13 Reasons Why

 By Jay Asher

Young Adult Fiction

Reviewed by Kianna from the Altona Branch

    The book 13 Reasons Why, a young adult fiction book, focuses on the very serious topic of suicide. It tells the story of a teen girl who, unfortunately, like an increasing number of teens, takes her own life.  However, even after she is gone, she wants to tell the story she never had the chance or courage to tell when she was alive.

    Hannah Baker appeared to everyone like an ordinary girl but underneath that mask lived a troubled soul.  Her life was filled with people who let her down, whether that be something told to her face, or a rumor started behind her back.  She wanted the people who impacted her life to know how they slowly broke her down, bit by bit.  So Hannah creates a set of 7 tapes with 13 sides, with each side telling the story of her experience with a different person.  The tapes are then sent to each person on the list with the following instructions: listen to them all and pass them on to the next person.  This book is told from the perspective of Clay Jensen, one of the people who receives the tapes.  Throughout the book we see how he came to terms with Hannah's death.

    Reading this book was incredibly eye-opening for me, and a much-needed reminder of the impact our actions have on others.  From the smallest deeds to the largest events, we never know what our behaviour can mean to someone.  Hannah's story, though not true, is still a reflection of what others have gone through and I hope it reminds us to be a little kinder and more attentive to the feelings of others.

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