Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult Chapter Summaries: Part 2

Chapter summaries of Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult are not meant to replace reading the book. They are meant to serve as a study guide to help keep the many events in this novel straight. The chapters in this book are named for time in relation to a school shooting at Sterling High School. To help keep the chapters straight I have numbered them and used the time frame as the chapter title.

Part Two

Chapter 11 - Five Months After

Patrick and Alex begin a relationship - Josie seems okay with it.

Josie tells mom she has a tutoring job for the summer but spends her days at Matt's grave. Josie is dreading the trial, especially the last count of first degree murder.

Lewis visits Peter in jail. Lacy at first offers Peter the suit she bought for Joey's college interviews - that he never got to use - but reconsiders and buys him his own suit for the trial.

The trial begins and Lacy and Lewis are sharing grief, coping together. Lacy is sequestered with the defense witnesses and Lewis is watching in the courtroom. Alex also attends the trial and Josie is sequestered with the witnesses for the defense.

Witnesses for the prosecution include Zoey, the first shot on the school steps, Michael, who held his long-time best friend while he died, and Haley Weaver, a beautiful girl now severely disfigured. Peter is finally reacting to the trauma he has caused.

Drew testifies that Peter wasn't like 'us', meaning the popular kids. He admits to bullying Peter for years, spamming his personal e-mail, and depantsing him. The prosecution points out that many kids are harassed and don't resort to killing.

The coach admits to seeing bullying everyday and not stopping it. There was no school policy in place for dealing with bullies.

Peter's friend Derek testifies that he saw Peter in the parking lot the morning of the shooting and Peter warned him to go home. Derek saw all of the school computers with "ready or not here I come" scrolling across their screens. This is the opening screen from Peter's video game.

On the way home that evening Alex asks Josie why she stopped being Peter's friend. Josie replies that she didn't want to be treated like him.

Chapter 12 - 6:30 A.M., The Day Of

Peter gets up from bed and checks his computer for feedback on his new game. He accidently restores the deleted file of his e-mail to Josie. He packs his guns in a backpack.

Chapter 13 - Five Months After

Patrick worries about Alex while on the stand. A psychiatrist for the state testifies that Peter displayed premeditation and sanity during the attacks. Jordan points out that the Doctor has never met Peter.

Dr. King Wah, expert witness for the defense, conducted several interviews with Peter and found him to be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Peter's history of being tormented and adults not protecting him is chronicled. He further claims that Peter was suffering dissociation from reality after the e-mail popped up on his computer. He cites the incident of Peter eating cereal after the shootings in the cafeteria as further proof of dissociation.

When Peter returns to the jailhouse he receives a letter form a girl - victim #9. She wrote to tell him of the pain and terror he has caused him. She also says they had been in French class together and she would have liked to have been his friend.

Lacy testifies about the childhood of bullying. The father of a victim erupts; blaming Lacy for not doing her job as a mother. Peter insists on taking the stand. This doesn't look good and ends poorly when Peter asserts that the 'game' is not over. Hoping to redirect sympathies and attention' Jordan calls Josie to the witness stand for the next day.

Chapter 14 - 10:16 A.M., The Day Of

Matt and Josie hide in the locker room. Peter enters wielding guns. He drops his backpack and a gun skitters across the floor to Josie. She picks it up. Matt yells at her to shoot Peter. He tells her stop being stupid and just shoot. She shoots Matt in the stomach and faints. Peter shoots Matt in the head and crumples; telling Josie not to tell.

Chapter 15 - Five Months After

The courtroom erupts after Josie's confession. Patrick has found the bullet lodged in the tree outside the locker room window - ricocheted from where Josie was standing.

Peter is convicted of eight first-degree murder charges. In the cases of Matt Royton and Courtney Ignatio he was convicted on charges of second-degree manslaughter, as the jury found he had been provoked. Peter tells Jordan that he hadn't told him about Josie because she was his friend again. One month after he is convicted, Peter commits suicide.

Chapter 16 - March 6, 2008

Patrick and Alex visit the high school on the anniversary of the shooting and marvel at the changes in architecture and safety measures. Alex has gone back to working in the public defenders office and she is pregnant.

Josie accepted a plea of manslaughter with five years served.

See also Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult part one chapter summaries:

Chapters 1 to 5 and Chapters 6 through 10 .