Thirteen Reasons Why
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Alternating Dual 1st Person POV. Masterfully Written Pageturner!
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I highly recommend this book. There's a reason it landed on the NYT bestseller list and hung around for a LONG time!
Good Points
I was mesmerized by the masterful way Asher weaves two different (male and female) First Person POVs together into a seamless story that intensifies as it progresses. The topic is suicide and what precipitates the choice of a young girl driven to this choice. You experience it firsthand as the MC, Clay, who receives a mysterious package of cassette tapes (holy 80's batman!) from Hannah, a girl he realizes he had feelings for.
This story pulled me in right from the start, shortly after pushing play on the 7 cassettes (each side adds up to 13, since the last one only has one side). As you follow Clay through an unforgettable night of wandering the town to each spot where the story originally took place, you unravel the mystery of WHY.
This story pulled me in right from the start, shortly after pushing play on the 7 cassettes (each side adds up to 13, since the last one only has one side). As you follow Clay through an unforgettable night of wandering the town to each spot where the story originally took place, you unravel the mystery of WHY.
Amazing.
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I read this my senior year of high school, and I can still remember sitting on the swing outside my house and crying. This book has stuck with me, 4 years later. I love that Hannah made these tapes. Suicide is confusing, but maybe having the tapes makes it more understanding. Although, personally, I feel that it is a selfish act..but that's just me.
It's a beautiful book, really.
It's a beautiful book, really.
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.
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5.0
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Pages: 288
Genre: YA/ Suspense
Publication Date: 2007
My Rating: 5/5 stars
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.
Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.
It seems that each time I get my hands on a book by Jay Asher, I finish it in two days or less. I don’t know why, but I’ll take a guess and say that his books are raw and honest. He says thinks just as they are.
A month ago I read The Future of Us and really enjoyed the book, but it was Thirteen Reasons Why that stole my heart.
Thirteen Reasons Why tells the story of Hannah Baker. A teenage girl who has committed suicide. But before that occurred, Hannah recorded a series of audio tapes in which she explained the thirteen reasons why she decided to kill herself. The main character, Clay, is one of the, but he doesn’t know what he did.
The book takes place over the course of one evening. Clay receives a box full of audio tapes and finds out that he has to listen to the tapes and pass them on to the next person, sort of like a chain letter, and if he doesn’t, another copy of the tapes will be released to the public, which would cause dangerous consequences for the involved. He listens to the tapes as he visits the places Hannah mentions in her tapes and discovers all the reasons why Hannah Baker decided to commit suicide.
As I read the book I felt sorry for Hannah, I related to the things she went through, and even cried a good deal of tears when the book reached its ending. And I because I felt like over the 288 pages of the book I had gotten to know Hannah a lot and had considered myself close to her. I listened to her woes and understood all of them. When the idea of suicide began to pop into her head, I wanted to stop her. To tell her not to go through it. To save her and convince her there was a lot to live for. I cried because I felt empty. I truly felt the lost of Hannah Baker. The author did so well portraying Hannah’s depression. It all felt so genuine. And the “snow ball” effect worked really well.
One of the major themes of this book was bullying. Hannah was bullied in many ways. Rumors were spread about her, people called her names, and they made her feel so lonely, so alone. They all gave her reasons to end it all. To give up. Even when some of the characters thought they were doing no wrong, they somehow contributed to Hannah’s reasons. It really goes to show that we don’t know how much impact our actions have on a person.
I loved every single scene of the book, but there were two that I like a bit better than others. Firstly, there’s the scene where we discover who the last person who caused Hannah’s dead is: her counselor. Hannah has given up in life, and this scene is pretty much her last cry for help. But the counselor didn’t realize then what Hanna was about to do. My other favorite part was the end. Clay had seen this girl, Sky, having a lot of the same symptoms Hannah had had (changing appearance), and at the end of the book he went to talk to her. We don’t really know what happens after this, but I like to think that Clay stopped this girl from committing a huge mistake. Perhaps the same mistake Hannah Baker had made.
