Discussion Questions

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Nineteen Minutes Name___________________ Discussion questions PART ONE (pages 1-24)

1. After reading this chapter, go back and read the letter on the first page. Who do you think wrote this letter? Why? Who do you think this letter is for?

2. Give a brief description of each of the following characters: Alex, Josie, Matt, Patrick, Lacy, Peter, Derek, and Lewis. Try to include their job, age, and any relationship they have with the other characters listed.

3. What is a “vice?” What is Alex’s vice? Josie’s?

4. Who ended up making breakfast? Did it get eaten?

5. How did Josie think of her life? What did Josie mean when she described herself in this way? How does she feel about herself?

6. What was tacked to the bottom of Josie’s nightstand? Why?

7. Why was Matt angry with Josie?

8. Why were all the men laughing at Patrick?

9. What was the difference between Patrick’s job and the cops who worked for the city departments?

10. What sport does Matt play?

11. What do they do at Sterling High school to wish an athlete good luck?

12. What did it mean if Alex opened up a case file and saw a picture of the person with bars in front of the face?

13. What did Lacy do for a living?

14. What was Peter’s alarm clock?

15. What would be waiting for Peter every day down stairs before he went to school?

16. What happened to Peter this particular morning before school?

17. Josie uses six different stereotypes to group the students in the cafeteria. List each group and tell how she describes them.

18. What did Matt criticize Josie about at Lunch?

19. What did Josie say to Derek in Sign language? Why?

20. What was Lewis’s job?

21. What was wrong with Peter’s room?

22. Who is the kid that Zoe almost mows down trying to get outside to meet her mom?

23. What was Patrick doing when he heard shots fired at Sterling High school come across the radio? What was his errand that got interrupted?

24. What is a Signal 1000?

25. How many times in his career had Patrick heard a Signal 1000 used on his radio? What were they for?

26. What is an SOU?

27. How did Patrick and two other officers disobey their Chief’s command?

28. Where did Patrick eventually find himself?

29. Who did Patrick find in the locker room? What did he threaten to do?

30. Who else was found in the locker room? How were they?

Nineteen Minutes Name __________________ Discussion questions Pages 25-42 17 years before

1. Why didn’t Lacy give up her job after having Peter?

2. Why didn’t Lacy just become and OB/GYN instead of a Midwife? What was the difference between the two jobs?

3. Where did Lacy meet Alex?

4. Why did Lacy think she was going to have to watch Alex?

5. Who was Loomis Bonchetti? What is his relationship to Alex?

6. How does Lacy describe her sons? What does this tell us about her and the way she thinks of them?

7. What was Lacy’s husband’s job?

8. Why would Lewis go down into history?

9. According to Lewis, how many ways was there to be happy? What were they?

10. What does the phrase “the shoemaker’s sons go barefoot” mean?

11. Why does Lacy apply this phrase to her own family?

12. Why wasn’t Alex going to take maternity leave?

13. Why didn’t Alex have an abortion?

14. What label does Lacy use to describe Alex?

15. What does Lacy do on the way to Dunkin’ Donuts? Does Alex approve?

16. What do Alex and Lacy realize about themselves at Dunkin’ Donuts?

17. Where is Lacy when she receives a call for help from Alex?

18. What did Lacy think was going to happen to her patient?

19. What was really wrong with her?

20. Why did Lacy break her own rules and socialize with Alex?

21. What is a fetus?

22. How many hard parts were there on a fetus? What were they?

23. How could Lacy tell which part of the baby she was touching when she was examining the mother’s stomach?

24. What was wrong with Alex?

25. What did Lacy suggest Alex do to fix this problem?

26. Who is Nadya Saranoff?

27. What did she do?

28. What did Alex do for Nadya?

29. Why was Labor especially hard for Alex?

30. According to Lacy, what did you have to do in order to do well in Labor?

Nineteen Minutes Name __________________ Discussion questions Pages 45-64 Hours After

1. Who is Nina?

2. What did she ask Patrick?

3. What was his answer?

4. What was Patrick’s first priority now?

5. Why did the medics use sharpie markers to put numbers on the heads of the injured?

6. What did Patrick ask the medics to do before taking the injured person to the hospital?

7. Why are all the injured kids lined up on the front lawn of the school waiting?

8. What did the officers find in the cafeteria? Why is that important?

9. What was the sound that Patrick heard in the Kitchen of the school?

10. What was Alex doing when she received news of the school shooting?

11. Who is John Eberhard?

12. What gave him the strength to try and save himself?

13. What happened to John?

14. Who is Diana Leven?

15. What did Patrick want her to do?

16. What was the least favorite part of Diana’s job?

17. How far away from the school did Lacy have to park?

18. How did Lacy learn that her son was the shooter?

19. Where were the names of the wounded posted?

20. Why couldn’t the Lawyer Lacy called go se Peter?

21. How did Patrick describe Lacy?

22. What was Peter doing when Patrick walked into the inner section of the Police Station?

23. How does Patrick describe Peter?

24. What does Peter ask for?

25. What does Peter say to Patrick as he is leaving his cell?

26. How long had Dr. Guenther worked for the state medical examiner?

27. What did he do before working here?

28. What did the prosecutor say when Patrick informed her Peter wouldn’t talk?

29. Who was Arthur McAllister?

30. Why was he accompanying Patrick and Dr. Guenther?

31. What did Arthur McAllister do every time they came across a new body?

32. What did the three men find when the reached the top floor of the school?

33. What was interesting about the last victim that was found?

34. How many guns did they find with Peter?

35. What else did they find besides the guns?

36. What was Alex’s recurring nightmare? What do you think this means?

37. What does Alex promise herself silently as she is sitting in the hospital?

38. What is it she feels she needs to do before she can fulfill her promise to herself?

39. What does Alex have to prove in order to hear the case of the shooter?

40. What does Alex realize about Josie after she wakes up?

41. What does Josie think happened to her?

42. What did Lacy use to help her blame her husband for Peter’s attack on the students?

43. What does Lacy find in Peter’s room that were signs he was up to no good?

44. What did she find in his closet?

45. What happens while she is in the process of cleaning out Peter’s closet?

46. Who is Jordan McAfee?

47. What does Jordan say he will do? Why?

48. How many shell casings were found in the school?

49. Where did Patrick find himself driving after finishing up at the school?

50. Who does he visit there?

51. What does he tell her?

Nineteen Minutes Name __________________ Discussion questions Pages 65-89 Twelve Years Before

