must wake up and stop the violence!
Speak up! Don't be silent!
Our kids are dying
And some of us aren't even trying
We have to take a stand
And make this craziness end!!!
Life is worth living
And love is worth giving...
So why is this world taking our young souls
Instead of letting them grow old?
Why are we killing
Instead of healing?
At last I pray, "Dear God, Bless those who are left behind,
And let them keep this in mind...
We can not change what happened that sad day,
But maybe we can stop the sorrows of tomorrow."
POEM
http://www.gotpoetry.com/Poems/l_op=viewpoems/lid=23895.html

Bullying includes a wide variety of behaviors,
but all involve a person or a group repeatedly
trying to harm someone who is weaker or
more vulnerable. It can involve direct attacks
(such as hitting, threatening or intimidating,
maliciously teasing and taunting, namecalling, making sexual remarks, and stealing
or damaging belongings) or, indirect attacks
(such as spreading rumors or encouraging
others to reject or exclude someone).
BULLYING

About 30 percent of teens in the US are said
to be involved in school bullying. They are
involved by either being a bully, a target of
teen bullying, or being both a bully and a
target. It shows in a recent national survey
that was taken of students in grades 6-10
that 13 percent of them said they were a
bully towards others, 11 percent said they
were the target of school bullies, and 6
percent said they were both a bully and a
target for bullies.
statistics

Teen bullying is much more common with
younger teens than it is with older teens.
It is shown that as teens grow older, they
are less likely to bully others and be a
target of bullying.
Age differences

It is proven that bullying occurs a lot more among
boys than it does girls. Teenage boys are a lot more
likely to bully others than to be bullied themselves.
Most teens say that they are bullied by being made
fun of the way they look or talk. But in reality, boys
are more likely to report being physically beaten.
Teenage girls are often more sensitive to rumors and
sexual comments. These things are often what the
girls are targets of. Usually when a girl is bullying,
she is bullying another girl. On the other hand, boys
target both boys and girls. Girls usually use more
subtle and indirect forms of bullying while boys use
more aggression.
Difference between boys and girls

Teen bullying can cause teenagers to feel many different
emotions.
tense
anxious
afraid

It can affect the way they act in school and around others.
A lot of the time it leads them to avoid school, and other
crowded surroundings. As the bullying continues, it can
begin to affect ones self-esteem and also their feelings of
self-worth. It is known to increase their social isolation.
This leads to them becoming depressed and withdrawn.
Some teens go to the extreme and carry weapons for
protection or try to take violent revenge. Others who feel
desperate will consider suicide.
How do the targets of bullies
really feel?

Teen bullies are four times more likely to
be convicted of crimes by age 24 than
non-bullies. 60 percent of teen bullies
have at least one criminal conviction in
their future.
statistics

There is no single reason why students become
violent. School violence is very difficult to
understand. Some teens follow the behavior they
have seen at home, on the streets, or in the
entertainment like video games, TV and movies.
Sometimes, people who have been victims of teasing
and feel like they would do anything to make it stop
turn violent. Another reason is one who may feel
isolated and rejected by their peers. There is one
thing that all experts do agree on, and that is that
having access to guns or other weapons makes it
easier for some people to lash out against the things
or people they don’t like.
School Violence

It is safer to be in school than it is to be in
a car. Twice as many 15-19 year olds die
in car accidents than in shootings. That is
all shootings, not just the ones that
happen in schools. Less than 1% of all
homicides among school age children
happen on school grounds or on the way
to and from school.
statistics

Some schools will now require guests to
check in at the office, and some have even
installed metal detectors. Greater awareness
of problems like bullying is another thing that
helps make schools safer. There are many
schools that are trying new programs to fight
these issues. The programs help teachers
and administration know more about
protecting students from this type of
violence.
Prevention

The community is a big part in preventing
school violence. School violence is a
reflection of what goes on in our
communities and neighborhoods. Schools
are most effective in confronting school
violence when the community around
them gives them support.
Prevention
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

Schools must build a school-wide foundation
for all children.
Schools must identify students at risk for
severe academic or behavioral difficulties
early on and create services and supports
that address risk factors and build protective
factors for them.
Schools must identify and provide intensive
interventions for the few children who are
experiencing significant emotional and
behavioral problems.
School violence prevention

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
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

Tell the child or adolescent that you care and are concerned.
Gather a complete violence history from the child or adolescent
that addresses exposure to violence, safety issues, stressors in
school, family, and community.
Talk to the child's parents/caregivers about bullying and its
seriousness. Address any myths they might hold about bullying.
Some parents may believe that bullying is a normal part of
childhood and that children are best left to work it out among
themselves. Some believe that fighting back is the best way to
stop bullying.
Provide the child's parents with information about bullying and
how to help their child respond to bullying.
Provide the child or adolescent with information on bullying.
Encourage the child's school to implement a comprehensive
violence prevention plan that includes an anti-bullying
component.
Treating a victim of bullying
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
Aid, F. F. (n.d.). School Bullying and Teen Bullying Statistics.
Express, T. &. (2010, January 30). School Violence Needs Real
Solutions.
Halligan, J. (2003). If We Only Knew, If He Only Told Us.
llbo, T. C. (2010, February 25). Bullying on the Rise in Elementary
Schools.
Picoult, J. (2007). Nineteen Minutes. New York.
Prevention, N. Y. (n.d.). Elements of Effective School Violence
Prevention Plans .
reports, S. (2010, February 23). Bill that targets bullying clears
committee at State House. p. 1.
TeensHealth. (n.d.). Bullying is a Big Problem. pp. 1-6.
Bibliography