Goodreads | Thirteen Reasons Why

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Thirteen Reasons Why	6	39	03/09/2008 09:12PM

Kristen rated it:

05/04/08

Read in May, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I really enjoyed this book. This book did a nice job explaining that suicide is not caused by one event alone. It is caused by many events that start to add up.

I love the blend between the two narrators. There wasn't too many detail descriptions on all the rumors about Hannah and what Hannah did at the end of the book, which didn't make this too graphic.

The ending was disappointing. You never found out how the last two characters reacted to the tapes. The whole thing with Skye is a l...more

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Anna rated it:

08/05/08

bookshelves: fiction, young-adult

Read in August, 2008

recommended to Anna by: furies (in her to-read list)

I was not so terribly impressed with this book. I heard great things but to me it was just a knock-off of Looking for Alaska -- a much deeper, better developed novel that also dealt with teen suicide. The problem with this book is that I never really cared too much for the characters. And I think this ruined the book for me more than anything.

The strange point-of-view from which it was written -- first-person storytelling through Clay with Hannah's recordings mixed in through the use ...more I was not so terribly impressed with this book. I heard great things but to me it was just a knock-off of Looking for Alaska -- a much deeper, better developed novel that also dealt with teen suicide. The problem with this book is that I never really cared too much for the characters. And I think this ruined the book for me more than anything.

The strange point-of-view from which it was written -- first-person storytelling through Clay with Hannah's recordings mixed in through the use of italics -- made it difficult for me to follow his and her thoughts. It took me a few chapters before I really got comfortable with this format and in the less interesting parts of the book (there were many) I found my mind wandering and I'd read a whole page and find that I had to reread it in order to understand who (Clay or Hannah) said/thought what. I don't want to put the sole blame on the writing style, but the reality is that I was so not invested in these characters and I think the way that they and their ideas were presented had a lot to do with it.

I was somewhat annoyed with how the book even dealt with suicide. Suicide is a tough subject to write about but it's a very serious issue and I'm not sure the book really did that great of a job of portraying suicide in a very real way. I thought that Jay Asher definitely tried to show the reader Hannah's demise and wanted us to understand how she went from being a fairly happy girl to someone who was disappointed by a lot of people to, finally, someone who felt like she had nowhere to turn and no chance at life so she killed herself. Keyword: TRIED. I didn't buy it, though. I had a hard time accepting that each of the main events that happened in her life caused her to become depressed. The way Asher portrayed Hannah's downfall just seemed very childish and overly dramatic. I feel kind of insensitive saying that because we are talking about suicide (again, serious issue) but, really, it pained me at times just how childish and dramatic her reasons were and how we (through Clay's eyes) were supposed to accept them. I kept waiting for the 13-reasons to go beyond your typical high school drama but they never did and when Asher did try to weave in some more realistic elements (like the rape and the car crash) it all seemed so contrived and like the whole thing was trying too hard.

I also felt like many of the problems described in this book seemed like "fluff" compared to what some young adults live through. Yes, SUICIDE is a very real, tough issue but compare the events leading up to Hannah's suicide to some of the things that my middle school students live through (dysfunctional home lives, abuse, violence, drugs, etc.) and suddenly Hannah's "problems" seem much less like problems to me. Moving away or even running away from home seemed like a more reasonable/rational response to her problems than suicide.

I kept drawing parallels to Looking for Alaska while reading since there are many similarities between the two books. In both novels, the protagonist is a high school male who has a crush on a girl that mysteriously commits suicide. But Alaska is a much better book and it's so good in fact that I think it may be partly responsible for "ruining" this book for me. The thing with Alaska is that it's not a big emo pity party -- the book is not about feeling sorry for anyone. It's about understanding a person who committed suicide and coping with it. There's excellent character development in that book so it makes it easy for the reader to care about the characters. This book, unfortunately, skipped over so much of the essential character development and the only reason I kept reading was because it had a puzzle element and even that got boring at times.

