Nineteen minutes is a riveting drama written by the well known Jodi Piccoult. She is utmost known for the book My Sister’s Keeper which was turned into a movie in 2009. Jodi is acknowledged for writing books that are not only able to capture and take the readers into the lives of the characters, but also someone who writes about real world problems. She knows how to truly draw the reader in until the last page.

Jodi Lynn Piccoult is a 47 year old woman who was born May 19,1966 in Nesconset, Ny. She has written 21 books with many more to come, her first book was published in 1992 “ Songs of the Humpback Whale”. Her latest book is “ The storyteller” which was published in early 2013. She was recently named NYT bestselling author. Jodi has a very different way of writing which detaches her from the others. When she writes a book she writes in each character's point of view, you are able to understand each person's thinking. She has changed so many people's lives through her writing. She will continue to impact people with her books for many years to come.

Nineteen minutes is  a heart stopping novel about a school shooting ( that lasted nineteen minutes).“Everyone would remember Peter for 19 minutes of his life, but what about the other nine million?” asks Peter’s mother. In the first pages of the book you meet Alex the towns judge and Josie her daughter. You are introduced into the relationship that they have and how they communicate, you then learn about Peter ( the shooter). Jodi takes you in his world from his point of view. Jodi takes you into Peter’s past and lets you know why he is the way he is and what motivated him to do the shooting. From the beginning Jodi lets you know that there is more to the shooting then you think. It wasn’t just a random rampage that one boy decided to do it was a well thought out tragedy. From the beginning pages are able to see the dynamic of the relationships in this book.  

The way that Jodi decided to write this book was beautiful. Since it was a book written about a shooting if it was written from Josie point of view (Victim of shooting) it would become very bias. When you write from each character’s view you are able to understand how the shooting affected each person. Jodi also writes from the past to the present. One chapter of the book may be 5 years before the shooting and then another chapter may be 1 month before the shooting. This is how she gives you background of each character and you are able to learn where they come from and why they behave the way that they do. By her doing this you don’t form judgements of the character, even though Peter Houghton shot his fellow class members you learn that the situation was much larger than life. Not that killing people was justified but you are able to understand him as a person. When Jodi wrote about the shooting in the book it wasn’t too much. I was scared when reading this book that the shooting part would be so sad. But the way she wrote was capturing. It wasn’t too graphic she drew you in so that you wanted to know what happen step by step.

There are many questions that are brought up in Nineteen minutes. Such as can someone be pushed too far? Another question that was brought up was could something have been done differently. Could his parents had listened to him when he constantly told them he was bullied. Another question that was brought up was did the students deserve to die? Should they have been punished for their wrongdoings? In addition why was peter bullied? Why him? Why was being different a death sentence? Why couldn’t he have just been Peter? In the book Jodi brings up a lot of issues when it comes to peer pressure and how it can really push someone past their breaking point.  

This book for the most part exceeds my expectations. Overall it was a absolutely a well written book. But at times it moved very slowly, but that was because without the background you weren’t able to understand each character. I never lost interest in what I was reading. Every Time I picked up the book I was hooked. I wanted to read all the way through to that last page. This book really opened my eyes to how much bullying can affect someone. I thought that reading this book around the time where America is being affected by school shooting would be hard but , this book only opened my eyes to the real  world problems. It also opened my eyes to the reality that some of these people are being bullied so much that they don’t know what else to do.  Anyone who likes fiction books that deal with realistic problems should read this book. Also it is just a good read the way she develops the characters and the life portrayed in this book is amazing.

The concept of the Holiday House seems very simple and direct: The house serves as a safe haven from all that isn’t what it shouldn’t be, offering homemade cookies made fresh from the oven, a couple nice children who serve as the ideal buddies, and endless activities and fun. The somewhat chilling effect that is given off by the story is the severity of the perfection occurring in this reality. For every day that passes by at the Holiday House, back in reality, an entire year passes. This goes hand in hand with the fact that for each day that passes at the house, all four seasons occur throughout each day. The Holiday House’s extremely deceiving facade is a perfect challenge for the mature and wise mind of Harvey Swick. The seemingly perfect environment, where every morning is Christmas, everything has purpose, and not a dull moment exists, was simply too perfect to trick Harvey. After consulting with a fellow resident around his age named Lulu, he realizes that she isn’t really happy, at all. He discovers that the owner of the house, Mr. Hood, is imprisoning the children with this false utopia. The fact that Harvey is so intelligent and can process such mature and adult-level thoughts makes the read very satisfying, as rarely do we see a ten year old doing the things Harvey did.