I have never felt so connected to a character before. I have never related so well. It’s a weird feeling, really, relating and feeling for a fictional character, and yet it’s also somehow liberating. Even though Hannah might not be real there are teens who feel the same way she did. Helpless, lonely, lost. The cause of those feelings might be many, bullying, a dysfunctional family, or a hurtful rumor. Things that a lot of teens these days go through.
And there was a quote that touched me very much. A quote that made me break down. The quote is located on page 280. It is told in Hannah’s perspective and goes like this: “A lot of you cared, just not enough. And that…that is what I needed to find out.” This quote is heartbreaking and it is easily the best quote of the book.
This book came in 2007 and it surprises me that I haven’t picked it up until now. I have heard of it before, of course, and I was even aware that Selena Gomez is going to play Hannah Baker in the movie adaptation for it, but I haven’t had enough interest to pick it up. Thirteen Reasons Why really shows that we need to be careful what we say or do. You never know if you’re affecting someone or not. You need to open your eyes and help that friend who so desperately needs to be aided. This book is eye-opening, it has had such an effect on me, and I would recommend it to everyone! Gah, what was wrong with me? I want to keep gushing and gushing about this book, but that would be very annoying for everyone, I’m sure. So I’ll leave you saying that Jay Asher has become one of my favorite authors.
Genre: YA/ Suspense
Publication Date: 2007
My Rating: 5/5 stars
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.
Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.
It seems that each time I get my hands on a book by Jay Asher, I finish it in two days or less. I don’t know why, but I’ll take a guess and say that his books are raw and honest. He says thinks just as they are.
A month ago I read The Future of Us and really enjoyed the book, but it was Thirteen Reasons Why that stole my heart.
Thirteen Reasons Why tells the story of Hannah Baker. A teenage girl who has committed suicide. But before that occurred, Hannah recorded a series of audio tapes in which she explained the thirteen reasons why she decided to kill herself. The main character, Clay, is one of the, but he doesn’t know what he did.
The book takes place over the course of one evening. Clay receives a box full of audio tapes and finds out that he has to listen to the tapes and pass them on to the next person, sort of like a chain letter, and if he doesn’t, another copy of the tapes will be released to the public, which would cause dangerous consequences for the involved. He listens to the tapes as he visits the places Hannah mentions in her tapes and discovers all the reasons why Hannah Baker decided to commit suicide.
As I read the book I felt sorry for Hannah, I related to the things she went through, and even cried a good deal of tears when the book reached its ending. And I because I felt like over the 288 pages of the book I had gotten to know Hannah a lot and had considered myself close to her. I listened to her woes and understood all of them. When the idea of suicide began to pop into her head, I wanted to stop her. To tell her not to go through it. To save her and convince her there was a lot to live for. I cried because I felt empty. I truly felt the lost of Hannah Baker. The author did so well portraying Hannah’s depression. It all felt so genuine. And the “snow ball” effect worked really well.
One of the major themes of this book was bullying. Hannah was bullied in many ways. Rumors were spread about her, people called her names, and they made her feel so lonely, so alone. They all gave her reasons to end it all. To give up. Even when some of the characters thought they were doing no wrong, they somehow contributed to Hannah’s reasons. It really goes to show that we don’t know how much impact our actions have on a person.
I loved every single scene of the book, but there were two that I like a bit better than others. Firstly, there’s the scene where we discover who the last person who caused Hannah’s dead is: her counselor. Hannah has given up in life, and this scene is pretty much her last cry for help. But the counselor didn’t realize then what Hanna was about to do. My other favorite part was the end. Clay had seen this girl, Sky, having a lot of the same symptoms Hannah had had (changing appearance), and at the end of the book he went to talk to her. We don’t really know what happens after this, but I like to think that Clay stopped this girl from committing a huge mistake. Perhaps the same mistake Hannah Baker had made.
I have never felt so connected to a character before. I have never related so well. It’s a weird feeling, really, relating and feeling for a fictional character, and yet it’s also somehow liberating. Even though Hannah might not be real there are teens who feel the same way she did. Helpless, lonely, lost. The cause of those feelings might be many, bullying, a dysfunctional family, or a hurtful rumor. Things that a lot of teens these days go through.