So, overall, not my favorite book at all. It's not downright awful or anything but I think most people are much better off reading Looking for Alaska. ...less

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Jennifer rated it:

05/12/08

bookshelves: gold-star-award, personal-read, trt-reviews

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 ...more 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. ...less

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Kelsey rated it:

12/11/07

bookshelves: teen

Wow. This book was terrible. I picked it up based on the original premise of the story and the fact that it had mostly good reviews from other readers, but I was seriously disappointed.

Basically, the book is about a girl named Hannah, who killed herself a week or so before the opening of the book - but not before making a set of 13 tapes describing, in extreme detail, why she was doing so. The 13 tapes represent the 13 reasons (13 people, really) that made her decide to commit suicide. She ...more Wow. This book was terrible. I picked it up based on the original premise of the story and the fact that it had mostly good reviews from other readers, but I was seriously disappointed.

Basically, the book is about a girl named Hannah, who killed herself a week or so before the opening of the book - but not before making a set of 13 tapes describing, in extreme detail, why she was doing so. The 13 tapes represent the 13 reasons (13 people, really) that made her decide to commit suicide. She then arranged to have the tapes sent out to each of these unlucky 13, so that they all would have to face up to their "accountability", or face the consequence of having the tapes go public.

Sounds interesting, right? Hardly. Hannah was sooooooo shallow I couldn't stand it. She attributes her suicide to some of the most petty, insignificant acts; she goes on and on and ON in detail about the most POINTLESS things...

Example 1:

Hannah screamed at (PERSON) to go away.(PERSON) tried to talk to her. Hannah screamed at (PERSON) to go away again. (PERSON) left.

That's one reason she committed suicide. Because (PERSON), who had spent about one hour of time with her (ever), 'didn't care enough' to stick around.

Example 2:

(PERSON) wrote a HOT/NOT list and said Hannah had a nice ass. Then a friend got jealous because (PERSON) put Hannah on the 'HOT' list over her. Also, someone grabbed her butt and made a reference to the list. That's another reason.

Ugh. There were a few more serious incidences, but most didn't even HAPPEN to Hannah, she just wanted to "out" the story. In fact, she could have prevented most of them. I'm sorry, but making a set of suicide tapes in an attempt to make someone feel ashamed and guilty for the rest of their LIVES over such small, high school offenses is just stupid. She LAYS into these people and is chalk full of phrases like "WHY, what have you HEARD?" and "didn't think I knew that, DID you?" or "Stick around, you won't believe what's coming up NEXT".

I had so much trouble feeling bad for her I ended up skimming the last hundred pages. ...less

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Susan rated it:

03/22/08

Read in March, 2008

This book is tricky to recommend to say the least. On the one hand, this book is packed with suspense. It presents the very "It's a Wonderful Life"-esque but worthwhile message that one person's behavior can have a ripple effect in a community, that there is no such thing as a meaningless act. It shows teens that even a person who might appear on the surface to be collected, attractive, smart, funny, and moderately popular could have real problems and could feel lonely or rejected. It ...more This book is tricky to recommend to say the least. On the one hand, this book is packed with suspense. It presents the very "It's a Wonderful Life"-esque but worthwhile message that one person's behavior can have a ripple effect in a community, that there is no such thing as a meaningless act. It shows teens that even a person who might appear on the surface to be collected, attractive, smart, funny, and moderately popular could have real problems and could feel lonely or rejected. It shows the dangerous simultaneous power and hollowness of gossip. If you're not afraid of being a little controversial, I think this would make a bang-up book for a teen book discussion group because you would have a forum to discuss and debate these things and make sense of them along with the more troubling aspects, especially the main one, which is...

