13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
TW!: Talk of suicide
I actually read 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher last year for the banned book project, but I’ve been thinking about the book and TV series lately with the recent suicide of a friend. 13 Reasons Why centers on the suicide of Hannah Baker and the journey of Clay Jensen, a friend of Hannah’s, discovering the truth to what caused her suicide. For some background, Clay Jensen has been secretly in love with Hannah for years, but they were only ever friends. Two weeks after Hannah’s passing, Clay returns home from school one day to find a box of cassette tapes on his porch with his name signed on the box, and he is stunned to hear Hannah's voice tell him that there are thirteen reasons for why she chose to end her life… and he is one of them. Clay spends the rest of the night biking through town using a map from Hannah as a guide. He learns the dark secrets of Hannah’s life, including the main 13 reasons for her suicide, or the 13 people, and he feels a first-hand experience of her hardships and pain.
13 Reasons Why is truly an amazing book. It sheds light on the importance of mental health and being kind to others. This past weekend, a friend of mine, who I’ll leave anonymous for the sake of her family, passed away from suicide. Similar to how 13 Reasons Why illustrates how hard it was to know that Hannah was struggling, nobody could have known that my friend was going through the pain that she experienced. Mental health is important, just as important as physical health. It genuinely takes nothing to be kind to others, to respect others, and to pay attention to how your words affect others. In 13 Reasons Why, Hannah Baker committed suicide because of the people around her. She was bullied and became depressed. These things happen far too often and it needs to stop. I really recommend reading this book, especially if you want to learn more about the severity of suicide. It is a very sensitive book though, so if you’re in a hard place I would not recommend reading it.
P.S. I’m always here to talk if you need it. No matter who you are.
-Larissa
Hi Larissa. Sorry to hear about your friend and I totally agree about your points on mental health. I haven't actually read 13 Reasons Why, but I have watched the show and I thought it was really good. The P.S. message at the end was very nice and thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Larissa. Really sorry to hear about your friend, and I definitely think that this book is a very deep read. I agree with your points about mental health, and I think that this book does a good job of cover this topic. I have seen the show, but I will definitely give this book a read.
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