And there was a quote that touched me very much. A quote that made me break down. The quote is located on page 280. It is told in Hannah’s perspective and goes like this: “A lot of you cared, just not enough. And that…that is what I needed to find out.” This quote is heartbreaking and it is easily the best quote of the book.
This book came in 2007 and it surprises me that I haven’t picked it up until now. I have heard of it before, of course, and I was even aware that Selena Gomez is going to play Hannah Baker in the movie adaptation for it, but I haven’t had enough interest to pick it up. Thirteen Reasons Why really shows that we need to be careful what we say or do. You never know if you’re affecting someone or not. You need to open your eyes and help that friend who so desperately needs to be aided. This book is eye-opening, it has had such an effect on me, and I would recommend it to everyone! Gah, what was wrong with me? I want to keep gushing and gushing about this book, but that would be very annoying for everyone, I’m sure. So I’ll leave you saying that Jay Asher has become one of my favorite authors.
Good Points
- most of the book was amazing. Character, plot, everything. i loved it!
Read this NOW
Overall rating
5.0
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After Hannah Baker kills herself, a set of cassette tapes are sent to a list of thirteen people who are somehow responsible for Hannah’s death. Clay, a quiet boy who had a crush on Hannah, receives these tapes. Clay has
absolutely no idea why he received them or how he’s responsible for Hannah’s death. After taking his friend Tony’s Walkman, Clay spends the night traveling his town while listening to Hannah’s voice. And what Hannah says will change him forever.
Set in first person, alternating between Clay’s perspective and Hannah’s tapes, Thirteen Reasons Why tells you a huge message about life: that your actions, even if they seem perfectly harmless to you, could cause somebody else harm, and ultimately cause them to commit suicide. As Hannah says in Thirteen Reasons
Why, “I guess that’s the point of it all. No one knows for certain how much of impact they have on the lives of other people. Often we have no clue.”
I loved this book because it was written so beautifully and flawlessly in the way that Jay Asher switched between Clay and Hannah’s perspectives. Also, the main characters seemed so real that it made you think that you could actually talk to them, or change their mind, but in the end, you couldn’t. In the end, they
were only fictional characters. This was especially true when Hannah says, “If you hear a song that makes you cry and you don’t want to cry anymore, you don’t listen to that song anymore. But you can’t get away from yourself. You can’t decide not to see yourself anymore. You can’t decide to turn off the noise in your head.”
I also loved this book because it was so real. It controlled your emotions so well that this book made me cry. Lastly, Thirteen Reasons Why conveyed a message so achingly true that it changed my view on life itself.
I gave this book a five because I absolutely loved it. It’s so real mesmerizingly incredible, and beautiful in such a raw and deep way. It’s written in such a way that it makes you keep reading, and even when you’ve
finished it, you can’t stop thinking about it. I would recommend this book to everyone, teens and adults alike. Thirteen Reasons Why gives such a clear and moving message that should be heard and understood by everyone.
absolutely no idea why he received them or how he’s responsible for Hannah’s death. After taking his friend Tony’s Walkman, Clay spends the night traveling his town while listening to Hannah’s voice. And what Hannah says will change him forever.
Set in first person, alternating between Clay’s perspective and Hannah’s tapes, Thirteen Reasons Why tells you a huge message about life: that your actions, even if they seem perfectly harmless to you, could cause somebody else harm, and ultimately cause them to commit suicide. As Hannah says in Thirteen Reasons
Why, “I guess that’s the point of it all. No one knows for certain how much of impact they have on the lives of other people. Often we have no clue.”
I loved this book because it was written so beautifully and flawlessly in the way that Jay Asher switched between Clay and Hannah’s perspectives. Also, the main characters seemed so real that it made you think that you could actually talk to them, or change their mind, but in the end, you couldn’t. In the end, they
were only fictional characters. This was especially true when Hannah says, “If you hear a song that makes you cry and you don’t want to cry anymore, you don’t listen to that song anymore. But you can’t get away from yourself. You can’t decide not to see yourself anymore. You can’t decide to turn off the noise in your head.”
I also loved this book because it was so real. It controlled your emotions so well that this book made me cry. Lastly, Thirteen Reasons Why conveyed a message so achingly true that it changed my view on life itself.
