Workout Song of the Day: "I'm Goin' In" by Drake ftg. Lil Wayne
Teen suicide is, unfortunately, something that every high school student will have to deal with, both directly and indirectly. But imagine having a student at your school that left you audio confessions as to why she killed and herself--and that you were part of that reason! This is what Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why covers, and ultimately does a fine job in analyzing the pain that teenagers have to deal with on a daily basis.
There are two main characters in this novel--Hannah Baker, the beautiful, but misjudged, girl who kills herself, and Clay Jensen, the smart kid with a crush on Hannah, but who also is one of the recipients of her confessions. Everyone who has received Hannah's tapes had something to do with her death, and Clay becomes tormented with both hearing about Hannah's turmoil, but also having to relive her death all over again.
There were many things that I liked about this novel. First of all, the concept amazes me to no end. Teen suicide is a topic that is frequently covered in novels, but I definitely think that Asher puts a new spin on it. He actually got the inspiration for this novel from an audiotaped museum tour--I need to keep my eyes open for more good ideas! Second of all, I also feel that Asher gives a terrific voice to Hannah. I was speaking to one of my MFA professors about author's writing in the voice of the opposite sex, and he admitted that most male authors do a terrible job in creating female protagonists; however, Asher clearly demonstrates the angst that young females go through when they are considered something they are not by their peers. Finally, I think this novel enables an honest discussion about teen suicide. Asher speaks about the warning signs, risks, and preventative measures all without being too "preachy". I've even recommended this novel to a few of my students.
I only had two main concerns about this novel. First, while Asher did do a great job in giving Hannah a voice, I did felt that her confessions were a bit too neat. This is a teenaged girl pouring her heart out and telling others why she's about to kill herself, but the sentences were too concise and beautiful. I felt as if she were reading her reasons to us as opposed to actually just speaking to us. My other concern was that I felt that I didn't get to know Clay as much as I wanted to. I know that he was a vehicle for Hannah's story, but I also wanted to care more about my "tour guide." And some of his reactions to portions of Hannah's confessions actually confused me; I thought that some of them were a bit over the top, but I ultimately understood how much he cared about this girl--I know that many of you may disagree about this criticism, though. :)
Ultimately, I found Thirteen Reasons Why to be a heartfelt, and addictive, read.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Cookies 
7 comments:
This is an extremely serious topic, and I am glad that you found a book that is good enough to recommend to students. And it is good to know that there are some authors out there that can write in the voice of the opposite sex, as this is my goal :) I also get what you are saying about the language of Hannah- if she is a teenager and dealing with so much angst then she should find it difficult to have clear, beautiful sentences. Great review...and I love the four cookies stacked in the picture by the way :)
Good Review. And interesting topic. I am enjoying learning about this whole YA (or rather edgy YA) world. LOL. And like Marquita, one of my goals is also to be able to write in the voice of the opposite sex. At the moment I don't think I could do it, but I am going to try my hand at it soon. Nice job again! :)
Would you consider this YA or adult fiction with a teen protagonist (a la Ordinary People)?
Oh My! Just by reading the title, I feel a sudden wave of sorrow. I remember when I read this book, I became so emotionally invested in it that I ended up hating bullies at my school, and overthinking about their actions has put me in my trauma. And when I saw that Netflix made a show on this book as well, so I watched it again and I got so hooked on it that I missed my essay deadlines, but I just searched for Buy Best Essays Online and bought my essay from there. Anyways I wish our society take a topic like teen suicide seriously because it has taken so many lives already!!
It's the first book I ever read, I am a content writer and currently working for an [url=https://thedissertationhelp.co.uk/assignment-writing-service/]online assignment writing service[/url] and I highly recommend this book.
when i was teen ager i am also have these types of problem but i braced my self and now i am become a best designer in USA if you are bike ridder so i have biker leather jackets and coats for women
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