Ram Readers Spring 2019 discussion

This is a controversial book. I look forward to reading what all think!

Reading “Thirteen Reasons Why” made me feel so many emotions. One of the ones that kept popping up was anger. Anger at all those people that caused so much pain in Hannah’s life. I felt angry that her parents or teachers weren’t seeing the signs of suicide. I couldn’t believe that the very same teacher that gave the students pamphlets of looking for signs for suicide was the one that didn’t look for it in her own students. I mean, one was asking for answers to suicide. The teacher didn’t even think twice in learning who this person who wanted to know about suicide was. Mr. Porter didn’t even seem to know how to be a counselor and let Hannah go out of his office without stopping her. He knew that she was talking about ending her life I don’t understand how he could have let a student go and not talk to her parents giving them a heads up that he was concerned for her safety and not to let her be alone. Hannah was giving big signs that asked for help but no one was listening. Everyone was in their own little world. I felt disgusted with Justin when I learned that he would let something happen to a girl that he should have done more than letting her be drunk in a bed where a party was taking place. How could he have let that happened. I wanted to know what happened to Jessica after this party. Was she okay? Did she remember anything? Did she confront Justin at all? I have so many questions. Does Bryan go to jail or did everyone in these tapes kept their promise and just passed them along. When Mr. Porter got them did he do something about it know that he knew what was really happening? So many questions left unanswered. Now all of those people are stuck with this regret of what they have done. They all know that thirteen other people know their darkest secrets. In all, this book was really good. I couldn’t leave the book alone until I finished it. I think this is the reason why they say that you should be nice to everyone because you never know what the other person is going through. Who knows, your kind gesture or smile might save a life. I wonder if someone had done that for Hannah would she have thought twice when it came to suicide being the only option she has to be out of her own sadness. As Hannah said, something so small to one person can have an avalanche in another person's life that might make them make up their mind to something you cannot change. In some way, I kind of liked how at the end of the book Clay goes and sees if he could help Skye out of her darkness. Even if he couldn’t save Hannah’s life he has another chance to do something right and give a hand to someone that might be going through the same road that led Hannah to take her life away.

13 Reasons Why is an intricately plotted novel. Initially, I was confused by the large number of characters populating the novel and their interwoven plot lines. To really grasp what was happening in the characters’ lives, I created a detailed timeline of the novel.
Superficially, 13 Reasons Why is a story about an adolescent girl, named Hannah, attending a high school in a typical Middle America setting. She is driven to suicide by the seemingly unrelated actions of her classmates. After her death, Hannah has arranged for each classmate she holds culpable in her death to receive a tape detailing his or her individual responsibility in provoking her suicide. As I was reading 13 Reasons Why, I quickly became dissatisfied with the novel’s synopsis. I felt the novel was trying to convey a deeper meaning to the reader. I believe 13 Reasons Why is a cautionary tale of the societal repercussions of the sexualization and objectification of adolescent girls.
At the beginning of the novel, Hannah is subjected to a societal double standard. She experiences what she thinks is a romantic first kiss, and arrives at school the next day to discover that the boy who kissed her turned an innocent kiss into a graphic sexual encounter. From that moment on, Hannah is slut-shamed and objectified by the boys in her school. She is victimized by her male classmates, and the girls attending her school contribute to her victimization as well. Hannah’s female classmates choose to have a competitive relationship with Hannah and exhibit anger, jealousy, and envy towards her throughout the rest of the novel.
The societal pressures from her peer group and the growing financial strain Hannah’s parents are struggling with serve to isolate Hannah from a supportive network. When Hannah outcries her sexual assault to her high school counselor his response marginalizes her further, and she becomes determined to seize control of her life from the people she perceives as manipulating and controlling her. In her traumatized mindset, Hannah can only see one way to take control of her life; commit suicide.
It’s a fascinating novel and, in my opinion, comprises excellent social commentary on the double standard applied to the sexual exploration of young men and women. While young men are celebrated for exploring their emerging sexuality, young women often find the most innocent of interactions mischaracterized and used to sexualize and objectify their bodies.

