European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 18, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 24 scene stars and stripes sunday March 182007 on target novelist uses fictional shooting to examine teen social issues 8 o o the ingredients swirling in Jodi Picoult new novel will be familiar to anyone who has attended High school cliques nerds Prima Donnas social climbers bullies victims and clueless but Well meaning parents in other words Purgatory in Nineteen minutes Picoult deftly layers and combines All the elements to relay the fictional tale of a shooting massacre at a High school the before the during and the after is All there and its not pretty even though such shootings most notably that of Columbine High school in Littleton Colo Are now part of the Public psyche Picoult manages to go beyond the cold sterile statistics that Are intoned today when retelling those events her Book reminds us of the Heartbreak and the loss of innocence its also breathtaking storytelling by a bestselling writer the setting of Nineteen minutes is Sterling no a wealthy Boring town that stunned one Day when social outcast Peter Houghton kills 10 people at his High school legally Peters guilt is never really in Taler however its Tough to Tell where to put the blame Peter didst just occasionally Deal with teas ing he faced relentless bullying by students considered Kings and Queens he could not win and growing up in the Shadow of a popular older brother it had Long seemed he never would Josie Cormier Peters onetime Friend who managed to climb the popularity ladder and abandoned him was one of the last to witness Peters actions in the school before he was caught she and her Mother the judge assigned the Case As Well As Peers Mother Are major characters through the novel the Story is not told in a linear Way which adds to its emotional drama it flips Back and Forth in time describing How friendships unravelled love grew and anger boiled Over Josie mom Alex and Peters mom Lacy were once friends who had a falling out Josie popular Boyfriend Matt is both a girls dream arid Nightmare the Lead detective Patrick Ducharme and the defense lawyer Jordan Mcafee also play key roles both Are charac ters from previous Picoult novels the Story climaxes in a riveting court room scene but its really the smaller moments that add to its vibrancy moments such As How Josie feels when Matt pushes her for sex or How Lacy handles her visits to Peter in detention the Book has already stirred Contro Versy in Hanover no where Picoult now lives and where High school officials pulled the Book from a Reading list Over concerns that Hanover and its High school were too similar to the fictional settings in the Book Hanover High school had been Given Advance copies of the novel who researched Columbine and other school shootings for the Book has said any similarities were coincidental in some ways unfortunately any High school can catch a Glimmer of itself in the Book at a time when a slew of teen movies make Light of social ostracism and so Cial climbing in schools Picoult novel is a reminder that too Large a dose of anything can be poisonous it also makes you want to grab every kid who feels like an outcast and say i prom ise this too shall pass us today bestseller list key of fiction a nonfiction hardcover paperback 1 the secret by Rhonda Byrne nah 2 deadly game by Christine Feehan up 3 shiver by Lisa Jackson up 4 judge it jury by James Patter son Andrew Gross Fps 5 morning comes softly by Debbie Macomber up 6 prior bad acts by Tami Hoag up 7 in an instant a family journey of love and Healing by Lee Woodruff Bob Woodruff Mhz b women Money owning the Power to control your destiny by suze orman nah 9 shopaholic and baby by Sophie Kinsella Fth 10 Bridge to Ter Bithia by Catherine Paterson Art by Donna Diamond up 1 1 Mckettrick Luck by Linda Lael Miller up 1 2 the memory keepers daughter by Kim Edwards up 1 3 step on a crack by James Patterson Michael Ledwidge Fth 1 4 Iff not easy being mean a clique novel by Lisi Harrison 26 you on a diet by Michael f Roif Lwi Mehmet c of nah 27 forever in Blue the fourth summer of the sisterhood by Ann Brashares Fth 28 table for two by Nora Roberts up 29 tempting evil by Keri Arthur 30 simply love by Mary Balogh 31 the watchman by Robert t 32 Junie b first grader dumb Bunny a stepping Stone Book by Barbara Park Art by Denise Brunkus Fth 33 Green eggs and Ham by or 1 5 True believer by Nicholas Sparks up 16 hey Good looking by Fern Michaels up 1 7 the measure of a Man by Sidney Poi her nip 1 8 Star wars legacy of me Force exile by Aaron Allston up 19 Sisters by Danielle steel Fth 20 innocent in death by Nora Roberts writing As cd Robb Fth 21 the Best life diet by Bob Greene nah 22 dragon of the red Dawn by Mary Pope Osborne Art by Sal Murdocca up 23 the audacity of Hope by Barack Obama nah 24 scattered leaves by pc Andrews up 25 the Glass Castle a Memoir by Jeannette Walls nip 34 the cat in the hat by or 35 Irish dreams by Nora Roberts up 36 eat Pray love by Elizabeth Gilbert nip 37 Cut and run by Carlo Meg Gers up 38 the House by Danielle steel up 39 hitched by Carol Higgins Clark up 40 the year of magical think ing by Jonari Didion nip 41 see no evil by Allison Bren Nan up 42 Naruto volume 13 by mass she Koshimoto up 43 the alchemist by Paulo Coelho up 44 somebody s gotta say it by Neal Boortz nah 45 the Island by Heather Gra Ham up 46 Plum lovin by Janet Evanov 47 love walked in by Marisa de los Santos up 48 a Long Way gone Mem of a boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah Jofh 49 the Templar legacy by Steve Berry up 50 dreams from my father by Barack Boarna nip deploying keep up to Date with daily news sports entertainment comics and More talk to your unit about downrange delivery today land your Hometown newspaper