Second Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Penguin Books 2007. Genre: Realistic Fiction

Thirteen Reasons Why is a book about a girl, Hannah Baker, who kills herself. Before she does, she records tapes of the reasons she killed herself- and the people who had a part in the reasons why. The book follows Clay Jensen, a former classmate and co-worker of Hannah, who also had a crush on her, as he listens to the tapes and unravels the reason of Hannah's death. He journeys across town, stopping at the landmarks that Hannah mentions and realizing how people affected her in ways he could have never noticed, and also learning how he was part of the thirteen reasons why.

"Heave but compelling (probably the scariest for parents), Asher's novel asks us to look at how petty cruelty can deal crushing blows." - Miami Herald

Thirteen Reasons Why is Jay Asher's first novel and in my opinion a great beginning to his writing career. Asher really saw the world through a teenagers eyes, and brought up topics like drinking, partying, rumors, bullying and sex, as well as rape, and death.
Asher also told the story through two pairs of eyes. We hears Hannah and how she remembers and experienced things, and we also hear Clay as he finds out the truth and is shocked as how they differ from the rumors. Clay's point of view was very interesting, he was shocked, mad, upset, the way he reacted and responded to the information he found out from the tapes really made the novel more enticing.

(Hannah's voice from the tapes are in italics and Clay's thoughts and words are in print)
" I've never hit anything or anyone before, and already, just tonight, I've wanted to hit Marcus with that rock.
But everyone turned away. No one asked if there was a problem.
Why? Where they being polite?
Was that it, Zach? Were you just being polite?
Zach? Again? With Justin on the first tape, falling on Hannah's lawn. Then interrupting me and Hannah at Kat's going away party.
I hate this. I don't want to find out how everyone fits together anymore." (142-143)

I thought that Thirteen Reasons Why was a great book. It really shows you how things that people say and do can affect people in ways you don't know, and provoke them to do things we couldn't imagine. Hannah's story was a snowball affect, lies started rumors, leading people to get the wrong impression of her, which lead to even more. Also, by bringing together topics that teens are used to like partying and drinking and combining it with topics like rape and suicide, things that teens thinks 'happens to other people, that would never happen to me or people I know', really shows that these things can happen to anyone, and we all need to be responsible for our actions.