I gave this book a five because I absolutely loved it. It’s so real mesmerizingly incredible, and beautiful in such a raw and deep way. It’s written in such a way that it makes you keep reading, and even when you’ve
finished it, you can’t stop thinking about it. I would recommend this book to everyone, teens and adults alike. Thirteen Reasons Why gives such a clear and moving message that should be heard and understood by everyone.
Good Points
Such a real, and moving story! Fabulous characters too.
L
Laura
Top 1000 Reviewer
Amazing
Overall rating
5.0
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I loved this book so much. It was so sad. After I had listened to all of Hannah's reason I understood why she did what she did. A must read!!
Clay got the tapes. He listened and passed them on. The tapes were about why Hannah had killed herself, the thirteen reasons why. A beautiful book.
Clay got the tapes. He listened and passed them on. The tapes were about why Hannah had killed herself, the thirteen reasons why. A beautiful book.
Good Points
The story itself was so amazing yet heartbreakng!!
Good Read
Overall rating
4.0
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I loved this book and I thought it was more Realistic Fiction with what you would like to call Mystery, but you know it isn't because the outcome of the story is the plot. I, as a bit of a crime- seeking reader, enjoyed the fact that there wasn't any surprise that she had not killed herself, though I did feel bad for her and Clay, as this book tends to pull the heart strings. With high school life and all the things building around her, I can sort of understand why she did, what she did.
P.S: I imagined Clay as Drew Seeley the entire time I read it, don't know why...
P.S: I imagined Clay as Drew Seeley the entire time I read it, don't know why...
Good Points
The flow
Middle to end
Middle to end
13 Reasons Why-Jay Asher
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4.7
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More of my reviews at http://wwwthebookshelves.blogspot.com
Where do I even start with this book? It's just beautifully devastating. So here I go with my review and hopefully I get what I want to say out! :D
Clay's life is normal till her receives a package in his front steps of his house after school. Clay thinks its some practical jokes but really it real. Its his used-to-be friend Hannah Baker, her last words till she took her own life, like her own diary without the paper and ink. Clay listens to the cassettes, hearing the truths on why Hannah ended her life. The 13 Reason Why.
Each tape really freaked out Clay. If he was one of the reasons when will he be mentioned? Even with a bittersweet, far-away romance, Clay doesn't know why he is a reason.
There everything starts...Through the whole book I was fighting for Hannah the whole time. She deserved to live, to see the world thought a different way. The world was all ready to much to handle and the pain had to stop. Then you realize..Hannah is DEAD! People out there in the world do the same thing Hannah does, but you can be that person that can stop them from doing suicide. You can save a person's life. The reason Hannah ended her life was because she wasn't strong enough. Strong enough to say something or not act based on what the circumstances are.
Jay Asher weaves a beautiful debut novel that will leave you breathless and make you realize that things like suicide is a tough issue but you shouldn't shove it under the rug and hope things get better. This book makes you see things from a new eye. Suicide. Death. Reasons. A hearth-aching novel, valuable, its a book you can't get out of your mind. Its amazing!
“A lot of you cared, just not enough.”
“You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can’t be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life. Everything. . . affects everything.”
Tweet Review:
Real, True, and honest 13 Reason Why by Jay Asher is amazing and hearth-aching in every way! It will leave you fighting for Hannah, the main character and realize once you can save a person from committing that last straw: suicide.
Where do I even start with this book? It's just beautifully devastating. So here I go with my review and hopefully I get what I want to say out! :D
Clay's life is normal till her receives a package in his front steps of his house after school. Clay thinks its some practical jokes but really it real. Its his used-to-be friend Hannah Baker, her last words till she took her own life, like her own diary without the paper and ink. Clay listens to the cassettes, hearing the truths on why Hannah ended her life. The 13 Reason Why.
Each tape really freaked out Clay. If he was one of the reasons when will he be mentioned? Even with a bittersweet, far-away romance, Clay doesn't know why he is a reason.
