A Freak's Review: Nighteen Minutes

Book Title: Nighteen Minutes

Author: Jodi Picoult

Amount of pages: 445

Damn! Just reading the synopsis alone has instilled suspence and curiousity in my heart. Let me just share the brief synopsis with you.

Alex is a single parent with a teenage daughter named Josie. Josie and Peter grew up together since they were born. However, when they entered high school, their friendship began to distort as Josie sought to be 'someone' and ran after the popular crowd while Peter continued to be just him. Small in stature, Peter was often bullied by other big guys. They slammed him into lockers, flushed his face in the toilet, and even pulled his pants and underwear down in the cafeteria. Anger and bitterness soon sat in his heart. One day, he went to school and bam! - he shot students and teachers down, killed a few and sent several to be paralyzed forever - all in nineteen minutes.

In nineteen minutes, I could write a post on my blog. In nineteen minutes, I can layout a magazine page. In nineteen minutes, I can finish an article to be published. But Peter spent his nineteen minutes shooting the school and sending himself to jail. At the end of the story, it's not about whether Peter gets a death sentence for what he has done. Rather, it's about why he did it and who he is.

If Jodi asks, "Do we ever really know someone?" then I'll be asking, "Do I really know ME?" There are many times we think we know who we truly are, but how many times can we actually stand up tall and say, "This is who I am - take it or leave it." How often do we give in and become someone else in order to fit into the society? How often do we change tiny bits of ourselves so that others can accept us in their lives? When exactly are we true to ourselves to confess that this is who we are and not change our hearts because of the world?

Perhaps we should spend nineteen minutes in quiet solitude and think about what we truly want out of life and how are we going to achieve who we want to be.

Foundations Of My Reviews

Books
I believe a good book is one that contains a strong main plot and lots of interesting mini ones to build up to the peak. It has to be written in a simple language that enables the readers to read with ease, not with a dictionary at hand. Most important of all, the characters have to be crafted in such a way that readers will believe in their existence.

Drama Series
Consistency is important as far as characterization is concern. I believe that everyone has a habit of their own that define them. And that is important when it comes to watching a drama. The presentation of the story shouldn't be too draggy as well, because it is a drama series. If it only captures attention in the first few episodes and dies down later on, then it should probably be better of as a film.

Films
A strong message behind film is really important. I hate films that teaches me nothing at the end of it, or films that simply doesn't have a beginning and ending to it. Those are just a waste of time. A good film is one that makes you nod when the credits roll out and you know that when you walk out of the cinema, it was worthy for the dollars you paid.

Games
My definition of a good game would be a partially addictive one with missions and goals to drive the gamer to want to push further in the game world. It has to be user-friendly in terms of controls and settings. The graphic has to be of standard quality because when you are into a game, it hurts when the graphic sucks.

Manga
A good manga is one that keeps you reading from one page to another, one chapter to another, one volume to another. It doesn't get too draggy and the plot must have a pull-string to drive readers to want more of it. Most importantly is the graphic - it has to have details to enrich the reader's imagination to picture the whole scene in mind.

Music
A good music is one with powerful lyrics and a suitable tune to go with it. It might not be accompanied by instruments or vice-versa. It might be a band or solo singer. The most important of all, the presenter of the song has to feel it with their heart before they present it to their audience. That's the best music ever!

Music Videos
I think a good plot is essential in music videos. The purpose of having a music video is to help audience to engage in the song through visuals. It helps to bring the audience to another world where the song makes sense in order for them to experience the music fully.

Personality
Everyone has different preferences when it comes to admiring others. I, for one, admire women who have full control of their life. I look up to women who have made it to the top in the field of their choice. A dynamic personality interests me.

Plays
The essentials of a good play include presentation, the engaging power and outstanding audio system. The storyline is just a vessel to carry out a message. What matters is how entertaining can it be while sending out that message. No one watches a boring play.

Products
A good product have both physical and emotional benefits for the users. It is also affordable and user-friendly. Most of all, it has to leave the users feeling good about themselves.

Video Clips
Lengthy does not mean good. There are some short videos that tell stories as good as a full length film does. Keeping the video short while trying to tell the entire story perfectly - that is a good video clip.

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Nighteen Minutes

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