I will admit that I had already seen the series that goes along with this book. I had a friend of mine recommend it to me, so I watched it. There were really harsh moments to watch in the show just like there were harsh moments to read through the book. The show is very close the what actually happens in the book, but even so I still had some questions over certain things. Reading the book made more sense to me and I found that reading the book gave me a better picture of who Hannah was, her thoughts, and why she decided to commit suicide.

Suicide is a tough topic to talk about but guess what it is one that as teachers we must be in the lookout. I think this may be more true for middle schoolers and on than elementary, but it does not mean that it does not happen in elementary. I personally feel like I would have a hard time talking about this, which is why it would be a good idea to have maybe like a training and discuss subtopics that relate to suicide.

In the book, Hannah sends out thirteen tapes to the people who are on the tapes. They are the reasons why she was led to her death. I myself have not had a serious thought like this, so I thought to myself how is it that people decide suicide is the answer to whatever problems they have? Well each individual on those tapes (except for Clay Jensen) did something to her that made her feel small, not worthy, and insignificant. Each time an event took place, they took something from her, a part from her that she could not longer have back. Hannah was so desperate in recovering it that she made herself move forward and tried so hard not to live the reputation that everyone set out for her. This path was such a struggle that with all the trying, stress, and unsuccess soon she gave in and did not care for her life. This all started freshman year when Hannah met Justin Fully. They were going out to the park and there is where she had her first kiss. Later on, Alex Standal adds Hannah to a list of who has and who has not where it indicated that Hannah had. Already there was a different view point about Hannah. Jessica Davis was Hannah’s friend at first, but soon they part ways as she hangs around more with Alex. Hannah experienced a friendship abandonment that she couldn’t get over it. At this point she felt alone and longed for that warmth she was not getting. Tyler makes things worse when he sneaks up on Hannah’s bedroom window to take pictures. He invades Hannah’s privacy at her own house. If he did not feel safe at school nor at home, where could she possibly go to, to feel safe? Courtney Crimson fakes her being nice. According to Hannah, it was all a show. Courtney posed as someone she was not and lived up to her own reputation while in the meantime she backstabbed Hannah. This get even worse when the school has their “Oh my Dollar Valentine.” This was something that made Hannah want to look forward to it; especially when she got the call from Marcus Cooly. Well, on the night of their date Marcus arrives late and we then later fine out that he forgets about the date, but once he remembers, he eventually goes, JUST IN CASE Hannah is there waiting for him. Not only does Hannah wait for him more than thirty minutes, but Marcus then makes her feel uncomfortable by acting on the rumors that have been going around the school about her. He corners her against the wall on the booth and approaches her. He places his hand on her thigh and testes the limitations. At first Hannah can’t believe it, but once she reacts she pushes him off the booth. Hannah realizes how bad her reputation has been and how peers really think of her. At this point, Hannah strongly needs an out reach of anyone to help her and she starts getting negative thoughts about how she can get rid of everything that has been happening to her. At school, one of her teachers has a book rack where people can use to write something nice about someone and place it in their bags for them to read. Zack Dempsy took this from her as well. Hannah tries to find out who it was and once she finds out, she is surprised and wonders if when they spoke at Rosy’s Dinner he felt rejected by her which might have made him feel mad. No matter the reason, Zack was taking the only positive thing that was going on for her. I remember that at this point she had cut her hair and since no one mentioned anything about her hair, she knew something was up. With time, Hannah felt lost more and more. She did not trust people and she could not get a break. So Hannah turns to her writing. Poem writing. I guess it worked until Ryan stole one of her poems and published it out in the open. Hannah once again felt violated because that poem was a personal poem and she was awkwardly placed in a position where her poem was being dissected and made fun of. Clay was not part of the reasons, but he was involved at the party where Hannha tried to reach life by going to the party to see Clay who she had previously heard he was a good boy. Once they are in the bedroom laying in a bed together, Hannah all of a sudden realizes that just as how close they are, they are just as far away due to their differences in their reputation. Hannah goes over all of the events leading to that moment and she freaks out and asks Clay to leave. Once she leaves, Jenny Kurtz, the cheerleader gives her a lift, but when they run into a stop sign, Hannah realizes how different they are as well. Jenny was so reckless and even Jenny who was nice to Hannah was not the indicated person to have a friendship. The worse part, the part where Hannah finally lets go is at the last party when Bryce Walker has his way with her. At this point, Hannah had given up. She uses Bryce so she will have that excuse to commit suicide. When Hannah goes to Mr. Portal she makes one last outreach, but sadly, Mr. Portal does not help her in a manner that Hannah needed. Mr. Portal does not even go after Hannah once she storms out of his office claiming that “she has get on with it; get on with her life.” After reading the book, I had a better understanding of why Hannah decided to take her life away. But does not give an excuse to everyone who was on that tape for their actions.

