19 Minutes

While in the airport waiting to get on a plane home from Baltimore, I picked up a book. I didn't know if it would be any good, but it was the best they had to offer. It ended up being really riveting.

It's the story of a town where nothing ever happens - until a teenager walks into high school one morning and starts shooting ... killing 10 of his classmates before being stopped. On the surface it looks like a clear cut case (and parts of it are), but it's interesting to see how much more there is behind every story.

The main character was bullied all growing up. Bullied beyond what I could imagine happens right in front of teachers and parents. Justification for taking lives? Never. But there were a few times (one in particular) that brought me to tears. Kids can be so cruel ... for no other reason than someone is a little dorky, or different.

And then there are parents. When his mom heard there was shooting at the high school, she panicked. She had already lost a child in a car accident and was thinking about how she couldn't imaging losing another. Only to find out her son was the one behind it all. Someone loves the killer too...

And then there is a girl involved. His former best friend that blossomed into the popular girl and left him behind. A whole other side to the story.

I don't want to ruin it ... since a few people have said they want to read it. But it was heart wrenching and riveting all at the same time. Especially during his trial.

When I was in high school I lived about 20 minutes away from Columbine High School. I was a junior when the shooting happened. It's so interesting to read this story now, and now I wonder what those parents went through, and the other kids whose lives would never be the same.

I recommend this one a lot.