This is a revenge story. Hannah Baker is a girl surrounded by admirers and would-be friends, as well as some pretty toxic people,to say the least. In the end, she is influenced by the wrong crowd. The accumulated slings and arrows from the latter group deepen a growing depression (with all likelihood literal Depression) and she commits suicide. She records the reasons behind her decision onto a set of tapes that are passed on to very people that did her wrong. While Hannah staunchly believes she gave people enough of a chance to intervene, it also becomes clear that to a point, she didn't really let anyone really know her at all, and so everyone was set to fail. While some of the wrongs committed by her former enemies are grave enough to perhaps merit the blackmail that follows (a second set of tapes are be released to the public if the original tapes aren't passed along as instructed), the reader feels the guilt, pain, regret, and helplessness of the narrator (who is one of the recipients) so keenly that the reader must question whether if the punishment in some cases isn't worse than the crime. One hopes that at the end, the teen reader would see the big waste of it all, the destruction of a life, the ruins of the lives left behind, the hollowness of a triumph under such conditions, the error all around (on Hannah's part as well as the others)--and not just the fact that the bad guys pay dearly at the end, but that's what a good discussion could bring out. ...less

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Debbie rated it:

04/03/08

Read in April, 2008

One afternoon Clay Jensen arrives home to find a package with his name on it but no return address. He opens it to find 7 cassette tapes – 13 of the sides numbered chronologically with blue nail polish. When he finds a tape player and hears the recorded voice, he is stunned. It's Hannah Baker, the girl he had liked for months, and even felt he could love, the girl who had committed suicide a few weeks earlier. Each side is dedicated to one person, one of the reasons why Hannah ended up where s...more One afternoon Clay Jensen arrives home to find a package with his name on it but no return address. He opens it to find 7 cassette tapes – 13 of the sides numbered chronologically with blue nail polish. When he finds a tape player and hears the recorded voice, he is stunned. It's Hannah Baker, the girl he had liked for months, and even felt he could love, the girl who had committed suicide a few weeks earlier. Each side is dedicated to one person, one of the reasons why Hannah ended up where she did. Each one is instructed to send the tapes on to the next person.

When I began reading, I was uneasy about the concept of the book. I just couldn't think that it was a good idea. But within a few pages, I was drawn in, and I had to keep reading. Jay Asher draws two compelling characters in Clay and Hannah. Clay is a good guy, and his goodness serves as a palliative contrast to the continual torturous hurts that Hannah suffered and now relates. If it hadn't been for Clay's narration, I don't know if I would have made it through the book. It wasn't only that he was good, it was that he was reacting to the tapes in a way that I guess was life-affirming to me.

I had never thought before about why people might write suicide notes or make tapes like Hannah's. But as I read, her words made me think of times I've been bothered by something and have made up conversations in my head in which I state all my wrongs and am vindicated. These aren't conversations I plan to actually have, but occasionally I've lost my self-control and have blurted out my unintentionally rehearsed speech. Sometimes there are things we just really want to say when we're hurt, and she was able to do it.

Even though my high school experience was quite different from Hannah's (I was sheltered – and mostly by choice), there were many times when I related to her. It's significant that she recorded the tapes instead of writing her story on paper. While her words are powerful on the page, I knew that if I read her part out loud, they would be overwhelming. I read on Jay Asher's blog that there's an audiobook. Maybe I'll try that someday.

Here are a couple of entries from the blog about the book, which I hope it's okay to post here.
http://discomermaids.blogspot....
http://discomermaids.blogspot....
...less

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Alessandra rated it:

07/17/08

I hope you're ready, because you're about to listen to the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you're listening to these tapes, you're one of the reasons why.

I had started reading Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher last year, but couldn't finish it. The idea of a young girl committing suicide gave me too much anguish, and I was forced to leave the book unfinished.

A few days ago I decided I could give this book another try, and picked up the audiobook instead. I was ...more I hope you're ready, because you're about to listen to the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you're listening to these tapes, you're one of the reasons why.

I had started reading Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher last year, but couldn't finish it. The idea of a young girl committing suicide gave me too much anguish, and I was forced to leave the book unfinished.

A few days ago I decided I could give this book another try, and picked up the audiobook instead. I was hooked, and remained breathless until the end. The narration is fast-paced, and keeps the reader glued to the page (or in my case, to the earplugs).