This novel was creatively written. I liked how the author started out with the ending of the story. It was a bit confusing at first, but it all came together as I continued reading. I also liked how the author used the play, pause, and stop button to demonstrate when Clay listened to the tapes.

This book talks about a serious topic. A topic and word that Hannah could not say at first, but when she was able to say it it was already too late. Her mind was made up, but even then she went to Mr. Porter as her last hope, her only hope. Unfortunately, Mr. Porter did not show her enough support or that he cared enough to find out what she was going through and that he cared. That is when Hannah sends the tapes and commits suicide. Like Clay said, "Her mind was made up." Her last words to him and to everybody on the list and that heard the tapes was, "I'm sorry."

In my opinion, she had no reason to apologize. Suicide is a tragic event and people who decide to commit suicide feel like there is no way out, no solution to their problems. In the military, we discuss this topic all the time. Even more so, when one of our fellow soldiers commits suicides. That's when they really start to care and talk about it, sending flyers with a list of signs to look for, and how we can prevent soldiers from deciding to commit suicide. We are taught to always keep in touch with our fellow soldiers. Ask how they are doing, call them during the month before battle assembly. We only see each other once a month, and in a month a lot can happen. I think Hannah would have benefited so much from somebody, like Clay, to at least say hi to her or ask how she was doing. Her parents could have sat down to catch up on how she was doing as well, but they felt like they had their own problems to solve; not realizing that their main concern should have been their daughter and not their business.

To be honest, I did not like how Hannah was being humorous with the tapes. I felt like this topic was too serious to joke about. I did enjoy reading this novel. I think this book would be a great read for young adolescents to learn that everything they say or do does have repercussions on somebody's life, one way or another. "No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people. Oftentimes, we have no clue. Yet we push it just the same" (p.156). I think students can also learn a huge lesson about getting to know somebody before they believe what they hear. It is kind of like not judging a book by its cover but by the first line, or having the opportunity to read it. "I wanted people to trust me, despite anything they'd learned. And more than that, I wanted them to know me. Not the stuff they thought they knew about me. No, the real me. I wanted them to get past the rumors. To see beyond the relationships I once had, or maybe still had but that they didn't agree with. And if I wanted people to treat me that way, then I had to do the same for them, right?" I think it is only fair to treat people the way we would want to be treated, but unfortunately every person Hannah turned to and allowed in her life, betrayed her. That was why it was so hard for her to let Clay in on how she was feeling. She was afraid he would betray her as well like Justin did when she had her first kiss.

The part I disliked the most was the one where Zach took her notes away in their Peer Communication class. She was looking forward to those notes, hoping they would save her, help her see that people did notice her and cared, but Zach took that away from her. Hannah could have been a famous poet, but all the people on the list allowed her to go.

I like the idea of a Peer Communication class, and I think all high schools and possibly middle schools should have one. Unfortunately, Mrs. Bradley did not do a good job discussing Hannah's note about warning her that she was thinking about suicide. She could have handled the situation better, and avoided students from making fun of the anonymous person. In a way, I think she deserved to be on the list too.

The story begins with an unsigned parcel received by a high school boy Clay. Hannah was their classmate and committed suicide by swallowing sleeping pills a few weeks ago. Before she committed suicide, she recorded 13 tapes, mentioned thirteen people, and talked about thirteen things. It was these things that led to her last death, and she used the way of sending parcels, hoping that the perpetrators would understand how much they could do to affect one person. I think the problem of school violence is worth thinking about.