There everything starts...Through the whole book I was fighting for Hannah the whole time. She deserved to live, to see the world thought a different way. The world was all ready to much to handle and the pain had to stop. Then you realize..Hannah is DEAD! People out there in the world do the same thing Hannah does, but you can be that person that can stop them from doing suicide. You can save a person's life. The reason Hannah ended her life was because she wasn't strong enough. Strong enough to say something or not act based on what the circumstances are.
Jay Asher weaves a beautiful debut novel that will leave you breathless and make you realize that things like suicide is a tough issue but you shouldn't shove it under the rug and hope things get better. This book makes you see things from a new eye. Suicide. Death. Reasons. A hearth-aching novel, valuable, its a book you can't get out of your mind. Its amazing!
“A lot of you cared, just not enough.”
“You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can’t be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life. Everything. . . affects everything.”
Tweet Review:
Real, True, and honest 13 Reason Why by Jay Asher is amazing and hearth-aching in every way! It will leave you fighting for Hannah, the main character and realize once you can save a person from committing that last straw: suicide.
PJ
Patrick Jason
Top 500 Reviewer
Thirteen Tapes:
Overall rating
5.0
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Short Synopsis: Hannah Baker commits suicide. A week later Clay Jensen gets a box filled with twelve casette tapes each side labeled 1-13. These tapes are Hannahs explanation and her list of blame. What these 13 people did, said or in Clays case, didnt say are Hannahs 13 Reasons Why.
History: This book came upon me in the 5th grade. I remember it pretty well actually, it was a recommendation from my ex best friend Heather. I've been reading big books since about 2nd grade. Harry Potter was all I would read from 2nd to 3rd grade and a bit into 4th. My grandma would actually check my bookbag for books and take them out if she found any because the teacher would complain that I didn't pay her any attention, only my books. Sad right? A little bit I would say. But since the day Heather read Th1rteen R3asons Why and told me that I should read it too, I fell in love.
A Little Snip:
A shoebox-sized package is propped against the front door at an angle. Our front door has a tiny slot to shove mail through, but anything thicker than a bar of soap gets left outside. A hurried scribble on the wrapping addresses the package to Clay Jensen, so I pick it up and head inside. I take the package into the kitchen and set it on the counter. I slide open the junk drawer and pull out a pair of scissors. Then I run a scissor blade around the package and lift off its top. Inside the shoebox is a rolled-up tube of bubble-wrap. I unroll that and discover seven loose audiotapes. Each tape has a dark blue dumber painted in the upper right-hand corner, possibly with nail polish. Each side has its own number. One and two on the first tape, three and four on the next, five and six, and so on. The last tape has thirteen on one side, but nothing on the back. Who would send me a shoebox full of audiotapes? No one listens to tapes anymore. Do I even have a way to play them? The garage! The stereo on the workbench. My dad bought it at a yard sale for almost nothing. It's old, so he doesn't care if it gets coated with sawdust or splattered with paint. And best of all, it plays tapes. I drag a stoll in front of the workbench, drop my backpack to the floor, then sit down. I press Eject on the player. A plastic door eases open and I slide in the first tape.
Dun Dun Dun!
Sorry, Just couldn't help myself ^_^
My Take: The first thing I noticed about this book was...wow this is deep stuff, the writer must really be a very thoughtful and amazing person. And the second thing I noticed is that this story is addictive. Maybe a one, two day read tops?
Let me just say that I LOVE Clay. I would have been all over him if I was Hannah. (but I'm not *sigh*) He was very sympathetic and true to her and I mean putting him on her tapes is harsh to me. You hear you're a reason for someone killing themself and you're supposed to be happy? I don't think so. She should have just sent him a letter saying how much she needed him and how she really liked him. Not put him on a tape with other people who ruined her life. So mean D:
Some of the stories of the people that started it all made me want to cry. Especially since on involves rape, and another one has a creepy guy who stalks girls and takes pictures of them from outside their bedroom window, and to me this book is a great example of how you're judged and not trusted because of your past. A few wrong relationships and mistakes and everyone in school thought Hannah was a whore. And that's how the snowball effect started.
