Th1rteen R3asons Why in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Aug 15, 2011 Ashley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book really resonated with me. I couldn't put it down and I have a feeling it is a book that will stay with me for years to come. The subject matter is dark and complex, but it is a book that needs to be read. It is full of a sobering truth of how much words and actions can hurt and slowly eat away. Though the book is sad and challenging to read it sparks a discussion and brings a difficult subject to light in an approachable way. At the end it lends hope and shows the potential for growth ...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Barb Novak rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, audiobook, realistic-fiction

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did.

The premise is interesting. Hannah Baker commits suicide. Before she swallows the pills, she mails a shoe box of seven audio tapes to a classmate. Each side of each tape features Hannah talking about a person in her life (13 people total) whose actions impacted her in an irreversible way. The tapes are mailed from person to person until all 13 people have listened to them. Hannah wants each person to hear - from her - how they impacted her life. T I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did.

The premise is interesting. Hannah Baker commits suicide. Before she swallows the pills, she mails a shoe box of seven audio tapes to a classmate. Each side of each tape features Hannah talking about a person in her life (13 people total) whose actions impacted her in an irreversible way. The tapes are mailed from person to person until all 13 people have listened to them. Hannah wants each person to hear - from her - how they impacted her life. The story is narrated by Clay; his interaction with Hannah is featured somewhere in the middle of the tapes.

Thirteen Reasons Why is not a feel good, "here's what you can do to prevent suicide," bullies repent kind of story. The reader only gets Clay's perspective about Hannah's recordings, and Clay's interactions with Hannah were positive. It would have been interesting to experience the recordings through a character who mistreated Hannah.

And, I really struggled believing some of Hannah's experiences. She isn't overtly a victim of bullying. She's more of a victim of gossip. She has her first kiss, and the boy tells stories about it to others in school. These stories lead her peers to think she's a slut which leads to other demeaning sexual experiences - like being groped in a restaurant booth. The gossip impacts her self-esteem which impacts her ability to stand up for others, too. At one point, she has an opportunity to stop a date rape and chooses not to.

Thirteen Reasons Why is being challenged in a couple of local school districts. Both are using the novel with ninth grade students. At one point, I was recommending this book (based on other's recommendations and reviews) to middle school students. After reading it, I will be very selective about which middle school kids I recommend this to. And, I have mixed feelings about whether the book warrants teaching at any grade level. It's a book worth talking about in a small group setting. The sexual situations and language are graphic, but they are necessary to move the story forward.

I respect that Jay Asher didn't use this novel to tell a preachy or obvious story about suicide, and I really enjoyed the structure and organization of the novel. In the end, though, it just didn't work for me.

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Aug 19, 2014 Alison rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Very moving experience.... This book is about a teen suicide told from the girl that commits suicide's perspective. She tells the story about how many people in the high school let her down, and caused some major depression. I enjoyed the layout of the book alot. It was a sad read, but very touching. ...more

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May 22, 2011 Amy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Thought provoking. You never realize how your actions can impact someone.

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May 21, 2016 Leanne rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, 2016

This is more of a 3.5.

Held my attention and like the dual narrative voice. I listened to this on audiobook so I would be interested to see how the physical book was formatted.

Pretty upsetting (I guess that is a given whenever a book is about suicide) and triggers for sexual assault (graphic but not detailed descriptions, if that makes sense?).

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May 25, 2010 Nicole rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: cl-book-club

Wow. What a powerful book. I hope that this is required reading in some high schools - would definitely have influenced me if I'd read it then. Hell, I've been out of HS for 14 years and it influenced me now. ...more

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