Thirteen Reasons Why

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers. - Goodreads Blurb

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Thirteen Reasons you should read Thirteen Reasons Why

1. Jay Asher creates a character so compelling and real it's almost as if the reader is listening to the tapes themselves. The tapes allow an inside look into the mind of Hannah Baker -- a high school student who committed suicide two weeks prior to the beginning of the novel. 

2. The dual narration gives the reader both sides of the story. Hannah tells it as the truth, while Clay shows the lies that were born of it. 

3. Clay Jensen (one of the narrators) is on the tapes and readers get to witness how the tapes affect the people that are on them. 

4. As the novel continues the readers can see how everything that happened to Hannah changed her. It shows how she lost friends, hope, the ability to trust, and love. 

5. The book is raw. Blunt. And refuses to ask forgiveness for it. 

6. Through Hannah's story, readers can see how her thirteen reasons will react to each other when they receive the tapes and find out the roles they all played in Hannah's suicide.

7. High School was tough, for everyone. Readers can relate to the situations that Hannah had to go through. Whether they lived them or witnessed them. 

8. The web of reasons that Asher creates is unbelievable. How the reasons connect with each other, continuously loop around, and knot together is a work of art. Without one, the other twelve would never have been. 

9. Asher's writing style is fresh, honest, yet merciful. 

10. From the first page, readers will know this book is about to change their lives. 

11. "I guess that's the point of it all. No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people. Oftentimes, we have no clue. Yet we push it just the same." (Kindle Location 1886-87)  Jay Asher shows us. 

12. Hannah asked for help. Throughout everything that she went through, though she admits that she had already decided to commit suicide - she still went and tried to ask for help. Asher shows his audience that, even though it may not be known, there is always someone willing to help. 

13. Thirteen Reasons Why doesn't limit itself to the focus of depression. It shows love, trust, desire, hope, happiness. It brings tears and causes out loud laughter. It is a novel that everyone should read at least once, because it will to stay with you. 

Thirteen Reasons Why 

on Amazon

rating: 5/5 cups