1. Why did Peter wake up at 4:32 am?

2. Who was Joey?

3. What was his response to Peter’s excitement?

4. What was Lacy’s surprise for Peter?

5. Who invited Peter to sit with them on the school bus?

6. How does Peter describe his relationship with Josie?

7. What did the boy with “ape arms” ask Peter?

8. What did the boy with the “ape arms” do then?

9. What did Josie offer to do for Peter?

10. Who was Whit Hobart?

11. Why was he calling Alex?

12. What was her first response to his proposal? How did she know?

13. What did Lacy think was happening to Peter’s lunch boxes?

14. How many times had he lost his lunch box this month?

15. What was his father’s response to this problem? To whom does his father compare Peter?

16. Who was Teddy?

17. Why was it so important that Alex get him acquitted?

18. What did Teddy get for Alex?

19. Why did Josie’s school call Alex?

20. Why did Josie get into a fight at school?

21. Why didn’t Peter fight Drew?

22. What does Alex say when Josie asks if she is mad at her?

23. What did Alex realize about being a good judge?

24. How did Peter’s teacher explain the teasing situation at school?

25. According to his teacher, what was Peter’s weakness?

26. Why does sending the bullies to the principal not help Peter’s situation?

27. What does Peter have to do in order to end the bullying at school?

28. What does Lacy tell Peter he has to do the next time he is bullied?

29. What is the punishment if he does not do what his mother asks? Do you think this is right?

30. What does Lacy say will happen to Peter one day?

31. What did Alex realize as she was filling out the application to become judge?

32. Who made up the 12 member commission that interviewed the candidates for judge?

33. What was Alex’s answer to the question: “What do you think makes a good judge?”

34. What is “Tangrams” and how does it help to make you a good judge?

35. Who was the next person to be interviewed for the position of judge? Why is that important to Alex?

36. How did Peter think of his new glasses?

37. How did he feel about his glasses after wearing them to school?

38. What did the teacher ask all the parents to do?

39. What was the word Lacy chose to describe Peter? What was the word Alex chose to describe Josie?

40. What did Peter tell Josie after his lunch box was thrown out the window yet again? What was Josie’s response?

41. Where did Lacy and Alex find Josie and Peter?

42. What were they doing?

43. How did Alex now see Josie’s loyalty to Peter? What did she think Josie needed to do?

44. What was Josie’s response to not being able to play with Peter anymore?

45. What did Alex realize in the grocery store?

46. Where was Alex’s first day on the job as judge?

47. What did she realize after scanning the morning’s cases?

48. What happened when she went to get coffee?

49. Where did Alex eventually end up? Who did she meet there?

50. Why was Peter wandering around his house like a ghost?

51. What did Peter’s dad think he needed to know about guns?

52. What couldn’t Peter believe about his father and the gun?

53. How did Peter feel when his father suggested that one day they should go hunting? Why do you think he felt this way?

Nineteen Minutes Name _________________ Discussion questions Pages 93-136 The Day After

1. What did Peter receive for Christmas when he was six?

2. Why do you think that Peter is thinking about that present now? What are the similarities between that present and the situation he is currently in?

3. Why didn’t Peter’s cell have a cot a pillow or even a mat?

4. Why did Peter keep his mouth shut the whole time he was being processed?

5. When did Peter remember what happened to his fish? Why do you think he remembered now?

6. Why wasn’t Jordan immediately let into the jail to see Peter?

7. What is it that Lewis had never done in the nineteen years that he had been teaching at the college?

8. What question did Lacy ask Lewis that he was afraid to ask himself? What do you think?

9. How many times had Lacy and Lewis failed according to Lewis? What was he basing their failure on?

10. What is the second question Lacy asks Lewis?

11. Where did the police officer take Lewis?

12. What did the police officer want Lewis to tell him?

13. What is the first unwritten rule of defense law?

14. What surprised Jordan about Peter?

15. What was his second thought after the initial surprise?

16. How does Jordan describe his initial conversation with Peter?

17. What is the only thing Peter asked at the end of the conversation?

18. Who was Dr. Ervin Peabody?

19. Why is he suddenly important?

20. According to Dr. Peabody, what were the warning signals of a student who might go on a shooting spree?

21. Was there really a general profile of a school shooter? Why did Dr. Peabody give the response he did?

22. Where did Lewis find Lacy when it was time to go to bed?

23. What was it that Lacy could not understand?

24. What can you hear if you listen carefully in the hospital?

25. Who were whispered about even more quietly than the injured victims?

26. What had the shooting at the school done to Josie’s life?

27. What certain skills had the shooting robbed Josie of?

28. Why did Josie sort of hate her mother now?

29. Why was Alex the last person Josie would want to confide in?

30. Who were the only people that would understand what Josie was feeling?

31. Who were Haley Weaver and Brady? What happened to them?

32. What had the hallways of Sterling High school turned into?

33. How many witnesses to the shootings did Patrick have to interview?

34. Why did Alex shut off the television coverage of the shootings?

35. What were the two things Alex listed that would have caused her to excuse herself from hearing this case?

36. Where did Alex find Josie the morning after she returned home from the hospital?

37. Where did Josie want to go?

38. Why did Alex tell Josie she could not go with her?

39. What was the only thing Josie needed right now?

40. Who does Alex think about at this moment with Josie? Why?

41. What happened to Patrick at the traffic light?

42. Who was Selma Abernathy?

43. What did she do first? What were the results?

44. Why was it a good thing that guns C and D were left in the backpack and not used?

45. All the bullets retrieved from the victims came from which gun?

46. How does Selma know that gun B was fired?

47. What other interesting thing does Selma point out about gun B?

48. Which gun was the one that shot the bullet that went to Matt’s brain?

49. What about the bullet that went to Matt’s gut?

50. Why was the band “Death Wish” being criticized in the news?

51. What did the correctional officer give Peter to wear the day of his arraignment?

52. What was Jordan’s plan for the arraignment?

53. What had surprised Diana Leven about Peter?

54. What did Diana notice about Peter’s eyes?

55. How long had Peter’s arraignment taken?

56. How many things was Peter charged with and what were they?

57. What was being sold in order to support the Sterling Victims fund?

58. What were the magic words that Josie said to her mother to get some time alone?

59. What were Josie’s first thoughts on suicide?

60. What does she now understand about Death?

61. Who was Yvette Harvey?

62. What does she say about her daughter?

63. What does she think about Peter?

64. Why did Josie think she was incapable of mourning?

65. Why does Josie think her mother suggest she attend Matt’s funeral?

66. Why did Josie want her mother to go back to work?

67. What did Josie do when Matt’s mother began crying at the funeral?

68. What did Matt’s father do?

69. What is the only thing that Josie could say?

70. What did maximum security mean?

71. What did Peter’s cell consist of? Why?

72. What did Peter think of the Correctional Officers that were watching him?

73. Who was Carnivore? What did he do?

74. Why was Josie a vital piece to the puzzle solving the shooting mysteries?

75. Why was Patrick surprised when he went to interview Josie?

76. What did the doctors say about Amnesia?

77. What does Josie tell Patrick about her relationship with Peter?

78. What were the rules for parental visitation at the jail?

79. What was lacy not allowed to do to Peter during visitations?

80. What caused Peter to show the first signs of emotion during the visitation?

81. Why didn’t Peter think he could make Lacy understand?

82. What did Patrick see Peter do when he was watching the video from the cafeteria?

83. What did Patrick have to do before he could let the school shooting case rest?

84. Why couldn’t Lacy return to her midwife practice after the shootings?

85. Why did Lewis want to expect absolutely nothing from your life?

86. What was Lewis told by his boss when he returned to the University?

87. Happiness equals reality divided by expectations, but what did you get, according to Lewis, if you divided expectations by reality?

