Search - Thirteen Reasons Why

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

I don't often write introductions to my reviews. In fact, the last time I can remember doing so was with the wonderful PUCKER by Melanie Gideon, which I read in 2006. However, THIRTEEN REASONS WHY, the debut novel from author Jay Asher, is the type of book that begs an introduction. So if you'd like to skip down to the third paragraph for the "meat" of the story, I won't hold it against you -- but you'll be missing something important.

If you have the chance to only read one novel this year, THIRTEEN REASONS WHY should be that book. It's sad, amazing, heartbreaking, and hopeful, all at the same time. I dare you to read it and not become so immersed in the story that you lose track of time and your surroundings. You'll cry, several times, while reading this story. You'll have no choice but to think about your actions, and wonder what type of effect they have on other people. And, in the end, you might also find the need to say "thank you."

Now, on to the story...

When Clay Jensen finds a package on his front porch, he's excited. A package, for him? With no return address? What could it possibly be? What Clay finds is a shoebox full of cassette tapes, each marked as "Cassette 1: Side A," "Cassette 1: Side B," etc. Of course he rushes to the old radio/cassette player in his dad's garage to check out these mysterious tapes.

And soon wishes, wholeheartedly, that he'd never picked up that stupid package from his front porch.

What he hears when he inserts that first tape is the voice of Hannah Baker. Hannah, the girl he'd crushed on for longer than he could remember. The girl he went to school with. The girl he worked at the movie theater with. The girl who had changed, drastically, in the last several months. Hannah Baker, the girl who committed suicide.

Clay soon realizes that these tapes aren't just a suicide note, aren't, really, even a clear-cut rendition of why she did what she did. Instead, these are thirteen reasons -- thirteen people, to be exact -- who created a snowball-effect of events that led Hannah to believe that suicide was her only option. But why is Clay on that list? How could he possibly be one of the reasons that she killed herself?

As the day goes on, Clay becomes obsessed with listening to the tapes. And what he hears frightens him, disturbs him, and, in the end, leads him to realizations that he never would have expected. As Clay listens to the role that thirteen people, including himself, led in the ultimate death of Hannah Baker, his view of the world, and himself, changes drastically.

You will love this book, because you won't be able to help yourself. You will feel what Clay feels. You will, in a very strong way, experience the highs and lows of Hannah's life right along with her. And there is nothing, in my opinion, that could speak better for the authenticity of a book. Read THIRTEEN REASONS WHY. And then, if you're like me, you'll read it again. And, hopefully, none of us will ever forget it.

Wow. I read this whole book in one day. It was a long day of travel, so I had lots of time to read, but I think even if that hadn't been the case I would have found it hard to put down. Really made me think about the challenges that await my daughter when she reaches her teens and the importance of not only staying aware of her feelings and outlook but also on instilling in her an understanding of the impact of her own actions on others. Definitely a book to read!

I loved this book and I am over 40. Its a YA book, but it was a real page turner. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a copy instead of waiting for it here. Im buying a copy for my teen niece. It is about a teen girl that commits suicide, but she leaves tapes outlining what led to her suicide & who pushed her toward it. It just made me think about how a person can do a seemingly insignificant thing to someone else that just starts an avalanche as it rolls downhill. That one little thing leads to other things that lead to other things and she gives "13 reasons why"on her tapes and names the people & their actions that ultimately led her to take her life.

As a teenager, this book would have been very eye-opening regarding the far-reaching effects of our words and actions. As a married mother of two who works full time and graduated from high school 16 years ago, I could appreciate the message of the book but found the story itself shallow. The "issues" that the narrator described were nothing like I was expecting. In fact, everything that she listed was surprisingly bland. It is probably more age-appropriate this way (why subject teens and tweens to horrible atrocities when they are exposed to so much already?) but in my opinion it ended up making the narrator look selfish and vindictive. I was left wondering who really caused the greatest cumulative harm: the 13 bullies, or the narrator herself.

For what it is trying to do and for the audience that it targets, I think that this book serves its purpose. It could certainly fuel thoughtful discussion and bring to light the potentially devastating consequences of seemingly inconsequential events. And due to the relatively minor wrongs listed by the narrator, it would be a book appropriate for younger teens as well as older.

But my main complaint with the book is this: BY NO MEANS were any of the wrongs experienced by the narrator worthy of suicide. For kids who are truly struggling through horrible traumas, Hanna's suicide is insulting. By nature, High School is awkward, self-centered, petty, and horrible, but that does not mean it merits taking your own life, especially when you stubbornly refuse to ask for help and then posthumously blackmail your 13 bullies with threats of greater exposure for the supposed wrongs committed against you. I was also incredibly frustrated by the author's portrayal of the 13th "bully" and found that entire situation completely unfair and more than a little cruel.

I can appreciate the author's intent in writing this book and think that people can benefit from reading it. I just don't agree with his approach.

Couldn't get into this book. Read a couple chapters before giving up. Hopefully whoever receives my copy in the mail will have better luck!

I think this book should be a must read for older middle school and high school students.

It gives an in depth look at why one girl committed suicide and shows that, at least in this case, many things can affect a person's decision to kill themselves.