Review

Ninteen minutes by Jody Picoult
This book follows the lifes of people involved in a school shooting, giving the reader an inside look at thoughts and modivation of the shooter and the main victums. This book is wonderfully crafted, as it portrays the intricacies of human emotions and how everyones emotions impact the lives of others. I think that the idea to write about a school shooting is rather unoriginal- but the way that she explores the murderer's intentions and physology is extremely unique. This book is both a fun read and a book with deeper meaning. A major theme of this book is the impact of actions, it deals a lot with how people are connected and the idea that if one person is struggling, then the community as a whole struggles."Maybe that's because it's all a chain, and a long time ago someone did the first bad thing, and that led someone else to do another bad thing, and so on" (43)Nineteen Minutes also explores relationships, as one of the main character's identity is focused around her boyfriend and her conflicting desires to be with him and to be herself. The two main characters are Josie and Peter, people that are highly involved and impacted by the school shootings. Josie works, throughout the novel, to find her identity and come to terms with her old friendship with Peter. Peter is the murderer who struggles against constant teasing and an inability to conform to society. The author's style is very personal and she easily developes emotional links between each character and the reader. She writes from multiple perspectives to shows multiple accounts of the same tragedy, and she uses vivid imagers to engage the reader.Nineteen Minutes can be found in any Barnes and Noble near you!


Twilight By Stephenie Meyer
Twilight is a romance story featuring an ordinary teenage girl who upon moving to Forks, falls in love with the captivating Edward Cullen. However, she soon finds that Edward holds a terifying and exciting secret that could endanger both of their lives. "Say that person also did a wide range of bizarre things-- from saving your life under impossible circumstances one day..."This story is brilliantly crafted and Stephenie Meyer does a wonderful job making fantasy relate to the everyday people. The story is inspiring, because it is a classic tale of love conquering all, mixed with thrilling action and heated romance. A major theme of this book is immortality, Edward struggles to find purpose in his day-to-day life because he knows that he will never has normal relationships with those around him. Also, this book being a romance obviously deals with relationships and ir explores the way people rely on each other to provide purpose it the others life. The main character Edward Cullen is a vampire who is deeply scarred by the isolation and frivilousness of life as a vampire. Bella Swan is a ordinary girl who is extremely trusting and willing to accept Edward despite his abnormality. Although the actually writing in Twilight is not exceptional it is lighthearted and intimate in portraying Bella's deepest thoughts. Twilight can be purchased at any Barnes and Noble near you!