88. What did the Police tech people think about Peter’s technology skills?

89. What was Peter able to do?

90. What was Peter’s screen name?

91. Why did Peter hack into the school’s computer system? What did he do?

92. What was Peter’s first question for Jordan?

93. How did he defend his position for killing all the students he killed?

94. Did Peter feel remorse for his actions? What did he feel?

95. What did Jordan find out was the only thing that could get Peter to respond?

96. Why couldn’t Peter understand it when people said he had ruined the lives of the wounded or dead students?

97. How did the students at Sterling High school harass Peter?

98. When do you become super human? Why?

Nineteen Minutes Name _________________ Discussion questions Pages 139-160 Six Years Before

1. When did Peter know that he was doomed in school? Why?

2. What did his mother get him? What was wrong with this gift?

3. Who came to his rescue?

4. What did she do?

5. What did Josie and Peter do during school?

6. What happened during the summers?

7. What happened to Peter as he entered into the cafeteria?

8. What did Mrs. McDonald do?

9. Why was Peter secretly happy?

10. What did Josie do for Peter in the cafeteria?

11. What did she whisper so that only Peter could hear?

12. What were the two best things about being a judge according to Alex?

13. What was the worst part of her job?

14. Why didn’t Josie fit in at school?

15. Why didn’t Peter fit in at school?

16. Why did Josie think she hung out with Peter?

17. What happened that had Mrs. Rasmussin crying?

18. Why did Mrs. Rasmussin leave for the day?

19. What question did Peter ask when he saw people jumping out of the windows of the building?

20. What was the answer he came up with?

21. What two categories were used to describe the parents after this accident?

22. What category did Alex and Lacy fall into?

23. What was so unnatural about the crowd of students and staff in the media center?

24. How had Alex changed after the World Trade Center accident?

25. How long did this new routine last?

26. Why was Peter a member on the soccer team?

27. What did he hate more than soccer? Why?

28. What did Josie want to do for her birthday?

29. Why was dinner with her mother the last thing that Josie wanted to do?

30. Why was Alex upset with Josie in the restaurant?

31. What reputation did Alex have to keep up?

32. What had Josie begun to wonder about?

33. What does Josie ask her mother to stop doing?

34. What is Josie really saying when she replies “Maybe it is” to Alex saying ‘it’s the same voice I always use?”

35. Who was the other kid on the soccer team who would rather have been anywhere but on the team?

36. What did Peter begin doing at dinner? Why?

37. When Peter never left the bench during the games his parents attended, what was his excuse?

38. Why did Peter like Derek so much?

39. Why did Peter actually start looking forward to soccer practice?

40. How was Peter humiliated at soccer?

41. What label did Josie give to Courtney Ignatio? Why?

42. What was Josie’s first reaction when she was paired with Courtney for her history project?

43. What did Josie find out about Courtney after going to her house?

44. How does Peter describe Joey?

45. What is the only thing that Joey could not do?

46. What did this allow Peter to do that Joey could not?

47. What happens when Peter and his father finally find a deer?

48. What is Peter’s reaction to this?

49. Who was Dolores Keating?

50. What two things did Peter do to Dolores?

51. How did Peter feel now?

52. What happened to Peter that day at lunch?

53. What would Dolores be remembered for for the rest of her high school career?

54. What was the plan for Dolores in French class?

55. Who provided the tampons?

56. What did Peter do when it was his turn in line?

57. What does Josie do?

58. What happens to Peter and Josie’s relationship after this episode?

59. Why does Josie stay with her new group?

60. What is the up side for Peter according to Josie?

Nineteen Minutes Name __________________ Discussion questions Pages 163-194 Ten Days After

1. What did Josie decide to do at 2:00 a.m.?

2. Once downstairs, what did Josie do?

3. What DVD did Josie choose to watch?

4. Who were the people in the first stilled photo on the T.V. screen?

5. What was the next picture that came into focus?

6. What did Josie realize that Matt wouldn’t have to do now?

7. What had Matt given Josie for this birthday?

8. When did Josie pause the movie again?

9. What did Josie do with Matt’s gift now?

10. What did Josie pretend about Matt?

11. How many times had Lewis gone to the jail to visit Peter?

12. To what did Lacy compare her life?

13. How many times had she dealt with this grief before?

14. What would eventually happen to someone dealing with grief?

15. What did Lacy have to do in order to buy a gallon or carton of milk? Where did she have to go?

16. What did Lacy see at the service center in Purmot that set her off?

17. What was it simple for people to say about a terrible child?

18. What did Lacy do after speaking with the clerk in the service station? What about the milk?

19. According to Lacy, no matter how spectacular we want our children to be, they are bound to be what?

20. Who was Ervin Peabody?

21. What did he offer to do?

22. Why were there people at the meeting that had not lost children or had them injured, or didn’t even have children in the high school?

23. How did Ervin describe Peter?

24. What were the plans for students returning to school?

25. There was a fault line separating the people in the town of Sterling now. What were the two main groups in the town now?

26. Who was the person that attacked Jordan at the church counseling session?

27. Who came to Jordan’s rescue? What did he say?

28. What was Jordan’s response to the attack? What was Mark’s response to Jordan?

29. What do we learn about Alex’s name from this chapter?

30. What happened to Alex’s mother?

31. How did Alex get her father’s attention?

32. Why didn’t Alex’s dad ever kiss her good night, hold her on her lap, or tell her that he loved her?

33. How does Alex describe their relationship?

34. What did Josie do every time Alex tried to connect with her?

35. How did Alex feel?

36. What was the great irony that Alex could not escape?

37. What is Alex afraid of?

38. What is Josie afraid of?

39. What does Alex say will be like physical therapy for Josie?

40. Where do Alex and Josie end up?

41. What happens as Alex and Josie are getting out of the car?

42. Where does Alex find Josie?

43. How did Patrick act at the station? Why?

44. How was he at home?

45. Who was Joan McCabe?

46. Why was Patrick interviewing her?

47. What did Patrick learn about Ed?

48. Who was Natalie Zlenco?

49. What was the connection between Natalie and Ed?

50. What happened to Peter’s brother Joey?

51. How did Lacy describe the relationship between Peter and Joey?

52. What did everyone at high school expect of Peter? Why?

53. How did Lacy’s relationship with Peter change after Joey’s death?

54. Why didn’t Lacy ever check Peter’s bedroom?

55. What had she found in Joey’s bedroom after he had died?

56. What was Lacy afraid of in Peter’s room?

57. What does Patrick ask Natalie?

58. What was her answer?

59. What was the last thing that Natalie told Patrick about Peter?

60. What did Jordan find when he went out to his car to drive his son around?

61. What was the response from the police?

62. What was Selena’s take on the Houghton family situation?

63. Where was the temporary high school set up?

64. Why did Josie think that the students would just be acting if they went back to school now?

65. Why did Josie think that school was where she belonged?

66. What did Josie suddenly realize about school?

67. What surprised Josie when she walked into the kitchen?

68. What had Josie wanted?

69. What does Josie mean when she answers her mother’s question “What did you expect” with “Nothing. I stopped that a long time ago?”

