The Fitter, Happier UnLibrarian's Blog of Young Adult Books: Thirteen Reason Why by John Asher

Thirteen Reason Why by John Asher

Thirteen Reason Why by John Asher

By: Jay Asher
Publisher: Penguin Group
Publish Date: October 2007
ISBN: 1595141715
Page #: 304pp
Reading Level: Young Adult
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Real Life

Subjects: Bullying, Date Rape, Depression, High School, Reputation, Suicide, Teenager

Annotation:

Hannah Blaker has left Clay Jensen a mysterious box with recorded cassette tapes inside that explain thirteen reasons why she decided to take her life and Clay is one of them.

Summary:

Clay Jensen arrives home from school to find a mysterious package waiting on his front porch. Inside are seven cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, a girl at his school who recently committed suicide and a note explaining how the tapes justify the reasons why she made the decision she did and the events that led up to it. Additionally Hannah has included a map with red stars indicating where some of the pivotal events occurred. Clay starts to listen to the tapes and is immediately drawn to Hannah’s life.

Megan says:

I found Thirteen Reasons Why to be extremely well written, even with the high school melodrama. The story was . Jay Asher chose an interesting way to introduce the thirteen reasons why Hannah committed suicide. The story is told from the narrative of Clay, who holds no responsibility (at least in Hannah's eyes) for her death. There are some captivating questions raised with no easy answers. I would recommend this book, though parents should be ready for some discussion and possible questions about the decisions made by not only Hannah, but several other characters in the novel. The novel deals with many somber issues and hopefully makes one think about what they say and what their actions may reflect onto another person.

Stars: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Jay Asher
Thirteen Reasons Why

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