Thirteen Reasons Why begins with Clay Jensen finding a shoebox full with audio tapes on his porch. The tapes were recorded by Hannah Baker, Clay's classmate and crush, who committed suicide two weeks earlier. But before taking her life, Hannah recorded thirteen sides of audio tapes--one for each people she blames for her suicide. Now the tapes have to be passed along from person to person, otherwise they will be revealed in a very public manner.

Clay begins to listen, at first with puzzlement, then with anguish and desperation, to the voice of the girl he was in love with, and to whom she never confessed his true feelings. He listens to a series of mean acts committed by Hannah's schoolmates, which brought her to suicide. However, Hannah isn't without blame herself. She could have stopped a rape and a car accident, but did neither.

Is Thirteen Reasons Why a teen romance book? Yes, and no. It is both less and much more than that. It is more of a mystery book, in which the story behind Hannah's depseration and suicide is slowly revealed. But it is also a romance book, in that Clay was in love with Hannah, and regrets never telling her, because he was too afraid to be rejected.

The strong point of this book is the mixture of Hannah's voice in the tapes and Clay's thoughts and comments as he listens to them--almost as if Clay finally talked with Hannah, while he was unable to do so when she was still alive. Moreover, if you listen to this in audiobook form, you can listen to Hannah's tapes exactly as Clay does, which adds immediacy to the story.

At the end of the story, Clay has changed--now he knows which signs to look for, and can help other people if necessary. Therefore, the story ends on a hopeful note--with the hope that Hannah's story might have taught something to those who listened to it.

This is a book you won't forget soon--a book which will crawl under your skin....less

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Alison rated it:

05/27/08

bookshelves: young-adult

Read in May, 2008

Thirteen Reasons Why is about two things, the suicide of a 17-year-old girl, Hannah, and how her story and decisions became a catalyst for 17-year-old Clay, the book's true protagonist. We “hear” along with Clay the thirteen reasons why Hannah ended her life. I gave this book five stars not because I enjoyed the book; I was in fact deeply disturbed and perturbed, five stars because the book grabbed me and it still hasn’t let go all these days later, each reason is still holding on, still...more Thirteen Reasons Why is about two things, the suicide of a 17-year-old girl, Hannah, and how her story and decisions became a catalyst for 17-year-old Clay, the book's true protagonist. We “hear” along with Clay the thirteen reasons why Hannah ended her life. I gave this book five stars not because I enjoyed the book; I was in fact deeply disturbed and perturbed, five stars because the book grabbed me and it still hasn’t let go all these days later, each reason is still holding on, still circling my mind and for me that is one of the true signs of a well-told story and a book that distinguishes itself from all the rest. Hannah’s thirteen reasons why didn’t leave me caring about her, in fact, as far as reasons go I found many of her reasons were filtered through the light of teenage self-absorption and other’s still brought about by her own lack of action, the truth was Hannah gave up on living long before she took her final breath. I think she was just on a constant search to find the final reason why. I think ultimately I couldn’t like Hannah because her giving up on life meant she caused great harm in the life of at least one and possibly many more to come. She left the world and in it she left a few nasty people that will hopefully grow and recognize the error of their ways but she also left behind two maybe three truly despicable and frightening people, she left them to roam the world without consequence hoping that her reasons why will what? Catapult them towards redemption? What if they continue on the path they are walking, what about all the future victims? So, no I couldn’t like Hannah but it wasn’t her story, it was Clay’s story and Clay I embraced and I walked with him on that single night while he heard Hannah’s thirteen reasons why, while he heard that he played no part in her demise, while he found the answer as to why she found the living too hard and what he did with the information is what the story is about – the redemption of self, the redemption of others, truly seeing for the very first time. ...less

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Terry rated it:

12/13/07

Read in December, 2007

I have mixed feelings about this book. It had an interesting premise, it was certainly a page-turner, and it definitely elicited some strong emotions from me, however, it stretched my suspension of disbelief to the breaking point. I just don't believe that Hannah was a candidate for suicide. She was angry. She was strong. The things that happened to her and the rumors that were told about her were certainly unpleasant, but I just didn't believe that they were enough to make such a strong pe...more

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Gaby rated it:

02/20/08

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in February, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

<u>Thirteen Reasons Why<u> is so good. I loved this book so much I couldn't put it down! It isn't a book that I would have normally picked up, but I thought it'd be something different. And it was. Just by reading the back of the book I was interested.