70. Josie describes herself as two different Josies. Who were the two Josies?

71. What reminded Josie of Matt?

72. Who was at her house to pick her up for school?

73. What were the questions that this person kept asking himself?

74. What did Drew give to Josie before they went into school?

75. Why had Alex excused herself from the courtroom twice?

76. What did Alex hope that Eleanor would do?

77. Who did Alex run into down at the loading zone?

78. What had Patrick done for Alex?

79. What did Patrick catch Alex doing?

80. What were three of the new rules put in place at the school?

81. What did Josie wonder about the student IDs?

82. Why didn’t Josie put her head down in prayer to honor the dead?

83. Who did Josie compare herself to?

84. What did Jordan say to Peter that finally made him open up?

85. What is it that Peter couldn’t do?

86. What did Joey do to Peter instead of taking him all the way to school?

87. What was Peter’s reasoning for Joey doing this?

88. What was Peter’s response when Jordan asked if Joey stuck up for Peter when he was being teased?

89. Why was Peter glad that Joey was dead?

90. What question did Jordan ask, that no defense attorney is supposed to ask?

91. What is the problem that Jordan has with Peter’s case according to Selena?

92. Why does Selena say that Jordan does not want Peter to get acquitted?

93. What defense fits Peter to a T?

94. What does Selena point out about this defense?

95. Why is Jordan going to say that Peter is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

96. In Peter’s case he was not dealing with a controlling husband but…

97. What was Patrick doing on his computer?

98. What characters were there to choose from?

99. What was the school in the game modeled after?

100. What was the name of Peter’s computer game?

101.Why did Jordan say that it was better for them to waive Peter’s right to the probable cause hearing?

102.What caused Patrick to miss Peter’s probable cause hearing?

103.Who was at Smyth’s Gun Shop before Patrick?

104.What did Patrick find in the shop?

105.Who was the woman?

106.What had steadily eroded Jordan’s plan for Peter’s defense?

107.What does Peter say talking to Jordan is like?

108.What does Peter say about the 10 people that he killed?

109.Who was Peter trying to kill?

Nineteen Minutes Name __________________ Discussion Questions Pages 195-241 One Year Before

1. Who was Dozer?

2. What was wrong with him?

3. What didn’t Lewis think was a good idea?

4. What could they have done at home?

5. What did Lacy want to do while they were waiting for the Vet?

6. What did the Vet ask the family when she came out to the waiting room?

7. What was Lacy not used to feeling in her hands?

8. What did she do that made Joey turn away and Lewis wince?

9. Who was it that tried to comfort her?

10. What did he do?

11. How was Josie different from the other kids who also had single parents?

12. What had Josie pieced together about her father?

13. What had Josie accidentally found while searching the net for Science class?

14. What had Peter never used in school? Why?

15. What was it that Peter did not want to face when they found out he failed another English quiz?

16. What did Peter over hear when he was in the bathroom?

17. Who had been the person that made the comment about him?

18. Why did Peter think a number of businesses hired teenagers for part-time work after school?

19. Where did Peter work and what did he do?

20. Why was Peter working?

21. Why did Peter lock himself in the bathroom for twenty-minutes at his job?

22. What was Peter’s job to Peter? Why?

23. What surprised Peter about the new employee?

24. How long had it been since Peter and Josie spoke?

25. What happened that caused the fun between Josie and Peter to stop?

26. What question did Peter ask Josie after this event?

27. What was her answer?

28. What did Peter realize about Josie?

29. To what does Peter compare Josie?

30. What did Peter show Josie he could do at their job?

31. What did Peter do for Josie?

32. What was often said about Economists?

33. What was like a roller-coaster ride to Lewis?

34. What did Lewis catalogue in his data about Happiness?

35. What was the one grade that Josie had to fight for?

36. What did each student in Mr. McCabe’s class have to do along with the normal assignments for graphing?

37. What did Matt do? And Josie?

38. What did Peter do?

39. To what does Josie compare the atmosphere inside school?

40. What was the question Matt had for Peter’s graph?

41. What did the orange section on the pie chart stand for?

42. What hadn’t peter graphed on his chart?

43. Why didn’t Josie consider herself a bridge? What had she done?

44. Why was Josie a little nervous with Matt?

45. Who was Joe Urquhardt? How did Alex meet him?

46. What had Alex assumed about time?

47. What did she think would always be there waiting?

48. What would she have never guessed?

49. What had saved Josie from social ruin after Peter’s math presentation?

50. What did Peter want to know when he cornered Josie at work?

51. What was her answer?

52. What happened while peter was on his 15 minute bread at work?

53. What did Peter say to Josie while their boss was talking to the firemen?

54. What did Josie feel after telling her boss about what Peter did?

55. What did Josie think was so strange about the papers coming out of the copy machine?

56. Why wouldn’t Josie be thought of as a freak if she got straight A’s or said she actually liked to read?

57. Who could she relate to with this new-found admiration of others?

58. Why did Peter want to talk with Josie?

59. Why was Josie feeling a little guilty for Peter losing his job?

60. Why didn’t Josie want to talk to Mr. Cargrew for Peter?

61. Why didn’t Josie want to be like Matt either?

62. Why does Matt say that he does have to torture kids who aren’t like him?

63. What does Matt remind Josie of at this moment?

64. What did you have to do in order to cement your place in the pecking order of popularity?

65. What was the best way to stay on top?

66. What does Josie tell us about Lincoln Massachusetts? Who would you find living there?

67. Who did Josie ask to take her to Lincoln?

68. Why did Logan Rourke’s house number make Josie’s hair on the back of her neck stand up?

69. What did Logan say to Josie when he answered the door?

70. What was Josie to Logan?

71. What did Logan try to do with Josie?

72. When did he say they could get together?

73. What did Josie realize about Logan?

74. What name did Josie give Logan?

75. What did Josie do with the money that Logan gave her?

76. When did Peter get the idea to make the computer game?

77. What game was the inspiration for his game?

78. What are avatars?

79. What did Peter need to make his game different from the others already out there?

80. How did Peter describe the computer game he was going to create?

81. Who was the only person to give Josie a nick-name?

82. What did her nickname remind her of? Why is this sort of ironic?

83. Why was Josie crying?

84. Why did Mrs. Sandringham want to see Peter after class?

85. What had the assignment for the essay that Peter wrote?

86. Why did Peter throw the essay away even though an A on an assignment would make his parents proud of him?

87. Why were Matt’s friends a little put out with him?

88. Why was Matt so angry with Josie?

89. What did Josie do to calm Matt’s anger?

90. What did Matt say to make Josie almost forget the incident?

91. What was the name Peter was thinking of using for his video game?

92. Who was testing out Peter’s game for him?

93. What do Peter and Derek discuss as they are waiting to be chosen for basketball?

94. What kind of holiday did grown-ups never get to enjoy?

95. What did Josie ask Alex while they were waiting for the electricity to come back on?

96. Why hadn’t Alex talked to Josie before about Logan?

97. Why does Alex say she wouldn’t marry Logan?

98. What does Alex say that she is sorry for?

99. What was the FRONT RUNNER?

100. What did Peter realize about the two women standing near the door? 101. How did Peter find out about the FRONT RUNNER? 102. Why was Peter there? 103. What did Peter want to know? 104. Who saved Peter from Kurt? 105. What did he say to Peter? 106. What did Matt say to Josie when they were comparing their hand sizes?

107. What did he do to prove his point? 108. Why does Mr. McCabe say he hasn’t come out at school yet? 109. Why did Mr. McCabe say he told Peter all that he did? 110. Where did Peter get his next job? 111. What did he do? 112. How did he get the job? 113. Who was trapped in the elevator with Peter? 114. What did Peter respond when Josie asked him if the librarian wouldn’t notice if

he did not come back?

115. How did Josie say she got hurt? 116. Why did Peter and Josie begin playing 20 questions? 117. What game did they play next? 118. Why does Josie say she has to act like she hates Peter?

