13 Reasons Why

Author: Jay Asher

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction  

Publisher: Razorbill

Year: 2007

Ranking: 4/ 5

  Synopsis

lay 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.

The Author

Jay Asher was born in Arcadia, California on September 30, 1975. He grew up in a family that encouraged all of his interests, from playing the guitar to his writing. He attended Cuesta College right after graduating from high school. It was here where he wrote his first two children’s books for a class called Children’s Literature Appreciation. At this point in his life, he had decided he wanted to become an elementary school teacher. He then transferred to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo where he left his senior year in order to pursue his career as a serious writer.

He has published only one book to date, Thirteen Reasons Why, which was published in October 2007. He is currently working on his second Young Adult novel, and has written several picture books and screenplays. 

Personal Experience with This Book

What I can take the most from this book it is the message that leaves you: “All your actions have an impact on the lives of others. Sometimes we do not even realize how much damage we can make in the lives of people around us”.

The story of Hannah, and how it got to the point of suicide, is very sad and beautiful at the same time. I think the way in which she narrates her story gives a plus to the narrative of the book. It was great to interject my reading with the audio because Hannah came to feel more real to me.

Clay was a beautiful character. And I do not mean to be the typical protagonist you fall in love, but rather by the way in which he thought and saw Hannah, like the way how he grieved her death. Sometimes we realize too late that what we have in front of us can go at any time.

The secondary characters in this story have all to do with Hannah’s death and although many do quite insignificant things, others do terrible things. I like that the book dealt with serious issues such as suicide and how they are intertwined with each other.

I must say that this is a book that I read very fast. It took me just two days reading and I was traveling while reading, I could have read it faster. And before being a book to entertain, it is a book to reflect. A book that leaves you thinking and makes you rethink things in your life and how you act toward others.