Clay, the character that the book follows, receives a package one day. He opens it and finds 7 casette tapes. At first he was intrigued to listen but when he put in that first tape and heard who the voice belonged to, he was...more <u>Thirteen Reasons Why<u> is so good. I loved this book so much I couldn't put it down! It isn't a book that I would have normally picked up, but I thought it'd be something different. And it was. Just by reading the back of the book I was interested.

Clay, the character that the book follows, receives a package one day. He opens it and finds 7 casette tapes. At first he was intrigued to listen but when he put in that first tape and heard who the voice belonged to, he was stunned. It was Hannah, the girl who committed suicide 2 weeks before. Clay had a crush on her for some time, but was too afraid to act on his feelings for her. The tapes talk about the 13 reasons why Hannah killed herself. She sent them to the 1st person on her list and asked that they get passed along to everyone else. Clay is in total shock that he's one of the reasons Hannah killed herself and can't stop listening to the tapes until he finds out why he's on her list.

The concept of this book is so intense and gripping. It talked about so many issues that teens go through now. As I read it, I kept thinking to myself how crazy it was because it was so realistic. But at the same time it wasn't. It seemed like Hannah was constantly picked on and taken advantage of; like every possible bad thing that could happen to someone, happened to her in a short amount of time (which seemed too unreal to me). But then again, some people do deal with things like that on a daily basis.

Another thing I noticed while I read this book was how much people affect one another. A cheerleader and Hannah were driving home from a party and the cheerleader crashed into a stop sign. Hannah wanted to call the cops but couldn't and the cheerleader drove away without even looking back. The fallen stop sign caused an accident that killed a student from their school. Clay happened to be there when it happened and reported the accident. When I read about this it made me realize how people can be apart of the same thing without even realizing it, and again how people affect each other.

This book was amazing! I absolutely loved it! ...less

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Tiffany rated it:

05/22/08

bookshelves: goodreadsrecommendations, teens

Read in May, 2008

I don't want to be cliche and say "What an amazing debut novel by Jay Asher" because it's a great book, whether it's his first novel or his 20th.

Really, this was a great book. It was one of those books that I never wanted to put down, but once I put it down, I didn't want to pick it back up, because I knew that picking it up would result in eventually finishing it, and I didn't want it to end.

The basic premise (I don't want to give away too much) is that a girl, Hannah, has r...more I don't want to be cliche and say "What an amazing debut novel by Jay Asher" because it's a great book, whether it's his first novel or his 20th.

Really, this was a great book. It was one of those books that I never wanted to put down, but once I put it down, I didn't want to pick it back up, because I knew that picking it up would result in eventually finishing it, and I didn't want it to end.

The basic premise (I don't want to give away too much) is that a girl, Hannah, has recently committed suicide, and as a form of a suicide note, she creates 6.5 audio tapes--one side per person whom she feels contributed to her suicide--and sends them to each of those people. Thirteen people who made her want to kill herself ... or is it 12? Clay Jensen, the narrator of the story, receives the package of tapes and fears what horrible things might be said about him on the tapes.

The thing that I liked about the book, yet at the same time disappointed me, was that I was engaged in the plot. I wanted to know who was next, what they did to Hannah, what she would say about the events, how everyone fit into one twisted life story. And what Hannah would say about Clay. However, I didn't always feel 100% engaged--I wasn't on the edge of my seat...but definitely very near the edge of it.