119. How did Josie really hurt her leg? 120. What did Peter decide the first thing he would do when he got home that night? 121. Why did Peter think his parents were sitting in the dark when he got home? 122. What did his father do to Peter that made him feel good? 123. Why did Peter think this was going to be the best day of his life? 124. Why were Peter’s parents really sitting in the dark crying? 125. How do you think Peter felt about the day now?

Nineteen Minutes Name ________________ Discussion questions Pages 243-308 One Month After 1. Who was the first student to be shot? 2. What had happened to Diana’s nephew that had her sister upset? 3. What is the question that Diana asks herself about this incident? 4. Why would you never want to be the one to ask a judge to recuse him or herself from

a case? 5. What does recuse mean? 6. What did Alex pass by on her way home from work? 7. Which cross made Alex start to cry? Why? 8. Why was it safer to fall apart where she was rather than at home? 9. Who had the eleventh cross been put up for? 10. What happened to that cross night after night? 11. What had Alex forgotten until she went to the memorial herself? 12. Since that day, how many babies had Lacy delivered? 13. What was different about delivering babies now?

14. What had motherhood done for Lacy’s life? 15. What could Lacy really understand now that she had felt such fullness? 16. What does Lacy now imagine her life would have been like had she not been a

mother? 17. Who was Janet Isinghoff and what does she have to do with Lacy? 18. Where did Lacy go after she had a particularly difficult day? 19. What was it that Lacy would have like to have said to all those that were judging her? 20. What happened to the boy Lacy had once known? 21. Why didn’t Lacy want Jordan to see her crying or having a weak moment? 22. Why did Jordan say it was so easy for people to point a finger at someone else? 23. What is the biggest hurdle that a defense attorney has to overcome? 24. Who does Lacy say the editorials are blaming for the shootings? 25. How long had Ed McCabe and Philip O’Shea been together? 26. What was sometimes easier for Ed? 27. What did Ed try to talk to Peter about? 28. What did Ed think Peter was doing?

29. Why did Ed seek out Peter? 30. What was crystal clear about Peter? 31. Why was Peter so angry at Jordan? 32. What did Jordan notice that was different about Peter? 33. What does Jordan ask Peter about? 34. What was chilling about Peter’s answer? 35. What was different about the Bomb for the school? 36. What did Peter tell his dad when he walked into the kitchen while he was making the

bomb? 37. Why does Jordan stop Peter from talking? 38. What can’t Jordan do in front of the jury? 39. What does Peter announce to Jordan? 40. What reason does he give for doing this? 41. To what does Peter compare the deaths of the students at Sterling High? 42. What happens once you light the fuse to any explosive? 43. How did Josie think of her friends now?

44. What does Josie say about being a teenager? 45. What did Josie inherit from her mother? 46. What is the club that no one wants to join? How long are you a member? 47. What is Josie talking about when she says “I don’t think I can do this?” 48. What message was left on the answering machine for Peter? 49. What did Lewis do? 50. What was the problem at the gas station? 51. What had happened when Lacy sent Peter to the same sleepaway camp as Joey? 52. What was different about Peter when he came home from camp? What did he know

now? 53. What does Lacy begin talking about with Peter at jail? 54. What did Lacy realize had been between her and Peter for years? 55. What does Peter start to do after Lacy apologizes for all the things she didn’t do? 56. Why does Peter say that Lacy will sit there and take the punishment that he hands out

to her? 57. What does Lacy learn about the parental visits to the jail? 58. What did Lacy bring to Peter?

59. What does Peter learn about the present? 60. What question does Peter ask Lacy? 61. What was part of growing up according to Lacy? 62. What had Peter never learned? 63.What couldn’t Diana believe about the court docket? 63. What was making Diana sweat? 64. What did Jordan know so far relating to Josie? 65. Why didn’t Josie sit with her friends anymore during lunch? 66. Where did she eat now? 67. How does Josie describe her feelings about her mother sitting as a Judge on this case? 68. Why did Josie say that nothing had changed at all? 69. Why was Alex going to have sixty minutes of fame instead of fifteen? 70. What happened when Alex began reading off the charges for the victim Grace

Murtaugh?

71. What was different about this disruptive person in her courtroom? 72. Why did Alex ask Jordan to have his client hold out his hand? 73. How did Peter plead to all the counts against him? 74. According to Alex, who was the only person who had the right to ask her to recuse

herself from this case? 75. What was the last reason that Alex had for fighting to stay on this case? 76. What did Alex say to Josie about the case? 77. What two questions did Josie have about Peter? 78. What did Alex think was wrong with Josie? 79. What couldn’t Jordan figure out about Alex? 80. What had it taken Peter 3 days to do? 81. What was at one end of the maximum security catwalk? 82. How did they determine who got to sit down and watch TV instead of stand up? 83. Why did Peter say that they watched Jerry Springer? 84. What happened if one person on your tier did something wrong?

85. What was at the other end of the catwalk? 86. Why was Peter doing sit-ups even though he hated to exercise? 87. What was so ironic about Peter now? 88. What could each inmate do once a week? 89. What was alternative to buying what you wanted or needed from the prison store? 90. Why did Peter stop opening up letters from his mother? 91. Who was Elena Battista and what did she want? 92. What had Jordan specifically told Peter? 93. What was so cool about Elena? 94. What were the two halves of the trial? 95. According to the principal, what are the repercussions for bullying in school? 96. Why was Peter brought into the Principal’s office? 97. Who was Katie Riccobono? 98. Who was Dr. King Wah? 99. What does Jordan tell the receptionist in order to get into se Dr. Wah?

100.What does Jordan want Dr. Wah to do? 101.Why did Josie receive a letter from Detective Ducharme? 102.What did Josie wonder as she was sitting in the police station? 103. What did Josie ask her mother that made her open and close her mouth like a fish out of water? 104. What did Josie see when she closed her eyes and thought about the locker room? 105. What did Alex use as a guide to help her make Josie feel better after the interview? 106. Who was finally able to make Josie feel better? 107. How were Peter and Derek alike? 108. How was Derek unlike Peter? 109. Why did Derek feel bad? 110. When does Derek say he and Peter became friends? 111. How many real visitors was Peter allowed per week? 112. Who did not count toward those real visitors? 113. What did Peter have to do in order to be able to speak to the media?

114. What did Elena ask Peter that was off topic for her interview? 115. How did Jordan learn of Peter’s interview with Elena? 116. What did Jordan have to do in order to take a magazine in with him to visit Peter? 117. What did Peter learn about Elena? 118. What was Peter’s excuse for speaking with Elena? 119. What was the only reason Jordan had come to see Peter? 120. Who is requesting a hearing for Alex to recuse herself? 121. What did this hearing mean? 122. Why was Alex in a catch-22 situation? 123. Who does Alex run into after running out of her chamber? 124. What does Alex ask Patrick about Josie? 125. Why did Alex ask this question to Patrick? 126. Why did Patrick move heaven and earth to work the case of the boy who was

violated? 127. Was Patrick able to separate his feelings for the case from how he had to handle the

case? Why?

