Thirteen Reasons Why

Because I'm cold-hearted like that.

The 1 REASON WHY I'm not giving this one star is because I trust that it can open positive discussions about suicide with teens. I just hope people point out its crushing amount of flaws while they're at it. ( )

Originally, I wasn't interested in watching the series at all. I'm not a person into romances or dramas, but this book came up on one of my suggested reads, and I don't deny books like I deny things I watch.

I was very wary when I started to read this book, I strongly dislike being sad or crying so I was so reluctant in giving this book a chance. However, after reading it, I must say I'm glad I did.

Clay Jensen receives 13 cassette tapes from his recently dead crush, Hannah Baker. In these tapes, Hannah explains why she ends her life, and the thirteen people that lead her to do it. Clay receives the tapes and when he listens, he tries to figure where he fits in and what he did to lead Hannah to her deadly decision.

This book speaks volumes of how the actions of one person is of consequence to another person. Poor Hannah was going through a series of unfortunate events and having no one she felt she could trust. Whenever Hannah tried to give someone a chance or reach out for help, she was later disappointed. By the time she got to know Clay, there was nothing he could have done. It's just sad that he truly liked her and by twist of fate, she was denied the fact of knowing at least she would know one person truly cared.

I am a suicide survivor. I was depressed, and had terrible thoughts six years ago. I attempted twice, but must have been fate because I am still here. I battled my way through my depression for four years. All of it alone. I am so lucky that I was raised to be that strong and born with that innate strength. I understand what it feels like to feel alone or that no one cares. The fact of the matter is: this is not true. We are not alone. No matter how alone we feel, we aren't. Also, I looked at the big picture. The world doesn't revolve around us. We are pieces to a bigger puzzle, but if we are gone, another can easily fill up that space. There is always someone worse off than us. I thought that my thoughts were selfish and took steps to change my life around. Now I am a crisis counselor, just trying to help others in similar situations. ( )

If this book helps young people when they need help then the author has done something great and I truly mean that. However I disliked almost every page of this book. I hated the narrative, I hated the gimmicky concept, and I hated the voices of both Clay and Hannah because they didn't sound like real people to me. The whole thing read like one of the religious tracts I read when I was a kid; clunky, patronizing, and heavy-handed. Teen suicide is a serious issue and I admire the author's willingness to approach it so openly. But I'm happy that I don't have to read this again. ( )

Full review can be found on my blog: https://suspensebookreviews.home.blog/2021/05/05/thirteen-reasons-why-by-jay-ash... ( )

I literally could not stop reading this book. The format is very original and the subject matter is poignant. An excellent reminder that kindness counts. ( )