"I wanted people to trust me, despite anything they'd heard. And more than that, I wanted them to know me. Not the stuff they thought they knew about me. No, the real me. I wanted them to get past the rumors. To see beyond the relationships I once had, or maybe still had but that they didn't agree with.—Hannah Baker"
Being in highschool I know exactly what it's like to be judged and torn apart for your past or through what people THINK you're like, not what they know. I'd recommend this to anyone and everyone. So if you have the chance to read it, pick it up. Who knows, it might teach you a lesson or two.
"If my love were an ocean,there would be no more land.
If my love were a desert,
you would see only sand.
If my love were a star-late at night, only light.And if my love could grow wings,I'd be soaring in flight.
—A Poem from 13 Reasons Why"
History: This book came upon me in the 5th grade. I remember it pretty well actually, it was a recommendation from my ex best friend Heather. I've been reading big books since about 2nd grade. Harry Potter was all I would read from 2nd to 3rd grade and a bit into 4th. My grandma would actually check my bookbag for books and take them out if she found any because the teacher would complain that I didn't pay her any attention, only my books. Sad right? A little bit I would say. But since the day Heather read Th1rteen R3asons Why and told me that I should read it too, I fell in love.
A Little Snip:
A shoebox-sized package is propped against the front door at an angle. Our front door has a tiny slot to shove mail through, but anything thicker than a bar of soap gets left outside. A hurried scribble on the wrapping addresses the package to Clay Jensen, so I pick it up and head inside. I take the package into the kitchen and set it on the counter. I slide open the junk drawer and pull out a pair of scissors. Then I run a scissor blade around the package and lift off its top. Inside the shoebox is a rolled-up tube of bubble-wrap. I unroll that and discover seven loose audiotapes. Each tape has a dark blue dumber painted in the upper right-hand corner, possibly with nail polish. Each side has its own number. One and two on the first tape, three and four on the next, five and six, and so on. The last tape has thirteen on one side, but nothing on the back. Who would send me a shoebox full of audiotapes? No one listens to tapes anymore. Do I even have a way to play them? The garage! The stereo on the workbench. My dad bought it at a yard sale for almost nothing. It's old, so he doesn't care if it gets coated with sawdust or splattered with paint. And best of all, it plays tapes. I drag a stoll in front of the workbench, drop my backpack to the floor, then sit down. I press Eject on the player. A plastic door eases open and I slide in the first tape.
Dun Dun Dun!
Sorry, Just couldn't help myself ^_^
My Take: The first thing I noticed about this book was...wow this is deep stuff, the writer must really be a very thoughtful and amazing person. And the second thing I noticed is that this story is addictive. Maybe a one, two day read tops?
Let me just say that I LOVE Clay. I would have been all over him if I was Hannah. (but I'm not *sigh*) He was very sympathetic and true to her and I mean putting him on her tapes is harsh to me. You hear you're a reason for someone killing themself and you're supposed to be happy? I don't think so. She should have just sent him a letter saying how much she needed him and how she really liked him. Not put him on a tape with other people who ruined her life. So mean D:
Some of the stories of the people that started it all made me want to cry. Especially since on involves rape, and another one has a creepy guy who stalks girls and takes pictures of them from outside their bedroom window, and to me this book is a great example of how you're judged and not trusted because of your past. A few wrong relationships and mistakes and everyone in school thought Hannah was a whore. And that's how the snowball effect started.
"I wanted people to trust me, despite anything they'd heard. And more than that, I wanted them to know me. Not the stuff they thought they knew about me. No, the real me. I wanted them to get past the rumors. To see beyond the relationships I once had, or maybe still had but that they didn't agree with.—Hannah Baker"
Being in highschool I know exactly what it's like to be judged and torn apart for your past or through what people THINK you're like, not what they know. I'd recommend this to anyone and everyone. So if you have the chance to read it, pick it up. Who knows, it might teach you a lesson or two.
"If my love were an ocean,there would be no more land.
If my love were a desert,
you would see only sand.
If my love were a star-late at night, only light.And if my love could grow wings,I'd be soaring in flight.
—A Poem from 13 Reasons Why"
Good Points
I have read this book three to four times since the fourth grade. It has several good points. The writing is amazing. Asher keeps you on your feet yet it feels like you're right there feeling everything that Hannah is feeling. I also love the plot and characters. You fall in love with some, and you hate some.