I have found that many times, when a person is hurting a person, or when it has a huge impact on that person's life, he is unaware. They don't know what it means to others. Everyone thinks that this is just throwing a straw to the victim, but forgetting that the straw can accumulate and the camel would be crushed. I guess this is probably the reason why Hannah sent the tape. She wants to let those people know what little things they think, such as jokes and gossip, how they ruined her life. What disappoints me is that as a psychological teacher, it is the thirteenth person. Hannah stayed for a few minutes at the end of the tape when she left the teacher's office. The teacher didn't chase her after she understood that she had a strong suicidal tendency, so Hannah said desperately that no one would save her anymore. really like the sentence in the book, “You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can’t be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life. Everything... affects everything.”

I remember reading this book when it first came out in middle school. Looking back, I think that it was a lot for me at that age, but I do believe I was interested in it because of the mystery behind the tapes and why Hannah Baker did what she did.

Hannah Baker committed suicide and left a series of tapes for the people that she knew to tell her story and explain why she did it.
I think that this book would be a really good book for kids maybe in high school because it is a mature topic, however, I do think that all kids should learn about Baker's story because the lesson behind this book teaches more beyond a suicide.

It teaches how much people can impact a person without even realizing it. "Everything effects everything." Jay Asher is a talented author who presents a strong message through a devastating story. I think this book reminds readers the importance and impact that words can have on someone even when you think they may not be listening. This could be a great message to send to students in that adolescent stage because there are so many changes constantly taking place.

Veronica wrote: "This novel was creatively written. I like how the author started out with the ending of the story. It was a bit confusing at first, but it all came together as I continued reading. I also like how ..."

Yesterday during our class discussion I remember you specifically talking about this topic of suicide. I had a thought about military and how they handle a situation like this since you have that background knowledge. The classroom discussion kept going and I did not seem to get to this point, but I glad you touched basis with it here because that is something I wanted to ask you about.

I agree with you in that Hannah's tone of voice was too of a sarcastic mode. I feel like when she spoke at first in the tapes she was not even talking as a human being with emotions. Emotions that led her to the decisions that she was going to take away her life. Towards the middle of the book she tones it down and towards the end, I do feel like she came down from whatever it was she was posing as and really became a human being. All her emotions were sincere and her choice of words were carefully selected. It could be because through the tapes she was finally able to talk out loud everything that was going through her mind. She might have been venting, but I think she had the right to do so.

I enjoyed this book, and for everyone who has not seen the series, I recommend they see it. To me seeing the series and reading the book gave me a bigger picture of the whole story.

MollyKate wrote: "I remember reading this book when it first came out in middle school. Looking back, I think that it was a lot for me at that age, but I do believe I was interested in it because of the mystery behi..."

I agree with you in that this book, may be a better resource for high school students. I personally feel that middle school students could understand it, but I am not sure as a whole population. In fact, in my response I wrote down that I would be a bit unease teaching this book as a whole class. Instead, I would probably do a book talk about it and have it available for students who are interested in reading it. I would hate for students to feel uncomfortable in my class due to the seriousness of what this book portrays.

I also noticed that even though this book revolves around the topic of Suicide, it also contained many subtopics which can also be talked about with students.

Lucelia wrote: "Veronica wrote: "This novel was creatively written. I like how the author started out with the ending of the story. It was a bit confusing at first, but it all came together as I continued reading...."

I agree that she might have been venting, and she was standing up to herself in the tapes. I just wish she could have had the strength to do so in person instead of taking her life. I think Clay could have helped her to stand up for herself.

I think I will watch the series of 13 Reasons Why.

MollyKate wrote: "I remember reading this book when it first came out in middle school. Looking back, I think that it was a lot for me at that age, but I do believe I was interested in it because of the mystery behi..."

I agree with you that this book can teach students that words or their actions do have an impact on other adolescent students lives. Especially, when they are figuring out who they are at this age and some students start to identify themselves differently than others. This is where my heart breaks, because students should feel safe at school, and feel safe to express themselves and be who they are. I think this book can help teenagers realize that when they are calling somebody gay or lesbian for example, even as a joke, that it can affect them in ways they can not even imagine.

Lucelia wrote: "I will admit that I had already seen the series that goes along with this book. I had a friend of mine recommend it to me, so I watched it. There were really harsh moments to watch in the show just..."

