Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher – 288 pages

Book Blurb:

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list. Through Hannah and Clay’s dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

My Review: 3.5 stars

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There is no doubt in my mind that every incoming high school freshman across the land should read this book. It’ll resonate with all kids in some way, shape or form and hopefully, give insight to many on the power of rumors, gossip, bullying and trust. This book is for both genders, as it explores both males and females that ultimately betray and hurt the main protagonist in even the most simple of words. The author was at our high school for a fine arts program and his humor and honesty that he incorporated into his book talk was incredibly appealing to the students. Of course, if it’s a hit with the kids, the movie will follow, which according to the author will star Selena Gomez.

Quotes I liked:

Well, what did you want to hear? Because I’ve heard so many stories that I don’t know which one is the most popular. But I do which one is the least popular. The truth.”

– “If you hear a song that makes you cry and you don’t want to cry anymore, you don’t listen to that song anymore. But you can’t get away form yourself. You can’t decide not to see yourself anymore. You can’t decide to turn off the noise in your head.”

– “You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can’t be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life. Everything. . . affects everything.”

– “A lot of you cared, just not enough.”