THIRTEEN REASONS WHY: Jay Asher: Razorbill: Young Adult: 288 pagesWhen Clay Jenson plays the casette tapes he received in a mysterious package, he's surprised to hear the voice of dead classmate Hannah Baker. He's one of 13 people who receive Hannah's story, which details the circumstances that led to her suicide. Clay spends the rest of the day and long into the night listening to Hannah's voice and going to the locations she wants him to visit. The text alternates, sometimes quickly, between Hannah's voice (italicized) and Clay's thoughts as he listens to her words, which illuminate betrayals and secrets that demonstrate the consequences of even small actions. Hannah, herself, is not free from guilt, her own inaction having played a part in an accidental auto death and a rape. The message about how we treat one another, although sometimes heavy, makes for compelling reading.
This was a captivating, thought provoking novel. It deals with some very serious issues: suicide, rape, depression…and really makes you think about how your actions affect the people around you. Although this is an “edgier” book, I think that it would make an incredible book discussion book. I would recommend it to older teens and adults.
AMM
4 comments:
I totally suggested this to a patron today -thanks for the review!
I have read this book and also listened to it audio. The audio format is awesome because there are two narrators, one for Clay and one for Hannah. The dual narrators really make this story feel like you are listening to the tapes along with Clay. This book has a lot of issues in it, but I believe that it carries an important message of being careful how we treat others. This novel has some mature content.
I loved the audio version of this book. It's one of my top ten audio books of all time.
I listened to the audiobook of Thirteen Reasons Why and found that having two narrators, one for Hannah’s voice on the tapes and one for Clay’s perspective, really helped capture the two stories. This book experienced a bump in popularity due to the Netflix series released last year, so I’ve had it in my sights since then. I’m so glad I finally picked it up. I found the story to be incredibly moving and sad. It’s a stark reminder that our view of others can be incredibly inaccurate. Rarely do we know the whole story about someone’s life or character. While my standards won’t be the same as others, I felt like the language was fairly tame and I never felt like it got “too” graphic, but the topics it covers are pretty heavy (suicide, rape, etc.) and should definitely be approached with maturity.
-ACS
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