Hannah Baker committed suicide 2 weeks ago, and before she did it, she wanted to make sure that the people that drove her to it knew exactly why. There were 13 reasons why Hannah killed herself --13 people that affected her life, some in small, seemingly insignificant ways, and others more profound. 13 people will receive the tapes that Clay Jensen has in his backpack. They all must listen to them, and pass them on, so all of them will know exactly what drove Hannah to end her life. Hannah made sure to make a second set of tapes, and if the unlucky 13 don't pass their tapes on, the second set will be made public, exposing their secrets to everyone. Clay can't understand what he could have done to hurt Hannah. He could have loved her, if she had given him a chance. So why is he on the tapes? In one single night, Clay will find out more about Hannah then he ever knew. And he will learn dark secrets about his classmates.
This is a thrilling and suspenseful book, which will leave you thinking about all the little things that you say or do to others. What might seem like just a funny note passed in class could have a big impact on someone else's life.
I suggest reading this one along with Remembering Raquel by Vivian Vande-Velde
9 comments:
i loved this book.one of my favorites. :]
it was alright.clay confused me,and hannahs reason was honestly bad,i mean if ur going 2 write a book find a more reasonable reason 2 commit suicide.i couldnt relate to Hannah,somehow yes.but buck it up.it was good though i mean i guess im being critical.i can see how that could drive her 2 do that,i feel the same somtimes.but im not dead.really
i loved it as well. it is also one of my favorites, and i really loved the suspense.
oh my gosh. Best book ever!!!
I could not put it down.
Jay needs to right another book!!
I wasn't that impressed with this book. Hannah didn't go through anything more difficult than anyone else in high school goes through. To then put the blame on 13 people who are then left to feel guilty for the rest of their lives is just sick.I got really tired of listening to it after a few chapters. "Six Reasons Why" would have been enough to get the point across. There are better books out there on the subject, such as "Trigger" by Susan Vaught and "Aimee" by Mary Beth Miller.
I don't understand why everyone thinks this is the best book ever written... First of all, the reasons Hannah commits suicide are not even close to justifiable (but then again nothing really is; suicide is pretty much unacceptable). There are countless people who witness/inadvertently cause harm to others, whether it be spreading a rumor or causing a plane crash, but i don't see themselves downing a bunch of pills! Second, if Hannah really believes that the suicide was completely her choice, as she says near the end of the book, then why did she speak as if to BLAME almost every person on the tape? "Every single even documented here may have never happened had you, Alex, not written my name on that list. It's that simple" (page 41). In other words, she blames Alex for starting this "snowball effect" and is indirectly blaming him for her suicide. Clay also blames other people (including himself) for her death rather than Hannah herself, but ultimately, we cannot blame others for our reactions; they cannot control us. Hannah let all those things get to her and decided she needed to destroy herself because she couldn't find anyone to help her AT THAT TIME. High school doesn't determine the rest of your life; was she really incapable of at least going through the motions for a few years? If anything this story serves to show how stupid an idea suicide is, especially at a young age. Jay Asher clearly wanted to prove to his readers that all our actions have an effect on people, but her story comes off as petty and whiny. The others may have driven her into depression, but it was her own choice not to right it. This book makes a good a satire just to prove how selfish and weak society has become; whenever life becomes to hard, shut yourself off from all hope and destroy yourself- the ultimate numbness, right?
Sorry if this comes off as a bit too blunt, but I just can't see why this could ever be considered such a great story: it may have a good message but the way Asher goes about proving it is... well, lame. When I read this, I found myself anxious to turn the pages, not only to see who else she could blame for her suicide, but to see if anything actually left a REAL scar on her! Like I said, a lot of people go through the things she went through; a lot of people become depressed; unfortunately, a lot more people decide it'd just be so much better to end their life there and then, but the more strong-spirited of us fight away those thoughts and search for hope to carry on. You cannot predict the future, so who are you to decide that your entire life sucks and you might as well quit now? Others may not agree, but I just speak from my own experience. I like when Hannah says that while you can run away from sad songs, depressing poems, etc. when you're sick of feeling bad, but you can't stop listening to yourself. However, I don't agree that when you are depressed there is no way out- everyone is capable of being optimistic, and although the message in this story is to not be mean in order to prevent people from becoming depressed, there are countless things they can do THEMSELVES as well. Hannah lived her life based on her surroundings, she never once explained what she liked about herself, what her character was like, why she was an individual... she just told everyone (completely paraphrasing) "you hurt me, so now i killed myself, are you happy now?"
Well... this comment has gotten a bit too long, so I'll end by saying how can we stop others from contemplating suicide? Its not all about being nice or complementing them; you don't even have to spend that much time with them if you ask me. the only way to save people is to inspire them; in this case, teach those around you that the best way to live is within yourself (i don't mean withdrawing from society): be content with yourself, and no matter what happens to you, suicide will not come up as an acceptable option because you will always be who you are, and we can all become, for the most part, what we want to be. Hannah could have done a lot more with her life, if only she had believed in herself and not relied on others so much.
I completely agree with Anonymous, May 6th. All of us feel alone, scrutinized, and unhappy with ourselves at some point in our lives. For people with depression, those feelings can seem overwhelming and even painful. Some of us, like Hannah, blame others for why we are unhappy. Others of us, like Hannah, blame ourselves for why we are unhappy- we don't like how we look, how we appear to others, etc.
The key is to have hope, to find a passion, to have patience, and to look outside yourself. What must Hannah's parents be going through? Why couldn't she find it in herself to wait a bit, to seek counseling, or to see if she has anxiety or depression? Did she try religion?
It sounds like she just gave up. Sure, it's easy to die- a few too many pills and you don't have to worry what you look like anymore, what people think of you anymore, or feel sad anymore. But, with those few too many pills, you also terminated the one chance, the ONE CHANCE, you have at experiencing life. It may feel like there's no way out, no reason to live, no desire to live, and that no one would care, but that is a short term view of life.
I feel like this book glamorizes suicide by sympathizing with Hannah's feelings of hopelessness and her peers' faults. She could not muster the patience that would eventually have helped her. She committed a short-term action for a long-term situation- a very long-term situation- her LIFE.
You only get one. Don't throw it away one afternoon when you've been feeling lousy. People fight depression for years, and the one's who come out of it are truly grateful. Hannah plain gave up.
Ok this book was good ill give you that....but why leave Clay feeling guilty? He shouldnt, so what if this actually happend to some1 else? THey wolud feel guilty too. The reasons why Hannah killed herself happen to alot of people in highschool. Che could have stopped everything but she didnt, she just took it and instead of telling people to stop she ended her life and blamed other people for it...this bopok was well written and i liked it but all of these things happen in highschool and only "Hannah" killed herself
This book was amazing. Every page maded me wanna cry, & i did. It makes you think about what you've done that might have affected someone else, or how some stupid little list, or something like that, started giving you a reputation, or how its changed your life. Hannah's reasons made sense to me, i mean imagine if it was you in her shoes? Or in Clay's? Amazing book, & i hope Jay Asher makes a second book for Thirteen Reasons Why.
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