Asher, Jay. (2007). Thirteen reasons why. New
York: Penguin Books.
Like
all of us, Hannah Baker has a story to tell.
As a High School student in an ordinary American town, Hannah encounters
small town life and struggles to both make sense of her experiences and to come
to terms with them. She cannot. As Hannah’s tale unfolds, the reader is drawn
into the mystery surrounding the events that lead her to take her own life. Hannah has prepared a set of cassette tapes
that explain the thirteen people and events she considers most influential in
her decision to commit suicide and then has devised a plan to be sure that
those people hear what she has to say.
The story is told through the alternating viewpoint of Clay Jensen, a
boy who is somewhat smitten with Hannah and regrets not acting with more determination
in getting to know her well. As each
person on Hannah’s list receives the cassette tapes, they are compelled to consider
their own actions in relation to other human beings. Some are forced to confront High School type
cruelty and its repercussions; others must face the reality that they are
guilty of criminal offenses. Although
Hannah accuses these classmates and a faculty member of being culpable in their
mistreatment of her, she ultimately takes full responsibility for her
resolution to kill herself—yet she is unwavering in her conviction that the
full truth be known to those involved in her decision. As Clay listens to Hannah on the tapes, he
learns a great deal about his peers, about the nature of human beings and about
himself. The reader never knows the
impact of the tapes on anyone other than Clay and Tony, the boy to whom Hannah
has entrusted a second set of tapes, but the end of the story offers hope that
Hannah’s life has not been for nothing; Clay is changed in a positive way
forever.
Thirteen Reasons Why evolves slowly. At first, the story seems to drag—we know
that Hannah has committed suicide and that she has determined that those she
considers responsible will know why—yet in the beginning, the narrative is rife
with the pettiness of High School pranks and “mean girl” conversation. Despite the terrible circumstances, Hannah is
not the sympathetic character, Clay is. The
reader feels sorry for Clay; why does he need to endure this? Why is he forced to suffer when Hannah
appears to simply be overreacting to normal High School behaviors? He asks himself those same questions. Yet, as the incidences in Hannah’s life
unfold, the answers become evident to Clay and to the reader: when a young person takes her own life, all who
know her share some responsibility. Thirteen Reasons Why becomes a
compelling mystery as Clay listens to all Hannah has to say and as the ugliness
of “normal High School behavior” reverberates throughout the remainder of her
story. Because of the sexual content and
the serious nature of teen suicide, the novel is recommended for High School aged
students and older. The authentic dialogue
and realistic scenarios will appeal to this age group as well.
Links to related material and interesting reading:
Another story of a teen in despair but with a different ending:
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