The recurring theme in this story is the comparison between what is real and what is illusion. These main topics incite deep thought and deeper meanings under the plot. The sense of otherworldliness within this seemingly ever so normal environment is a prime example of paradox and illusion. This characteristic of the book makes it only more alluring, as it becomes almost effortless to lose yourself in the realms and layers of the story. This strong trait that the book possesses makes it a fantastic read for the more mature audience. This asset brings along another powerful comparison to the novel, which is the comparison of audiences. The book remains simple enough for rather young individuals to thoroughly enjoy the plot, while the deeper meanings will satisfy the needs of the more mature, deep thinking reader.

Low points in this story are scarce. The only ones realistically fathomable are the writing tense (the story is written in third person, some people may much rather prefer first person), the fact that the book had no successor or series along with it, or, complimenting that flaw, that the book was just too short. However, it is still an impressive accomplishment to fit a story of such thought provoking themes into 225 rather small pages. The writing is superb and has a classic flow that allows the reader to forget their surroundings and find themselves immersed in the plot. Clive is a very naturally gifted writer; having been a writer since the 1980’s it’s an understatement to say he’s had some experience in the field. Being an adept horror writer, this novel is strongly influenced by that trait of Mr. Barker. The vibe that is given off throughout the story is a chilling, eerie vibe, and I believe that comes directly from the author’s past experiences in writing.

I would recommend this book to just about any reader who is looking for a great, well rounded story. The length is suitable for most audiences, and within this length are incredible new thoughts and ideas to be explored. Clive Barker has done a fantastic job weaving and intertwining realities in this book. The blend of what is real and what is illusion will captivate any reader, age seven or seventy, and leave them reflecting upon their own reality, what is real and what is not, and other philosophical theories. This thought provoking novel is a wonderful read, but beware, just like Harvey, you may lose track of time after entering the realms of the thief of always.

Title: The Thief Of Always

Author: Clive Barker

Publisher: HarperCollins

Date of Publication: Nov. 18th, 1992

Number of pages: 225 (first edition), 240 (newer edition)

Genre: = Fiction

it was a story nobody was telling

there are boys lying awake hating themselves.

there are boys who clutch secrets at night the same way they clutch denial in day.

our humor was our compass our humor was our shield

when we kissed, we know how powerful it is

ignorance is not bliss. Bliss is knowing the full meaning of what you have been given.

our happiness had defiance our happiness had fear

when  we feared being too open meant opening ourselves to attacks

you spend so much time, so much effort, trying to hold yourself together just for it to all fall apart

if you put enough closets together, you have enough space for a room

it is not darkness we fear but our own dreadfulness in it

the fewer connections you’ve made in the world the easier it is to leave

our lives were short and we never would have wanted them to be shorter

If you play your cards right, the next generation will have much more than you did

I am not wrong. Society is wrong.

The non-fiction book Two Boys Kissing is a story that travels through the life of gay teens who are discovering who they are and their many different struggles. The author, David Levithan takes you on a journey through the very distinct real stories of teens who share very different stories in their lives. He shows the perspective of what to many of us seems something so normal to in the 21st century be gay, but from the perspective of a gay teen you begin to realize how recent it is that being gay has been ok, if it even is yet.

The author David Levithan is a New York Times best seller, who is known for many other realistic fiction and nonfiction stories for teens. Some examples of his work are Invisibility, Every Day, Every You Every Me, Lover’s Dictionary, and Love is the Higher Law. He decided to write this book when a man named Michel Cart asked him to write a book about LGBTQ life today. His whole life he has seen struggles of being gay;for example his Uncle almost died of aids, or his best friends got married in Washington DC. The title of the book came from a David Hockney painting named “We Two Boys Together Clinging” which was from a Walt Whitman Poem. In his author's notes he says, “This isn’t a book that I could have written ten years ago. And as much as I’d love to credit that to my growth as a writer, I know it’s not really that. Instead it’s about all the people I’ve met and talked to as an author.”

The story is narrated by two adult gay men who follow these other boys through their journeys as teens. The premise begins at a gay prom where kids travel from all over because many of them live in towns where they are not accepted and this is their night. You meet Peter, Neil, Avery, Ryan, Craig, Harry and Cooper. The book switches back and forth through their stories.         

Through the book the main story that connects all of the characters is the telling of two boys trying to break the record for the longest kiss. These boys are Craig and Harry, they are ex boyfriend's who decided to take on this challenge of a 36 hour kiss. Through the story you will see their struggles through the kiss physically and emotionally as their feelings run wild. Craig’s parents do not know that he is gay while Harry’s parents are big supporters of the kiss and him. Peter and Neil are a fairly new couple whose journey through their relationship is laid out in the book. There is another couple that begins to appear, Avery and Ryan who met at the gay prom. Avery is a girl and is transgender, their new relationship endures many hardships even though it has just begun. The last boy in the story is Cooper who has a much harder time than the other boys with his identity. His story is one that is not like the others.

