Outside Reading - Week 1, Post B

Nineteen Minutes By Jodi Picoult

Dear Lacy,
You are one of the main characters in the novel Nineteen Minutes. Your son, the one you thought was a normal teenager, was the gunman in the school shootings. You went to the shooting thinking, hoping, that your son was not a victim, but instead he was the person commiting the crime. How did that feel? Thoughts are going through your mind, wondering if it was your fault, or because you didn't do something. In fact, you ask your husband, "Do you think it's our fault?"(96). Because I am not a parent, I do not know what it would be like to feel like I am failing to provide the support my child needs, i could tell it's probably very difficult. There probably was nothing you did terribly wrong, but your child just turned out badly. When Peter, your son, was five he was the target of many bully attempts. You say to him one day about the bully, "He's a bully. A jerk, in a tiny package. But he'll grow up to be a bigger jerk, and you - you're going to grow up to be someone incredible. One day, Peter, everyone's going to know your name"(74). I think this quote is ironic because the day of the shooting everyone knew his name, and the little part attached to it: the shooter who killed 10 students. Im predicting that Peter continued to be bullied but he decided to take the wrong road with his emotions and ruin his reputation. Well, stick in there!

Sincerly,
Claire.