Review: Thirteen Reasons Why
Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher. 2010 Georgia Peach Book Awards for Teen Readers. Incredibly layered and nuanced. Clay one day finds a box of cassette tapes. He discovers they are a recorded message from Hannah, a girl from his class who committed suicide. She left 13 stories for 13 people, each who were tied to her reason for wanting to end her life. There are few villains in this, just people being people. Hannah’s reasons turn out to be her own guilt connected to a couple of tragic events as well as the actions — often unknown — of those she talks about. The story alternates from Hannah’s narration to Clay’s thoughts and feelings as he listens, but the story remains easy to follow (Hannah’s dialogue is set in italics). The reader is drawn into the story as Hannah’s narrative slowly unfolds. An excellent debut book from the author, and highly recommended for both teens, parents and teachers.