128. What had Lacy kept secret? 129. What did she do the next time Lewis said he was going to visit Peter? 130. Why did Lacey experience a moment of doubt? 131. Where did Lewis stop first? What did he do there? 132. Where did Lewis go next? 133. What was Lewis doing on the days he was supposed to be visiting Peter? 134. What was Lacy’s reaction to this news? 135. Why did Lewis blame himself for Peter’s actions? 136. What two things started at home? 137. What did Lacy realize about Peter being excluded at school? 138. What did taking credit for the good your child did also mean? 139. What did this mean for Lacy and Lewis? 140. Why couldn’t Lewis go and see Peter? 141. Why was Jordan waiting at the Pizza place?

142. What did Peter tell Dr.Wah? 143. What does Peter become the first example of? 144. What can a single incident of bullying in childhood be compared to? 145. What is the common denominator between these two things? 146. What will happen if you ask 10 people about what they remember from high

school? 147. Why was Alex in Josie’s closet? 148. What did she find there? 149. Why couldn’t Alex take Josie trick-or-treating that year? Who took her? 150. Why did most parents go through their children’s things? 151. Why did Alex go through Josie’s things? 152. What does Patrick do for dinners? 153. Who did he run into as he was waiting for his dinner at the Golden Dragon? 154. Why did he tell her he was there? Was he really there for that reason?

155. What do Patrick and Alex have in common? 156. What was the lead story on the 11 o’clock news? 157. What is Jordan’s idea for getting Alex to step down off of the case? 158. Why did Alex meet with Whit if she already had her mind made up about the case? 159. What sin had Jordan done in Alex’s eyes? 160. Why does Alex decide she should probably thank Jordan? 161. What did Patrick find when he arrived at the court house? 162. Where did he take her? 163. What does Patrick suggest Alex do when it comes to Josie? 164. What does Alex say that she does as a judge in court? Do you think that will work? 165. What was more deadly than a police officer that had the capacity for force? 166. Where have we seen …Ask a random kid today if she wants to be popular and

she’ll tell you no, even if the truth is that if she was in a desert dying of thirst and had the choice between a glass of water and instant popularity, she’d probably choose the latter before? What does this give you a clue to?

167. What was Josie doing when her mother knocked on her door? What did she do before her mom entered?

168. What wasn’t quite right about her mother being at home? 169. What two things did Alex have to tell Josie? 170. Why does Josie think of the word Sublimation after hearing the news? 171. What was the present that Peter received on his birthday? 172. What did Peter realize about this present? Why did he think that they gave this

present to him? 173. What did Peter do with this present? 174. What did Peter find out about himself? 175. What did Peter think of as he sat in the superintendent’s office? 176. What didn’t anyone tell Peter? 177. What would he rather do with his life? 178. What did Alex do to try and get Josie off the list of witnesses to testify? Did it

work? 179. What had Alex taken up now that she was off of work? Was she any good at it? 180. Why was it pretty amusing for Josie to hang out with her mom now?

181. What does Josie suggest after cleaning the pot that Alex burned milk in? Was she

talking about cooking? If not, what was she talking about? 182. What interrupted the moment between Josie and her mother? 183. Why does Patrick say he sometimes takes a little more time than needed to study

the pictures of the crime scene? 184. Why does Patrick say that he is a coward?

Nineteen Minutes Name __________________ Discussion Questions Pages 309-330 The Month Before 1. When had Josie gotten her period for the first time? 2. What had Alex done when Josie get her period? 3. What did Alex say about sex? 4. Why did Lacy insist on spreading corn on the lawn in November. 5. What does Lacy realize about Peter when she looks at him outside? 6. What did Peter want to know about his mother? 7. Where had Lacy and Lewis met? 8. What did Lacy learn about Lewis later? 9. What did Lacy ask Peter that made his face turn red? 10. How did she react to this news? 11. What is the problem that Peter has with this situation? 12. What does Lacy say he has to do to fix his problem? 13. What was different this time when Josie and Matt were making out? 14. What did Peter think it would be pretty cool to do to his secret love interest?

15. Why did Peter decide on e-mail? 16. What did Peter notice about all of his references in his e-mail? 17. Who did he send this e-mail love letter to? 18. Why was Courtney staying at Josie’s house? 19. What was the biggest reason that Josie clung to the title of one-half of Sterling High’s

Most Faithful Couple? 20. What happened while Josie was in the shower? 21. What did Courtney do while Josie was in the shower? 22. Why couldn’t Josie sleep? 23. Who was Drew talking about when he said Matt had competition for Josie? 24. What did Josie find in Drew’s backpack? 25. What was more devastating than finding this paper in Drew’s backpack? 26. What didn’t popular kids have? What did they have instead? 27. What might someone from this popular group do at any one moment? Why? 28. Why was Josie doomed if she accused her friends of hacking into her email and

invading her privacy? 29. Why could Josie sympathize with the Native Americans?

30. Why did Peter want to be in the biggest crush of traffic in the hallways? 31. Who was waiting at Peter’s locker when he got there? 32. What did he try to hide in his locker? 33. Why was this person at Peter’s locker? 34. Why did Peter hate being late to class? 35. What was the best item the cafeteria served according to Josie? How many of these

things did Josie normally allow herself to eat before giving the rest away? 36. What was Josie doing that caused her not to hear the talking between her friends to

stop? 37. What caused her friends to stop talking? 38. What did Peter ask Josie? What were her friend’s responses? 39. Why did Josie have to look away when Peter looked at her? 40. Who had come to stand behind Peter and what did he do? 41. Why did Josie look back into her backpack? 42. Read the following statement: Josie slipped the brown bag into her knapsack, telling

herself that she’d find Peter and give it back to him, or leave it near his locker, when she knew she would do neither. Instead, she would carry it around until it started to reek, until she had to throw it out and could pretend it was that easy to get rid of it. What is Josie really talking about here?

43. Where did Peter go after leaving the cafeteria? What did he do there? 44. What did Peter do in the bathroom? 45. What did Josie do in-order to stay home from school? 46. What did Josie look up on line and what did it mean? 47. What had worried Josie the most about telling her mom about her situation? 48. What were some of the old wives’ tales that Josie already knew? 49. What did Josie finally find that she thought she could handle? 50. What was one of the warnings that all of the websites gave? 51. What did Josie do in the bathroom and what was the result? 52. What did Peter do today without having to have his parents ask him 6 times to do?

Why? 53. Who was Mr. Weatherhall and why did Peter go to his house? 54. Why had Mr. Weatherhall dragged Joey and his friends into his house one

Halloween? 55. What did Joey tell Peter about Mr. Weatherhall? 56. What did Peter do while he was waiting for Mr. Weatherhall?

57. What did Peter find? 58. Who arrived at Josie’s house after school? What did he bring? 59. What was Matt’s reaction to Josie’s news? 60. Why did Peter go to Mr. Weatherhall’s house again? 61. What did he do this time while he waited? 62. What did Peter do once he returned to his bedroom? 63. What did Peter do with his new “toy” from Mr. Weatherhall’s house? 64. What did Josie find when she woke up from a dream? 65. What was happening after three weeks of missing her period? 66. What happened as Lewis was reading The Economist at breakfast? 67. What was the mistake that Lewis was talking about? 68. Why did Josie borrow the car from her mother? 69. What didn’t Matt like? What had he made very clear to Josie? 70. What was more important to Matt than the news that Josie had to tell him?

