13 Reasons Why Not: Uncovering the False Romanticizing of Serious Teen Issues by Laura Gallier

 Happy Friday, dear Seekerville! 
Today, I (Carrie) have the privilege of hosting Laura Gallier, Christy Award winning author of The Delusion series. Laura has a heart for teenagers and creating awareness of the spiritual battles faced by this generation. 
Welcome, Laura!
13 Reasons Why Not:
Uncovering the False Romanticizing of Serious Teen Issues  By Laura Gallier

If you’re a teenager or the parent of one, you’ve likely heard of the Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why. In its first season, my 14-year-old daughter described the teen drama to me this way: “It’s about suicide, and lots of my friends are watching it, but Mom, it’s, like, making some of them depressed and stuff.”

The show’s theme centers around 17-year-old Hannah Baker, a suicide victim who leaves behind audio recordings for those she blames for causing her to want to die—13 people, to be exact. The show’s producers maintain they hope to shed light on the tragic issue of suicide, but various suicide prevention groups say it’s actually glamorizing suicide and putting teens at risk.1

I too have a heart for this cause, so much so that I chose teen suicide as the driving theme of my young adult novel series, The Delusion. But I come at it from an entirely different angle—a biblical, spiritual perspective that’s proven to change students’ minds about self-harm and suicide.

Parents, here are 13 reasons we can share with our teens concerning why they should resist the deception of romanticizing suicide and other serious teen issues: