Thirty reasons why book

The novel begins as our narrator, Clay Jensen, mails a mysterious package to someone named Jenny. We soon learn that the package contains the audiotaped suicide note of Hannah Baker, a girl Clay had a crush on before she killed herself about two weeks ago. This is going to be a doozy, Shmoopers. In the package, there are a total of seven cassette tapes and thirteen stories. On the first tape, Hannah tells her listeners that she holds each of them responsible in some way for her death, and that the tapes will explain why.

After listening, each person must give the tapes to the next person on the list. She says that if anybody fails to pass them along, a copy of the recordings will be made public. The tapes also come with a map that listeners are meant to physically follow as they listen to her story. The narrative moves back and forth between Hannah's and Clay's thoughts and actions.

This is hard to portray in a short summary, so remember that Clay's thoughts are always mixed in with Hannah's stories. Basically, go read it: it's a really interesting, challenging, and pretty brilliant structure. This book encourages that line of thinking.

Let me tell you, emotionally wrecked teenagers: when you are dead, you are freaking gone. You will never grow up.

You will never see your parents again. You will never have another moment that makes you feel happy or special in the here and now. You are gone forever.

But life will go on for those around you. They won't be sorry when you're dead. Or maybe they will be, but you know what? They'll still be alive. They'll still have life. You won't. They'll get to move on. You never will. But Hannah Baker kills herself. And it's a dramatic, redemptive, cataclysmic act. Hannah Baker sends the tapes, and she becomes the still point of the turning world.

She is Clay's Lost Lenore, the beautiful and romantic and unknowable girl who will live on forever in his memory. Hannah Baker kills herself, and she makes all those people who ever hurt her sorry. You can tell me that 13RW is all about learning to help the people around us and think about the consequences of our actions.

I'm sorry, readers, I love that you guys could get something wonderful and life-affirming and heartbreaking out of this book, but I just couldn't get past the fact that it's Hannah who teaches these lessons. And I'm sorry, but that's not how suicide works. Because didn't her suicide work out just great for everybody? Skye might finally get some of Clay's, um, 'help. Everyone learns an Important Lesson, and it's all thanks to Hannah and her decision to kill herself.

Hannah shows everybody. And, I'm sorry, but you never do. That's just not how it works. In many ways, Hannah is the evil twin of a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, but instead of living to breathe life into the dull main character, Hannah dies so that she can breathe life into the dull main character and, for all Asher's suicide-helpline advice, I couldn't help but see this as one great propeller of romantic and dangerous teenage myths.

In fact, sometimes, there is quite a divide between some of them, e. But honestly? There was a large, large gulf between the minor and the horrible. But, for the love of GOD, Justin view spoiler [enabled. Mud sticks. A lot of the characters - view spoiler [such as Jenny, the peeping tom or Justin hide spoiler ] would be taking one hell of a chance if they chose to send it along. Hannah is a horrible character. I mean this in two ways. At least, not to me. She sees it all and does nothing.

I can see that. That makes perfect sense to me. Would it have been better if she had intervened? I think we can all understand, to a greater or lesser degree, while she would fear for herself or just not be a fit state to stop it.

Still, she could have called the cops when it was over or something. I have no issue with protagonists who do bad things. I find them really fascinating. I just have an issue with how this was handled. Hannah watches Jessica get raped and does nothing. The boy she really liked openly permits it to happen, knows what would happen and makes no move to stop it. In short: Jessica is raped, while her friend and crush watch and do nothing.

Well, obviously, she tops herself. And views Jessica as being responsible. And, oh yeah, chose to tell thirteen other people about the horrible things that happened. So, yes, I hated Hannah. But I hated her most of all because of her unending slamming of Jessica. But, worst of all? And she might not have been able to remember any of it in the first place! Excuse me while I go throw up. Sorry for all my outraged repetition up there. It felt more true to life that way.

This is the glorious teenage world, where one stupid comment can make you want to curl up in a ball and cry. This brings me on to my second blanket definition of why Hannah Baker is utterly unbearable. Still, Hannah also has a very didactic narrative voice.

Of course, women should not be objectified. They should not be treated like meat. But what happened to Hannah was hardly bullying — it was a brief pain, something to shake off, not something that should blight her in the way it did. That seemed all backwards to me. So, please, my comment above is not a comment on a misogynistic society.

She expresses outrage at one point because she expressed one of the signs of suicidal thoughts: she had a haircut. Ladies and gentlemen, I am not exaggerating. View all comments. Kathryn Fisher I really don't understand this review. Ultimately she killed herself because of the rape and how it affected her. I'm not sure how people aren't getti I really don't understand this review. I'm not sure how people aren't getting that. It destroyed her.

This review has a strong blame the victim tone to it. I really thought I wasn't going to review this book. But a status sharing certain anti-anti 13 Reasons Why sentiments did that make sense? Let me preface this by saying: If this book or television show helped you in any way , this review is not for you. We all have our coping mechanisms, we all have our favorite books - I am absolutely not here to shit on anyone's fave. If you liked this book, that's good.

Please don't read this. I reserve the right not to be nice to you if you comment on this saying I'm being unfair. There are two sides to this debate. One side thinks this book and the son of Satan television show it spawned is inspiring, important, other positive i-words. I'm going to try to outline for you why I feel that way. Disclaimer: If this at any point seems like I'm telling you you're not allowed to be a fan of this shit, I'm not. But I passionately hate it, so don't expect objectivity.

Also, this contains spoilers for both the book and the show, of course. Let's get started. I'll organize this by my very own thirteen reasons. More on that in a later tape. TAPE 2: Suicide glorification. Especially in those tender, self-centered years in middle and high school. If I died, then they would know. The mean girls would regret their choices, the guy who never noticed you would wish he had, your friends would worship your memory, your school would make you a martyr.

As you mature, you recognize that. But everyone you ever knew does. They might not even remember you. They, after all, like you, are only teenagers. But not in the world of Thirteen Reasons Why. You are talked about beyond life. You act as a hero, distributing punishments and harsh words as you see fit, with no repercussions for your actions. Your old friends will miss you, the bullies will be humiliated and that humiliation wills them into realizations, the boy you liked desperately wishes that he had just told you he liked you too.

No one will criticize you for placing that unfair burden on them. God, you guys. Remember earlier, how I posited that most everybody has thought about suicide - at least in the abstract?

And how that most often happens in middle and high school? The same vulnerable, depressed, self-hating group that already has the tendency to think of suicide as an appropriate option. I have three younger siblings. My sisters are seventeen and fifteen; my brother is twelve. My sisters and each and every one of their friends have watched this fucking show. I begged my brother not to watch it, even though all of his friends have seen it.

Do you understand that? Do you see what the stakes of this are? Every student in every middle and high school in America will be told to watch this show.

TAPE 4: Having problems? Just kill yourself. The only potential solution offered within the narrative is suicide. And, as I talked about earlier, it works out pretty fucking well for Hannah Baker. Pick a lane: is this show intense and important, bringing attention to under-discussed issues in a serious and mature way, or do you want to know which character you are based on your cupcake preferences?

The show gives trigger warnings. My friend, who has struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts, and is triggered by sexual assault, had a series of panic attacks due to this show. But she finished it - against my urging - because she thought it would give some important message or theme to the audience watching it.

But it doesn't. And she put herself through that for nothing. Hannah has reasons for committing suicide. It feels like there are no bright spots and no way out. The difference? Everybody feels like Hannah Baker does. Everybody has the humiliating moments and regrets that, like, haunt them before they sleep every night.

But not everybody has severe depression. It both reduces the trauma of having depression and indicates suicide as an option for people who may have never considered it otherwise. Making the guidance counselor a villain is maybe one of the most irresponsible attempts at drama in this stupid fucking narrative.

Teenagers everywhere: This book and show are total fucking bullshit. Your guidance counselors know exactly what to do. If you feel safe to confide in a guidance counselor, do it. TAPE 9: The experts say fuck this. TAPE Say the word depression. How goddamn hard is it? Fuck your quasi-advocacy. TAPE This is an instruction manual. Check my notifications, see one from The Washington Post. Feel awful for that poor vulnerable kid, but also think, Of course.

A year-old in Peru committed suicide and left tapes. TAPE Look at all these beautiful teens. It just feels especially significant when you think about how smugly this show pats itself on the back. TAPE That goddamn ending. This show just makes no fucking sense. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck this book, this show, Jay Asher, and anyone who had any part in bringing it into existence. Nov 08, Miranda Reads rated it did not like it Shelves: audiobook , finer-books-club-reading-chall.

Hannah was so brave, she dealt with life the best way she could Blah, blah, blah. Are you sitting down?

