13 Reasons Why Book Review

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Author – Jay Asher

320 pages

Published October 23^rd, 2007

Recommended for Teens 13-17 years old.

ISBN – 9781595141880

From the Publisher

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate and crush -who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why. Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and learns the truth about himself-a truth he never wanted to face.

Main Character #1

Clay Jensen is a high school student who is trying to get over the death of the girl he likes/loves. He receives a box of cassette tapes that guide him and the reader through the story that is happening now but also what has happened in the past that has shaped the story now. I believe that Clay changes from a blind sheltered life into one of clarity, truth and regret by the end of the story

Clay does the right thing in the story by listening to the tapes. But I think that he also realizes during the course of the story that there was more he could have done in the past but his only way of knowing that was through how the story happened. Hindsight is 20/20 but because of that Clay realizes what needs to be done in the present day, thus the how the story ended. I can identify with Clay as he discovers that his reality was nothing that he thought because everyone’s reality is different in somebody else's perspective. Nothing is ever as it seems.

Main Character #2

Hannah Baker is the main female character in this story. Her voice is on the tapes and she leads the reader and Clay through her past and the story. Hannah changes from a young spirit to a tortured soul by the end of the story. I can identify with Hannah during this story as some of the feelings and situations she went through during the story I went through in my high school life.

Setting

This story is set during present day in a small American town. It also follows the events of the past 4 years in the town as well. I like that it is set in a small town where everyone is rocked by the death of 1 student. It gives the story more personality when I can relate to places described in the story to places like that in my town. I think that because the town was small and everyone there especially in the high school is so involved in everyone’s business played a big part in Hannah's downfall and death.

Theme

I think that the author is trying to say in this story that you really don’t know everything that is happening around you until it is pointed out to you. That one smile or nice comment can change someones life for the better. That one rumor or negative comment could change their life for the worse. And lastly to never think that you cannot change someone life. I believe that this story is about the life of everyday teens across the world, bullying, and that the truth will set you free. This book showed me that everything I say means something to somebody

I really enjoyed this book. I think that it was definitely written for a younger age group them mine, but it was good nonetheless. I did not like how it jumped around so much. From Hannah one sentence to Clay the next without warning. I read a PDF copy of the book, thus I did not have the change in font to warn me that it was changing back in forth between people's POVs. By the time I realized it had changed I had to go back and re-read parts because they didn’t make sense the first time I read it.

This was a good book, however there is talk that it is going to be made into a movie, and I do not think it will make a good movie. The actors will be too young to attract the older generations to see this movie, however the subject content of this movie is too sensitive and adult for the younger generations. There is speculation that Selena Gomez will be cast in this movie, I however, could only find a movie poster with Emma Watson, seen below.

I give this book 4 stars and definitely recommend it if you are looking for a quick, but good read.