Thirteen Reasons Why written by Jay Asher Along with the rest of you, I took notice when "Thirteen Reasons Why" came up on Netflix and gained substantial popularity, so like most people I clicked on that first episode hoping to catch the excitement as well. It's didn't hook me, so I left the craze to everyone else. Skip to my recent discovery of rentable audiobooks at the library, when what should appear but Thirteen Reasons Why, this time in book form. It seemed to be a move against the populous to read this decade-old book instead of the tv show. I went in blindly, and now I am not ready to leave. The book didn't hook me; it caught me in a bear trap. Painful yes, but impossible to escape. For those of you who didn't watch or read the fictional story of Hannah Baker and Clay Jensen or didn't catch the synopsis, Thirteen Reasons Why is about a high school girl, Hannah, who kills herself, but not before making a set of cassette tapes with thirteen sides about the thirteen people (the reasons) that led to her suicide. The rules to her tape are simple, a set of her tapes will be sent to reason #1, listened to in their entirety, and then passed to the next reason, and if they don't make their way through all thirteen people, a second set of tapes will be released very publically. According to Hannah each person on these tapes is responsible for her death, so when Clay receives the tapes he is dumbfounded. Clay hardly knew Hannah and always liked her from afar, so what did he do? Thirteen Reasons Why is a fairly short book, and consists of the dialogue of Hannah's tapes and Clay's experience while listening to them in a one-night marathon session. Hannah is already gone upon the opening of the book, but through Clay listening to the tapes we get to know her and see how seemingly small events caused by careless actions sent her spiraling down. This book details trials of high school such as reputation, rumors, and friendships, but this book takes it further by putting a light on more intense issues such as bullying, rape, and suicide. Some have disputed whether Thirteen Reasons Why shows depression and suicide accurately, and while I am not in a position to judge that point, I can state that this book did the next best thing by calling attention to the issue of teenage suicide and get people talking. In the end, this book's main point was less about what it's like to be suicidal and more about the responsibility we have as bystanders to recognize the signs that someone we know could be in trouble and how even our small actions can have a devastating impact for someone else. Be kind and look out for each other. Thirteen Reasons Why is a compelling read with a great message though it isn't always easy to listen to, yet that fact makes it all the better. In fact, for the full effect try listening to the audiobook. It's what I opted for, and I must say that it adds another dimension to the experience when you and Clay both hear Hannah's voice through your headphones. Also be careful when you choose to begin Tape One Side A because you'll likely feel the need to finish it in a day like Clay, like me.