Nineteen Minutes Name __________________ Discussion questions Pages 335-388 Five Months After 1. What you use habits to do? 2. What is voir dire? How long had Jordan been doing this? 3. What was the goal of the defense and the prosecution? 4. What month was it and why was this a problem? 5. How many jurors had they interviewed? 6. How many opportunities did Jordan and Diane have to dismiss a potential juror out of

gut instinct? 7. What had Alex and Patrick been sort of hiding from Josie? 8. What happened every time Alex tried to talk to Josie about Patrick? 9. Why was Alex and Patrick’s relationship frustrating to Alex? 10. What is the first question that Josie asks Alex when she comes down to breadfast? 11. What advise does Josie give to her mother? Where had she gotten this information? 12. What did Selena wonder about Peter as she sat in the park watching her son play? 13. What was easier for girls? 14. What didn’t boys learn as children and didn’t manage to pick up as adults?

15. What did Josie tell her mom she was doing during the days in the Summer? 16. What was the problem with this scenario? 17. Where did Josie go when she said she was tutoring? 18. What did she do while she was there? 19. What did Josie wonder about the High School administration? 20. What could you run from forever and never really shake? 21. Why did Lacy drive two hours to Boston? 22. Why did she buy expensive clothing for Peter instead of something cheaper? 23. What did Peter develop an aversion to at the age of 11? 24. What trend did Lacy think Peter had a hand at creating? 25. Why did the store clerk think that Lacy was sad? 26. Where did Lacy say that Peter was going to go to college? 27. What did Josie notice as she was leaving the cemetery? 28. What couldn’t Josie do without thinking about That Day? 29. What was Sarcasm for Josie?

30. What does Patrick say he thinks he and Josie both do? 31. What had Patrick done that no other doctor, psychiatrist or other kid from the school

had been able to do? 32. What couldn’t Josie do in front of Patrick? 33. Why does Josie say that Patrick would do better to buy her mother flowers and

chocolates? 34. What does Patrick say Josie is wrong about? 35. What couldn’t you see from the cemetery gates? What else was up there? 36. What did Lewis hate the most? 37. What had Lewis underestimated about going to the jail? 38. What was the only thing Lewis was able to say to Peter when he finally saw him?

For what? 39. Who does Peter say Lewis is really at the Jail for? 40. What did Lewis say that surprised Peter? 41. Why does Lewis say he would say or do anything? 42. Why was Patrick in Diana Leven’s office? 43. What does Diana say that Jordan is going to ask Patrick? 44. Who is Diana planning on preparing for testimony next?

45. What do we learn will earn sympathy for Drew? 46. Why will Diana stop Drew in the middle of his testimony? 47. Why did Patrick start to get angry and curl his fists while listening to Drew? 48.What did Patrick realize that Drew was afraid of? 48. What did Patrick threaten to do to Drew in order to get him to tell the truth on the

stand? 49. What does Josie say is wrong with her? 50. What does Josie accuse everyone else of doing? 51. What does Alex tell Josie happened to her one 4th of July? 52. What did Alex make Josie promise her? 53. What don’t you need water for? 54. What was Patrick’s downfall? 55. What question does Alex ask Patrick about Josie? 56. What did Josie do nights when she couldn’t sleep? 57. What was it easier for her to believe out there? 58. Why couldn’t Josie go and watch the trial as much as she wanted to?

59. Where would she be instead? What does this mean? 60. How did Lacy dress for the trial? 61. Why did Lacy think it would be a good thing if her shoes rubbed her feet raw by the

end of the day? 62. What did Lacy force herself to do that morning? 63. What weren’t there words for at this moment? 64. What breakfast did Jordan usually eat to kick off a battle in court? 65. Why did Jordan suddenly lose his appetite to eat this breakfast? 66. How did Peter know that the clothes his mother brought him for the trial weren’t

Joey’s? 67. What did Peter realize as he was about to leave his cell? 68. Why did Peter suddenly feel like he had gotten lucky? 69. Why did Alex have to listen to the testimony in the courtroom or at this trial? 70. What was déjá vu for Alex? 71. What does Alex say she is trying to do for Josie? 72. Why does Josie say she has to go? 73. What was Alex afraid reliving the shooting would do to Josie?

74. How was Peter to be transported to the Court House? 75. Who were the people wearing bright yellow shirts with BVA printed across the chest? 76. Who found them for Jordan? 77. What advise did Jordan give Peter when he first saw him? 78. What did Jordan bring for Peter? Why? 79. What does Jordan want Peter to do in the courtroom? 80. What had Peter started to do? 81. What did Jordan normally do in times like this? 82. What did Jordan do in this case? 83. What happened to Peter during the Prosecutions opening remarks and slide-show? 84. What did Jordan tell him to do? 85. According to the prosecution, what can you do in nineteen minutes? 86. What does Jordan tell the jury Peter intended to do on March 6, 2007? 87. Who was the first person to testify for the prosecution?

88. How did Michael Beach describe the room where the witnesses for the prosecution were being held?

89. What was so unusual about all of them together now? 90. Who was hit with a bullet instead of Michael? 91. What happened to him as he was trying to stop the blood loss of his friend? 92. Why didn’t Michael get shot? What happened to distract Peter? 93. What did Lacy think about as she was waiting to testify for Peter? 94. What had happened to make Lacy angry at Peter? What did she do about it? 95. Who didn’t Peter recognize as she was being wheeled up to testify? 96. What did seeing this person make Peter think of? Why? 97. How were the witnesses sequestered? 98. What were these witnesses not supposed to do? 99. What was wrong with John Eberhard? 100. Who were the people in the Defense’s witness room? 101. What did Josie and Lacy have in common?

102. Why does Josie say she is in the witness room for the defense? 103. Why did Alex say Jordan was a good lawyer? What does she say that he is

doing? 104. Why was Drew so angry with Diana Leven? 105. What would everyone think of Drew now? 106. Who was Dusty Spears? 107. Why did Dusty say he didn’t intervene when Peter was being bullied in the locker

room? 108. What does Jordan ask Dusty to do when he gives him the bullying policy for

Sterling High School? 109. Did Dusty find anything? 110. Why was Derek Markowitz so important to the prosecution? 111. Why was Derek out in the parking lot on the morning of the shooting? 112. What did Peter say to Derek when he saw him in the parking lot? 113. What did Peter say to Derek the first time they were playing HIDE AND GO

SHRIEK? 114. Why did Derek like Jordan? 115. Why did Derek stop telling the teachers about being picked on?

116. How often did Derek say Peter was being picked on? 117. Why had Lacy hated Josie more than Peter seemed to? 118. What made Josie equally responsible for the actions that Peter had taken? 119. What did Josie do when Lacy suggested she write to Peter in jail? What did this

make Lacy realize? 120. Who did Lacy run into as she was washing her hands in the bathroom? 121. What did she compare their relationship to? 122. What did Alex say to Lacy? 123. What could Alex do that Lacy couldn’t? 124. Why did Josie tell her mother she stopped being friends with Peter? 125. What did she really mean? 126. What was going back to jail like? What does that mean? 127. What was the only freedom Peter had left?

128. What had Peter felt when he returned to his cell? Why? 129. What does Peter compare jail to? 130. Even after everything that had happened, what did Drew, Haley and John have in

common?

