Book Review: 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

AUTHOR: Jay Asher
PUBLISHER: Razorbill
PAGES: 304
STAND ALONE/SERIES: stand alone
SOURCE: bought
OUTLINE:
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

MY THOUGHTS

"Some of us will be to angry at Hannah for killing herself and blaming everyone else." pg-280 This sentence pretty much sums up the way I was feeling after I started the book. 

.Hannah to me already seemed a bit cruel from her tapes. I was ready to dismiss her character, and not feel anything for her.Thinking she wanted to blame anyone, but herself. I mean she'd get over it eventually right? Wrong! Sadly, this seems to be the way people think. People with feelings like Hannah's (maybe not even as drastic) will never get over it entirely. No amount of therapy, medicine, or anything will ever get rid of the feelings completely. It may suppress them, but never diminish them. Like Hannah said it's a snowball effect. One thing happens and it just keeps progressing from there.

Maybe, your wondering how I can sit here and say this? Well I didn't go through what Hannah went through. I did have my own problems. Problems I thought were bad enough that I wasn't happy with life and wanted it to end. I wrote poems about death, suicide, cutting, love I felt I didn't deserve, the life I hated, The only difference I knew I couldn't go through with it. I was weak or strong however you want to look at it. In the end I grew from it. I knew things weren't always going to be good, but you only need that one person to care, and to tell you they care to make life worth something. It took me 26 years to find that person.

My point is had Hannah found that someone...had she let Clay in...things would have been different. I think if her counselor would have listened more, and not just said those generic things counselors say...things would be different. If people understood that what they say and do affects others more then they know...things would have been different.

13 reasons why is definitely a heart-wrenching tale of how rumors can ruin not just that persons life, but everyone involved in that persons life.

I think it's one of those books that people need to read, and understand that their actions will cause reactions in others whether good or bad that's unknown.

As for the characters like I said Hannah really pissed me off at first, but then as you read on and learn about her and her story things fall into place. You come to understand why she's being that way, why she felt she had to go about it the way that she did. I really truly liked Clay. He seemed like he cared alot for Hannah. My only problem with him is that he gave up on her to easy. If you care for someone don't give up on them.
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