The book is interesting because it gives you a whole new look at what it means to be gay in our society. For people living in an urban setting being gay has become something that is typical. When you hear the stories of these boys though you get a whole new look on what it means. Our society is still ignorant and the stories of these boys will change your life.

The poetic writing grabs the readers attention and drags them into a whole new realm of connection with these characters. In one part of the kiss when he talks about the book he says, “this is the power of a kiss: it does not have the power to kill you. But it has the power to bring you to life.” He intertwines a very typical teenage writing style into one where there is more depth. It magnifies that it is a love story that still has many ups and downs in it and that is shown through the writing style. The book is written with two narrators who follow these boys and for a lack of better words comment on their decisions and their journey through being gay. It flips between their narrations and dialogues between the characters.

Although the book was very well written and I enjoyed the writing style some parts could have been done a little better. I understand that this is supposed to be a vignette of different love stories displaying a struggle but I feel that there was not an appropriate use of dramatization in the correct places. David Cullen in sometimes presented certain parts too over and under dramatized leaving the reader annoyed by giving up so many chances he add to add many key scenes to the book.

If you enjoy teenage love stories that are not so average then this is the book for you. I would recommend it for a young adult audience who is also aware of social issues.

Title: Two Boys Kissing

Author:David Levithan

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

Date of Publication: August 27, 2013

Number of Pages: 200

The world of the legendary storyteller William Shakespeare is at his best when he tells the breath-taking story about a Thane and his betrayal of honor towards the unlikelihood of him becoming the king. The themes of ambition and ruthless power bring out the true colors of the anti-hero.

William Shakespeare, the profound writer, poet and playwright is considered the all time best English language writer. Macbeth was just one of his many classic plays. Shakespeare has written many renowned stories from Romeo and Juliet, the story of two lovers from different worlds, to the story of Othello “The Moor of Venice”, as he brings classical themes together like racism and jealously. He died over 300 years ago and his plays are still related to the present issues we have in our culture today. The format and genre of the book is written as a script, in which the characters and the plot is given through the characters dialogue. The book was published in the year 1623 in a folio. Folio is a Shakespearean term for a series of collected literature.Blood and tears follow him, and the guilt of his unworthy deed costs him his companions lives. The wild grass hides the snake in its charlatan schemes. The two have a zealous soul and little do they know they can’t withstand the ramifications of their dishonored act.

Macbeth is said to be brave and honorable, but he struggles with these characteristics throughout the entire play. Three witches give him a prophecy that he will become the King of Scotland. Lady Macbeth, his wife, wants the prophecy to become reality. Her masculine ambition yokes that of her husband’s. She concocted a devious plan to allow her beloved Macbeth to become King. Lady Macbeth is introduced already planning the death of Duncan, the Scottish King. Macbeth questions himself, when he realizes he must take his own king’s life. Lady Macbeth then manipulates him by questioning his valor and spirit. Macbeth, now in a power struggle feels he needs to prove himself. So he puts all his objections to the deed aside and performs the “manly task”.

The play meets my various expectations. Such as having great dialogue, its ability can to pull me in and catch my attention, starting at the first page. It grabs your ideas and thinking to make you imagine. Another expectation I have is there beautiful words and detail. It gets a kudos for the descriptive details and great usage of words. Shakespeare a genius at work who encourages you to analyze his work.  The book is for readers that have some ideal thoughts on life and have many questions about what's right and wrong. I questioned ideas and themes in the play. For example, a controversial theme in the play was the lust for power and strive to make that power possible. In Macbeth's case, he was willing to kill to advance himself to the throne. Other themes that leave readers puzzled is the masculinity of the woman in the play. Lady Macbeth and the three witches that gave Macbeth the prophecies all jolt a act of violence in his actions. These actions in a woman are uncommon and that's why it puzzles so many readers. The play is full of pages with pure accuracy and detail, giving the reader a new perspective of regret. Which leads to aggressive power. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth feed off each other and that’s how they completed the task of killing Duncan, the Scottish King.

The novel reveals ideas and details that you can never imagine. It’s a classic play that’s is renowned around the world. It teaches you things you would never know about yourself. After reading this play I knew how I was going to approach the world and what flaws i needed to make about myself. Because like Macbeth everyone has ambition or goal. But you can not let it lead you into the valley of darkness and evil. The book can help you make decisions in the future about power and ambition; to teach you how these qualities work together. The book may be a hard read for people who are not use too old readings. For example, the book uses words that are not used in the modern day text. In the book that the play is in the book is organized so that if you understand the dialogue. So there is a nice way you can understand the plot. Macbeth is wonderful plot that you should give a chance.