Like one other reviewer (Terry) said, it didn't seem to me like Hannah was suicidal. She seemed like she had a lot of bad things said about her and mean high school stuff happened to her; but she seemed strong enough and level-headed enough that it didn't feel like she was the type of character to kill herself. The character development wasn't deep enough for me to actually believe she was suicidal. Angry and wanting some form of revenge, yes; thinking about suicide, perhaps; full-out suicidal, no.

But still, I really liked the book. I often found myself "Awwwww"ing or "Oh!"ing, or sighing/shaking my head at the things that were said and done to Hannah. The only reasons it didn't get 5 stars from me were the character and plot development: so close, but not *quite* there. Still, a great book that I'd love to re-read....less

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Lily rated it:

04/03/08

Read in February, 2008

This book is written a really interesting way, it is written from the point of view of the protagonist, and also the protagonist listening to tapes recorded by a girl who had ended her life previously. It is actually kind of disturbing to have an insight on the life of a girl who chose to end it. This book explores the reason one girl commited suicide and how the people who were involved in her decision to do this, did something so subtle to her that many of them didn't even think twice about t...more

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Meredith rated it:

02/02/08

Read in January, 2008

I absolutely LOVED this book. I was so anxious to see what happened next that I literally couldn't put it down! The story revolves around Hannah Baker, a high school student who mailed a set of tapes to thirteen people who played a key role in her downward spiral into depression before killing herself. Each person must listen to the tapes, and then pass them on to the next victim on her list. The book follows a boy named Clay, who is unsure of why he receieved the tapes since he truly cared ...more

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Jess rated it:

(review of isbn 073935650X)

01/07/08

bookshelves: audiobook, mock-printz, young-adult

Read in January, 2008

recommends it for: teens who like emotionally intense stories

While the audio version was excellently done, and perfectly suited to a story half-told in audio tapes, this was one of those stories where I talked back to the characters. A lot. And not in a good way. However, this was a huge hit with the teen in my discussion group at the Mock Printz, and a hit with several other people, too. Clay was an interesting character, waiting on pins and needles as he listens to the tapes classmate Hannah made before her suicide, pointing fingers at various stude...more

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Rachael rated it:

04/29/08

One day Clay Jensen comes home from school to find a shoe box package with no return address. At first he’s excited, but when he opens the box, he finds seven cassette tapes. And when he plays them, he finds that they were recorded by a classmate named Hannah Baker, a girl who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

Recorded on the tapes are thirteen reasons why Hannah chose to end her life. The reasons are all linked to specific people, and the tapes are passed onto those people in the order ...more

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Navah rated it:

05/02/08

bookshelves: teen

Read in March, 2008

Clay had always liked Hannah, but from a distance. It was always in the back of his mind that maybe he would hook up with her, one day. Only, now it’s too late. Because Hannah has committed suicide.

Then Clay gets the box in the mail. A box full of tapes. Each side of each tape has a story. A story about a person who hurt Hannah. A reason why. And Clay has received them because he is one of those reasons.

Clay will spend the longest night of his life listening to the tapes. He...more

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Brandy rated it:

07/14/08

bookshelves: young-adult

Read in July, 2008

This was in interesting book. One that I can see having a lot of controversial discussions. It is about a girl that commits suicide and leaves behind a set of tapes that is supposed to be passed along to 13 different people. On the tapes she tells those people how they played a part in her decision to kill herself. The book is from the point of view of one of the people on the tape as he is listening to the tapes.

I am not really sure what made me want to read the book in the first place....more

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Shayla rated it:

04/21/08

Read in April, 2008

recommended to Shayla by: mrs.whitehead
recommends it for: anyone

This book was awesome I loved it. I usually don't like to read but this book kept me hooked. I didn't want to put it down. It's about this girl named Hannah Baker and Clay Jenson. One day after school Clay Jenson comes home to find a box on his. When he opens the box, he finds a bunch of cassette tapes. When Clay starts to listen to them he can't believe what he's hearing, It's Hannah Baker. The reason why this is so shocking is because Hannah Baker commited suicide the day before.On these ...more

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Jessica rated it:

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