Th1rteen R3asons Why

Title: Th1rteen R3easons Why

Author: Jay Asher

ISBN: 978-1595141880

Publisher: Penguin Books

Copyright: 2007

 Plot Summary:  Clay Jensen, a high school student, comes home from school one day to find a mysterious package full of cassette tapes. Once he begins to listen to them he hears Hannah Baker's voice, a classmate who had just committed suicide. The tapes list the thirteen reasons why she committed suicide and Clay is one of them. Clay follows Hannah's voice around town all night and in the process discovers some things about himself and Hannah. 

Critical Evaluation:  This book is very well written. There are large passages of Hannah's voice speaking sometimes and other times when Hannah is speaking about something more difficult it cuts back and forth between Hannah's voice and Clay's reaction. Clay's reactions to Hannah's words are heart wrenching at some points. Jay Asher writes the anxiety Clay feels leading up to the tape about him very well, it makes the reader feel the anxiety as well. 

 Reader's Annotation: Clay Jensen finds a mysterious package on his doorstep, full of cassettes that lead him on a journey through the eyes of another. 

Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Young Adult

 Author Information: Jay Asher has written one other young adult book called The Future of Us. To find out more about Jay Asher visit his blog at http://www.jayasher.blogspot.com/.

Book talks: Suicide, Treating others well, Rumors, Not letting rumors affect what you think about someone, how rumors affect someone

Reading Level/Interest Age: Middle School/ High School. 13-18.

Challenge: Suicide, sex, underage drinking, theft. Hannah Baker commits suicide and this book details all the reasons why. It is important to this story that Hannah is gone. It does not detail her death but it is necessary to see what the pain in Hannah's life lead her to. There is some sex is this book at two different party locations, it does not get that graphic and it is a necessary point on the downward spiral. There is underage drinking at a party, it describes what many teenagers do, but it is not written in a glorified way. Finally, Clay steals his friend's old Walkman to play the tapes. Clay did not steal it with malicious intent and it is a necessary part of the story that Clay has a mobile way to listen to Hannah.

Why was this book chosen?: I read this book for a book club recently and could not put it down. It is a compelling work.