a.
Where to begin? A girl
named Hannah Baker has the worst luck or timing or something. Even the smallest
things, like a Hot or Not list, has a huge effect on her life. Try as she
might, she is unable to form true, lasting friendships and she feels rejected,
betrayed and alone each time she tries. I should say that the story begins with
Clay and he seems completely taken aback by receiving the package. The reader
learns that several people have received and passed this package of thirteen
tapes on. Clay is worried and confused as to why he is mentioned as one of the
reasons why Hannah took her life. He pushes through each tape with mixed
emotions at finding out all the details that led to her death. The reader
discovers that he secretly cared for Hannah and he feels guilty that he didn’t
do more to create a friendship between them. This book has it all. Alcohol, sneaking
out, partying, rape, rejection and voyeurism. Hannah describes everything in detail,
even if it is uncomfortable. This book connect seemingly unrelated events to
show everyone their role in her downward spiral. No one person helped. After
hearing everything, Clay is changed for the better. This glimpse in her life
gives him the impulse to speak to a girl he normally avoids. Maybe her life
will get better.
b.
Asher, J. (2007). Thirteen reasons why. New York:
Razorbill.
c.
This book is so depressing.
It totally weighed me down mentally once I finished it. I thought about all of
my own experiences in high school and how nothing compared to the experiences
described int his book. Even though, it is fiction, these things happen! We get
trained on suicide as teachers and how to spot the signs but who really sees
what is happening? I am definitely one of those nosy and strict teachers and
can quickly spot bullying or tension. If I were in Mr. Porter’s place, could I
spot a suicidal teen? I don’t know. It saddens me that Hannah felt so alone
that she wanted to take her life. Where were her parents? Why isn’t more
emphasis placed on her parents? It’s clear that they were not doing their best
to understand their child. In the end, I guess it doesn’t really matter whose
fault it is because everyone could have helped. At least thirteen people were
directly tied to all the negative things in her life and not one picked up on
it.
d.
Thirteen reasons why.
(2007). Publishers weekly, 254(40),
55
This uncommonly
polished debut opens on a riveting scenario: 13 teenagers in a small town have
each been designated to listen, in secret, to a box of audiotapes recorded by
their classmate Hannah and mailed on the very day she commits suicide.
"I'm about to tell you the story of my life," she says. "More
specifically, why my life ended. And if you're listening to these tapes, you're
one of the reasons why." Clay, the narrator, receives the tapes a few
weeks after the suicide (each listener must send the box to the next, and
Hannah has built in a plan to make sure her posthumous directions are
followed), and his initial shock turns to horror as he hears the dead girl
implicate his friends and acquaintances in various acts of callousness, cruelty
or crime. Asher expertly paces the narrative, splicing Hannah's tale. with
Clay's mounting anxiety and fear. Just what has he done? Readers won't be able
to pull themselves away until that question gets answered--no matter that the
premise is contrived and the plot details can be implausible. The author gets
all the characters right, from the popular girl who wants to insure her status
to the boy who rapes an unconscious girl at a party where the liquor flows too
freely, and the veneer of authenticity suffices to hide the story's flaws.
Asher knows how to entertain an audience; this book will leave readers eager to
see what he does next. Ages 13-up. (Oct.)
e.
This book is
definitely more for high school level students. It contains very serious subject matter that must be talked about, so I would like to hold a discussion online
with Lefora. This way no one feels uncomfortable expressing their opinion of
the book.
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