B
An Okay Read
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3.0
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This was an okay read. It didn't make me jump out of my boots, but it intrigued me enough to make me read it to the end. It dealt with some strong issues that I thought it handled well. I thought some scenes could have been executed differently to have a more gripping impact. It was thought provoking and had some important messages. I had great anticipation that it never lived up to, which was a shame.
Thirteen Reasons Why
Overall rating
5.0
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Title: Thirteen Reasons Why
Author: Jay Asher
Genre: YA
Where I got it: ODLC (the e-book library)
One sentence: Clay Jensen finds cassette tapes recorded by his classmate and crush, Hannah Baker, who committed suicide weeks earlier, and he discovers that he is part of the thirteen reasons why she killed herself.
Themes: Suicide, guilt, lies, truth, judgment, teenage angst
Main character: I really loved Clay. He seemed down-to-earth, and though he is touted in school as the “perfect guy”, I found that his character was much more multi-faceted than that. His emotions were easy to connect with and believable.
Secondary characters: As much as I liked Clay’s character, it was the character of Hannah that really struck me and raised such mixed feelings. As much as I dislike the idea of suicide and have negative emotions toward someone who would put themselves and their family through such a painful experience, I found that I didn’t hate Hannah. I understood and connected with her, even if I didn’t agree with her ideas, and that really made her decisions and actions hit home for me.
Writing style: The alternating narration between the cassette tape playing and what Clay is doing at the same time threw me for a loop at first, but I grew to really appreciate the parallels between Clay and Hannah and their unique emotions
Plot: The plot truly intrigued me from the beginning, the idea of receiving cassette tapes from a girl who had just committed suicide. I thought it was suspenseful, emotional and kept me thoroughly entertained as there were few dull moments.
Best scene: The thirteenth reason kept me on the edge of my seat, especially using a twist on what we had come to expect.
Positives: Characters, entertaining and suspenseful plot, writing
Negatives: There were some ideas that Hannah held that I didn’t agree with, but they really worked to characterize her, so I suppose that this negative is almost a positive.
Ending: Loved it. It drew everything to a close in a bittersweet moment that had me jumping.
Verdict: A fascinating and heart-wrenching read that reverberates in the reader.
Rating: 9.0 / 10
Author: Jay Asher
Genre: YA
Where I got it: ODLC (the e-book library)
One sentence: Clay Jensen finds cassette tapes recorded by his classmate and crush, Hannah Baker, who committed suicide weeks earlier, and he discovers that he is part of the thirteen reasons why she killed herself.
Themes: Suicide, guilt, lies, truth, judgment, teenage angst
Main character: I really loved Clay. He seemed down-to-earth, and though he is touted in school as the “perfect guy”, I found that his character was much more multi-faceted than that. His emotions were easy to connect with and believable.
Secondary characters: As much as I liked Clay’s character, it was the character of Hannah that really struck me and raised such mixed feelings. As much as I dislike the idea of suicide and have negative emotions toward someone who would put themselves and their family through such a painful experience, I found that I didn’t hate Hannah. I understood and connected with her, even if I didn’t agree with her ideas, and that really made her decisions and actions hit home for me.
Writing style: The alternating narration between the cassette tape playing and what Clay is doing at the same time threw me for a loop at first, but I grew to really appreciate the parallels between Clay and Hannah and their unique emotions
Plot: The plot truly intrigued me from the beginning, the idea of receiving cassette tapes from a girl who had just committed suicide. I thought it was suspenseful, emotional and kept me thoroughly entertained as there were few dull moments.
Best scene: The thirteenth reason kept me on the edge of my seat, especially using a twist on what we had come to expect.
Positives: Characters, entertaining and suspenseful plot, writing
Negatives: There were some ideas that Hannah held that I didn’t agree with, but they really worked to characterize her, so I suppose that this negative is almost a positive.
Ending: Loved it. It drew everything to a close in a bittersweet moment that had me jumping.
Verdict: A fascinating and heart-wrenching read that reverberates in the reader.
Rating: 9.0 / 10
A
Audrey
Top 500 Reviewer
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