Thirteen Reasons Why in Our Shared Shelf

Apr 07, 2017 Katie rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: looks-like-fluff

Maybe I'm too removed from high school. Maybe the writing felt amateurish and contrived. Maybe I couldn't empathize with the "awful" reputation Hannah got (best ass? Really? Yeah, I'd kill myself too.). Maybe I hated the whiplash narration.

I'm glad, sincerely, that this book is helping people. For that it deserves 10 stars. ...more

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Apr 17, 2012 Dana Berglund rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: youngadult

I listened to this audiobook, which was a great way to experience it. I liked the voices of our narrators. I wasn't sure that I would like the book, to be honest, and I'm still not entirely sure I would recommend it to anyone under the age of 21. I do think it does glamorize suicide a bit. I also think it glamorizes the idea that you can get even with everyone who tormented you or stomped on your self-esteem in high school by making tapes calling them out on their bad behavior. If she were reall ...more

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Jan 10, 2016 L Cam rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-realistic-fiction

I'm not completely sure, but I'm just hoping anyone reviewing this book isn't over the age of 25 without a degree in psychology, or some sort of authority on mental health and teenagers because if they are and commenting on this being a bad book well time to check the validity of that.

In any case I think this book is a 3-4 star. I really did like it. The writing style was particularly interesting in that it had parallel stories going on which is unique in writing. I have mixed feelings about sui I'm not completely sure, but I'm just hoping anyone reviewing this book isn't over the age of 25 without a degree in psychology, or some sort of authority on mental health and teenagers because if they are and commenting on this being a bad book well time to check the validity of that.

In any case I think this book is a 3-4 star. I really did like it. The writing style was particularly interesting in that it had parallel stories going on which is unique in writing. I have mixed feelings about suicide. I understand why people might decide to take their own lives, but I also understand it from a person's point of view who could have had their world torn to shreds because of suicide. I like the fact that this story talks about suicide. Adults are to chickenshit to talk about teenage suicide and mental health in general. You want to protect your kids, but what are you going to do when they end up the next Hannah?

A lot of reviews say that this glamorizes suicide. They are wrong. Depression and suicide is not the same for everyone. These are real problems teenagers face. If you don't think so you must not have been in high school in the last 10-15 years. Cyber bullying is the new form of bullying that people are used to. Because schools, and parents are such chicken shits to teach students how to deal with emotions, and depression like this, students don't know how to handle it either. Case and point the episode between Mr. Parker and Hannah. What responsible teacher does that?

The pacing was a little slow for me, but I could always leave and come back and remember what happened because the story references back and forth between previously mentioned events. However, at the same time, the fact that there are so man people connected to these tapes make it hard to follow a long and see the connection if you leave it and come back. This needs to be a read-through series.

I did get the sense of being aware how you treat others, but it wasn't all that strong from Hannah. I got that mostly from Clay throughout the story and at the end. I didn't like Hannah as a character because of how light-hearted she seemed in telling these stories. Sure there were times where she shared her anger and hate at the people who contributed to her decision on suicide, but there was very little in truly understanding how she felt. I'm in my 20s so I understand what she was trying to say, but for its intended audience that falls short. You'd have to have high levels of critical thinking skills if you're a 7th-10th grader reading this (maybe 11th or 12th depending).

Asher chose a daring topic to address. It's different than Vizzini's A Very Funny Story. If you compare the two, the stories are more believable even though both are just as likely to happen to a person.

I liked the ending because Clay does what he should have done. You actually see character growth in Clay through the actions he takes. You get both lessons in treating others how you want to be treated (Golden Rule), but also in Speaking Out. While I would like to say this was mostly about suicide and its long term and ripple effects, I can't. This was, in my opinion, mostly about Clay and his choices and actions. ...more

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Apr 21, 2017 Kristen rated it liked it · review of another edition

I'm totally conflicted about this book. On the one hand, it was so compelling and so tragic and so emotional. On the other hand, I go back and forth about whether or not this book is also "it's all YOUR fault" and "why didn't YOU care more?" Being a teenager is awful; being a teenager and not knowing how to get help or how to help someone else is worse. ...more

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Jun 17, 2011 Jenny rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, realistic-fiction, dark

Not many books can make you realize your connection to those around you as viscerally as Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Clay Jensen, the narrator, returns home to discover a package on his front porch- he is excited about his find… but not for long. The package was sent to him by the now-deceased Hannah Baker, his ex-coworker and first love. Inside the cardboard box he finds seven cassette tapes documenting thirteen stories of the people Hannah blames for her death. But Clay was always frien ...more

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Sep 27, 2017 Alicia rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This might be a good book about teenagers, but it’s a terrible book about suicide. People don’t need a series of terrible events to make them suicidal, and suggesting they do is dangerously ignorant . This book turns issues like suicide, rape and trauma into melodrama - so it makes sense that it became a CW TV show. I'd like to credit the author with trying to make a good point about reaching out to people when you know there's something wrong, but if that was the intent of this book it simply d ...more

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May 25, 2010 Nicole rated it it was amazing

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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