Good, cause things are about to get ranty. You are completely and utterly entitled to your opinion on this novel - just like I'm e Wow. You are completely and utterly entitled to your opinion on this novel - just like I'm entitled to hate it with every fiber of my being. Sorry, it's Me Time Now. The Message to the Target Audience - aka just kill yourself. As an year-old adult, I am able to read this book and take a step back to truly appreciate the full wrath of Hannah. She's able to absolutely crumble the lives of the bullies, extract sweet revenge on her ex-friends and even get the boy she likes to admit that he really, really likes her.

And how does she do that? By killing herself. Let me repeat that - she's able to accomplish all her wildest dreams By. And the target audience? Kids who are already thinking of suicide and are curious to see what happens after. And how does the author a grown adult advise them? Just kill yourself and everything will be better after you die. I cannot begin to express how furious that made me. Okay, okay. I will admit that there is another message - one of accepting, embracing and truly caring for your peers before something tragic happens Well, Hannah only had to off herself for this to happen.

Kill yourself and the world becomes a better place. Glamorous Suicide - aka suicide is a wondrous method to bring about change. This is in a somewhat similar vein to the previous - but did anyone else notice how beautiful and poetical her suicide was? How all the bullies were cowed.

How all her friends regretted not appreciating her when she was alive. How everyone felt bad about not being nicer. Even her suicide was a graceful fade-to-black. The book doesn't show any negative repercussions for her actions - just that everything is better after she's gone. And while maybe some kids may react the same as the ones portrayed in this book, I'd wager that most teens out there won't fall perfectly into the, "Oh-poor-Hannah-such-a-tragic-little-victim" category.

Most teens won't have the self-reflection and emotional awareness shown in this novel. She'll become a footnote, a blip on their radar, and they'll move on. Just because they did some grand, meaningful gesture, does not mean everything they did is given the rose-tinted glasses.

And what Hannah did was absolutely inexcusable. From my admittingly untrained eye, Hannah experiences neither of these. And I believe that if the author wanted us to see either one of those cases, he would have made that abundantly clear. Which makes Hannah's premeditated revenge odd, to say the least. She picks out thirteen people who she's perceived wronged her and sets about to find the most hurtful and vengeful way to ruin their lives. She wants to make her suicide count by destroying these other teen's lives so thoroughly that they become traumatized and absolutely terrified for the rest of their days.

So, who are these life-ruiners you ask? Who are these absolute monsters who made Hannah's life a living hell? Pushing her every day closer to oblivion? She and Hannah drifted apart, just like millions of girls throughout high school She's trying to pin her suicide on a teenage guy who said she has a nice ass. And he failed.

He failed her, her parents and the school. To expect one man to completely turn around a suicidal girl especially one who premeditates her suicide to such an extent that she uses it as a weapon against other kids is in my opinion horribly unrealistic.

And that's the thing that everyone seems to forget - these people who "caused" her suicide are kids. Teenagers with their own troubles, trials and tribulations. They're wading through the murky waters of high school with as much direction as Hannah.

And in her anger, fury and spite, she puts them all on the same playing field. The peeping Tom and rapist somehow contributed equally to the guy who stole the compliments from her compliment box.

Apparently, no one commenting about your haircut is just as likely to send you into a suicidal spiral as privacy violations.

Were you Raped? I will admit there were some of the kids that had it coming i. But, instead of going to the authorities and actually doing something about this, Hannah just outs them in one of her tapes.

And, it gets better, she never sends a tape to the rapist. Instead, she sends it to her ex-friend, the girl who was drunk and barely conscious throughout the rape, and Hannah blames her suicide on her. AND what's Hannah's interpretation? You, ex-friend, caused my suicide cause you didn't want to be friends for life. Dropping Hannah like a hot tamale was obviously the right choice. B Can you even begin to imagine learning that happened to you while your so-called friend was hanging out in the closet of the same room?

And what was Hannah doing? Visit Jay at: myspace. Also by Jay Asher. Praise for Thirteen Reasons Why. A stealthy hit with staying power. Related titles. Little Women. Pride and Prejudice. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Book 1. The Outsiders. Dear Evan Hansen. Val Emmich , Steven Levenson. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and as he follows Hannah's recorded words throughout his town, what he discovers changes his life forever.

I just finished reading it and I have to say that I just got it yesterday and I couldnt put it down. I was looking for a good book to read and instead I got an outstanding book! So thanks you Jay Asher! Gave me more hope. And I encourage people to read this book.