Nineteen Minutes

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. Josie Cormier (Chapter 1)

2. At a prenatal class that Lacy is conducting (Chapter 2)

3. “They started it.” (Chapter 3)

Short Answer

1. Despite being a “detective,” Patrick feels he never actually detects a crime before it happens; he can only try and comfort survivors of a crime after the fact. This makes him dissatisfied with his job because he feels he is often too late to help anyone. (Chapter 1)

2. Lacy believes she is too emotionally attached to her patients to have the cold demeanor of a doctor. (Chapter 2)

Chapters 4-6

Reading Check

1. She thinks that when Peter accuses his bullies, he makes things worse, so he should fight back instead. (Chapter 4)

2. Matt Royston (Chapter 6)

3. She wants to be popular and makes fun of Delores to avoid ridicule. (Chapter 6)

Short Answer

1. Alex explains to Josie that fighting is not okay because it breaks the rules. After this, she realizes that being a good judge is like being a good mother; she then decides to apply for judgeship. (Chapter 4)

2. Jordan discovers that Peter sees himself not as a murderer, but as a victim of bullying who finally stood up for himself. (Chapter 5)

Chapters 7-8

Reading Check

1. Josie Cormier (Chapter 7)

2. A “bridge” (Chapter 8)

3. He grabs her violently, bruising her, and warns her to never make him look bad in front of other people again. (Chapter 8)

Short Answer

1. Jordan realizes that Peter, as a kid, did not know what he was doing. Like a “battered woman” faces continuous abuse, Peter was also bullied incessantly, until he became traumatized. He, too, felt the only way to stop the abuse was to fight back. (Chapter 7)

2. Josie wants to keep fitting in with the popular kids, and she knows if she is seen associating with Peter, she, too, will be ostracized. (Chapter 8)

Chapters 9-10

Reading Check

1. To the graves of Peter’s victims, upon which he lays flowers (Chapter 9)

2. Because it is Peter’s birthday, and he wants to be alone on that day (Chapter 9)

3. Courtney Ignatio (Chapter 10)

Short Answer

1. Josie feels horrified, and she realizes that, despite the shooting, Drew has not changed at all. (Chapter 9)

2. Josie realizes the people she thinks are her “friends” are not her friends but simply a set of shifting alliances. To ensure she is always at the top of the social hierarchy, she must play along with the popularity game and put down other people, like Peter. (Chapter 10)

Chapters 11-12

Reading Check

1. Lewis Houghton (Chapter 11)

2. Alex Cormier (Chapter 11)

3. The email he sent to Josie that was forwarded to everyone at school, which pops up on his screen from the Recycle Bin (Chapter 12)

Short Answer

1. Jordan argues that Peter is a scared kid who acted in self-defense, after having been bullied for years and having received no help or support. He continues, claiming that Peter believed this was the only way to defend himself, as his still-developing brain cannot yet tell right from wrong. (Chapter 11)

2. Peter realizes that, despite everything he has done, nothing has changed. All his victims are now linked together in a group that he will never be a part of; he still does not “fit in.” (Chapter 11)

Chapters 13-16

Reading Check

1. She is the one who shot Matt in the stomach, before Peter shoots Matt in the head and kills him. (Chapter 14)

2. A bullet retrieved from the maple tree near the window (Chapter 15)

3. Peter is found guilty of eight counts of first-degree murder and two counts of manslaughter. (Chapter 15)

Short Answer

1. Peter asserts that if he is going to be found guilty anyway, he wants his voice to be heard. (Chapter 13)

2. Peter lies to protect Josie, as they had just become friends again. (Chapter 15)