Nineteen Minutes Name __________________ Discussion questions Pages 389-437 6:30 A.M. The Day of… 1. What is the first thing Peter did when he got up in the morning? Why? 2. Who did Peter imagine himself being like? 3. What happened when Peter’s glasses case hit his keyboard? 4. What did Peter try to do to get rid of his problem? 5. Was he able to make it go away? Why? 6. What does schadenfruede mean? Five Months After (2) 7. How long was Patrick on the witness stand testifying? 8. What did Patrick feel he was? What was his job? 9. What was the state’s exhibit number 522? 10. What 2 other pieces of evidence did Diana Leven have in the courtroom? 11. What is a print of value? 12. Why wasn’t Jordan McAfee having a good day?

13. How long had Peter been held in Jail without being charged with a crime? 14. Who is Curtis Uppergate? 15. What does Curtis Uppergate do? 16. What was Curtis looking for in Peter’s case? 17. What was Curtis’s findings about Peter? 18. What were the examples that Curtis used to show Peter’s premeditation for shooting

or murder? 19. What does Curtis say about the bullying? 20. What is Jordan’s first question for Curtis Uppergate and what was his answer? 21. What is the field of psychiatry based on? 22. Why was Peter so angry or in a bad mood? 23. Why was Jordan laughing at Peter? 24. How many hours of interviews did Dr. Wah have with Peter? 25. Who was Dr. Lawrence Ghertz? What did he do?

26. Why did Dr. Wah send Peter to see Dr. Ghertz? 27. What did Peter do wrong on his second MRI? 28. What is the label they gave to Peter because he seemed unemotional? 29. What did most of Peter’s childhood memories involve? 30. What were Peter’s thoughts on his parents? 31. What does Dr. Wah say was wrong with Peter on the morning of March 6th? What

does that mean? 32. What caused Peter to go into this state of mind? 33. What had the computer always been to Peter? 34. What triggered Peter’s breakdown? 35. Why wouldn’t someone have noticed if Peter had an irrational fear? 36. What might a child suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder do during an

incident of bullying? 37. What had nobody known about Josie and Matt?

38. What caused her to try to break up with Matt? 39. What did Matt do to get Josie back? Do you think he was really serious? 40. How much was Dr. Wah paid for his interviews with Peter? 41. How does Diana Leven try to use this information? 42. How does Dr.Wah defend Peter? 43. In a span of nineteen minutes what did Peter have according to Diana Leven? 44. Why is it important to point out that although the police stated that Peter had created a

list of target victims, there were far more people shot who were not on the list, who were people he didn’t even know?

45. What did Peter receive when he returned to his jail cell? 46. Who was it from? What did it say? 47. What did Lacy wear to court? Why? 48. What promise had Lacy made to herself?

49. What happened when Jordan called Lacy to the stand? 50. Why did Lacy say that Peter had problems with the kids at school? 51. What happened in the courtroom at the end of Lacy’s testimony? 52. What does Jordan do after the outburst in the courtroom? Does it work? 53.Where did Selena take Lacy after her testimony for Jordan? 54. Why did Selena say that Lacy had to stop crying? 55. What did Selena do to try and help Lacy? 56. Who came to check on Lacy that shocked Selena? 57. What did this person offer to do for Lacy? 58. What does Alex say to Lacy about mistakes? What do you think she is actually

saying to Lacy? 59. What is it that Peter tells Jordan he wants to do?

60. What did Jordan see in Peter’s face when he looked at him now? 61. Do you agree with Jordan’s decision to let Peter take the stand? Why or why not? 62. What did Jordan tell Peter he could not do while he was on the witness stand? 63. Why does Peter say he did it? 64. Why does Peter tell the court he felt he had to resort to violence? 65. What happened to Peter when he tried fitting in by participating in a practical joke? 66. What is it important for Jordan to show the court about Peter? 67. What had always been Peter’s downfall? 68. Why did Jordan desperately want Diana to ask Peter questions? 69. What does Jordan say to Peter about his testimony? 70. What did Selena make for Jordan that night? 71. Who was Louise Herrman? 72. Who does Jordan say he is going to call to the witness stand for Peter?

73. What did Selena give to Josie on Saturday morning? 74. What happened to Josie when she saw Selena’s fallen back-pack on the floor? 75. What does Josie say happened? 76. Why does Josie say she didn’t tell her mother she remembered what happened that

day? 77. Why does Josie say she swore to the affidavit? 78. Why didn’t Patrick go with Alex and Josie to Jordan’s house for the interview? 79. What does Patrick do when he learns about Josie’s memory and what she says

happened in the locker room? 80. What was Patrick legally obligated to do with this new information? 81. What was the first thing Patrick did? 82. What was wrong with the scenario that Josie painted with the shooting? 83. What had basic physics told Patrick about Peter and the gun?

84. What did Patrick find when he took off his socks and shoes in the locker room? 85. What did Patrick do once he found the evidence in the grout? 86. What did he tell Diana to do? 87. What is the advise Alex gives to Josie before she enters the courtroom?

Nineteen Minutes Name ___________________ Discussion questions Pages 439-455 10:30 a.m., The Day of 1. Where did Matt shove Josie to try and protect her? 2. What did Matt and Josie plan to do? Why didn’t they do it? 3. What did Josie notice about Peter as he walked into the locker room? 4. What happened when Josie screamed? 5. What moment did Josie see in slow motion for the rest of her life? 6. What did Peter say to Josie? What did he mean? 7. What did Josie do while Peter was getting his gun ready? 8. What did Josie think about in that moment? 9. What interrupted Josie’s thoughts? What was said to her? 10. Who did Josie shoot? Why do you think she shot him? 11. What did Peter do when Josie asked him to do something? 12. What did Josie realized that Peter had done?

13. What was Peter offering to Josie by telling her not to tell? Five Months Before 14. Why couldn’t Alex get to Josie after her confession? 15. Who came to help Alex out? Why? 16. What did Alex allow herself to be? 17. When did Patrick arrive at the courtroom? 18. Where did Patrick find the bullet from Gun B? 19. What was Patrick’s reaction after being told that Josie confessed to shooting Matt? 20. What did Jordan ask Peter once they returned to his holding cell? 21. Why was Peter smiling in his jail cell? 22. What was the truth that Josie told her mom about Matt? 23. How does Josie explain that they are all like Peter? 24. What was Peter convicted of? 25. What did the jury decide in reference to Matt and Courtney? 26. How does Jordan know that the jury heard what Peter had to say?

27. What did Jordan do to Peter before leaving his cell? 28. What did Peter give to Jordan? Why? 29. What was Lewis researching now that the trial was over? 30. How had his teaching method changed? Why? 31. What was the name of the student who was being picked on in Lewis’s class? 32. What did Lewis realize he would be forced to do now? 33. What had it taken three weeks for Lacy to do? 34. What had Lacy planned on doing to Peter’s room? 35. What would lacy have to become now? Why? 36. What did Peter do exactly one month after he was convicted? 37. Why wasn’t Peter scared? March 6, 2008 38. What did the plaque on the bricks by the front door to the new school say? 39. What was different about the new school?

40. What had Josie been charged with? Did she go to trial? 41. What did Alex do after Peter’s trial? 42. What did Alex do now for a living? 43. What was now located where the back staircase at Sterling High School used to be? 44. What is Alex’s condition now? 45. What does she think of the school now? 46. How long did Alex and Patrick stay in the High School? What were they

commemorating?