I like the idea of attending a training about how to talk to students about suicide. I think attending a training about how to address the class or students when they are name calling would also me very helpful. I find myself speechless when I am subbing in middle school, and I hear students call others gay. All I can think about in that moment to say is, "Stop, I do not want to hear anybody saying that to others." And then I want to address it as if they were in elementary by having them apologize to each other, but sometimes they just look at me like I'm crazy. Having a training on how to teach and address name calling for elementary and middle school would be very helpful. I know our students would really appreciate it.

I really wanted to love this book, I absolutely loved the Netflix series and had very lofty expectations for it. I think that was the problem for me, because I had seen the show I went in to the book with too much backstory and information and it completely clouded my vision for it. It was an okay book, but it just never quite hooked me the way I expected it to. I think had I waited to see the show until after I read the book my view would have been drastically changed. The novel does hit on so many topics that are important for adolescents to talk about, and I think the book for sure opens up the dialogue that is needed between parents and adolescents.

Melissa wrote: "13 Reasons Why is an intricately plotted novel. Initially, I was confused by the large number of characters populating the novel and their interwoven plot lines. To really grasp what was happening ..."

I enjoyed reading your viewpoint on the novel. It for sure hits on some tough topics that need to be opened up for dialogue. I also found the novel a bit confusing and actually enjoyed the series more.

Veronica wrote: "This novel was creatively written. I like how the author started out with the ending of the story. It was a bit confusing at first, but it all came together as I continued reading. I also like how ..."

Veronica wrote: "This novel was creatively written. I like how the author started out with the ending of the story. It was a bit confusing at first, but it all came together as I continued reading. I also like how ..."

I agree Veronica, I think the school failed Hannah in so many ways. We need resources for students to use in schools , they should be a place of refuge.

Linrui wrote: "The story begins with an unsigned parcel received by a high school boy Clay. Hannah was their classmate and committed suicide by swallowing sleeping pills a few weeks ago. Before she committed suic..."

I agree with you Linrui on how no one knows how much you're affecting someone's life in a positive or negative way. This is the reason why teachers have such big impacts on students lives. Many students are going through a lot of things that we as teachers don't know about. We should be there to lift them up and not tear them apart. Give constructive criticism so they can grow and not to tell them they will never amount to anything. If the teacher in that speech class would have seen the signs that Hannah was sending maybe she would still be alive, but everyone is caught up in their own lives to see those that are hanging by a threat.

MollyKate wrote: "I remember reading this book when it first came out in middle school. Looking back, I think that it was a lot for me at that age, but I do believe I was interested in it because of the mystery behind..."

I agree with you MollyKate that this book would be great for high school students. Many don't know how sometimes the mean comments they see to others can really hurt the other person. This is especially true when it comes to adolescent girls. Sometimes they are really cruel that they forget how those little things for them can be life-changing for someone else. Even the topic of suicide is a good topic to talk about with adolescents in this age group. We know that they are exposed to many things in the media and internet. Teaching them that suicide not only can harm themselves but others around them would be a good thing for them to know.

Lizette wrote: "Reading “Thirteen Reasons Why” made me feel so many emotions. One of the ones that kept popping up was anger. Anger at all those people that caused so much pain in Hannah’s life. I felt angry that ..."

Lizette,

I like your post. I agree with you. Hannah was exhibiting warning signs indicating suicidal behavior. I think you are also correct when you wrote about how everyone was lost in their own world. It seemed to me that no one was looking out for Hannah even when she asked for help. She was completely isolated.

Amanda R. wrote: "I really wanted to love this book, I absolutely loved the Netflix series and had very lofty expectations for it. I think that was the problem for me, because I had seen the show I went in to the bo..."

Amanda,

I agree with you. I think the novel touches on many issues that are worthy of a parent/child conversations. The behavior exhibited by some of the male characters in the book would be an excellent starting point for a conversation about male/female relationships. I was disturbed by Tyler's behavior towards Hannah. Peeping and photographing women when they are unaware can lead to stalking and sexual assault. I think it is a conversation worth having.

Veronica wrote: "This novel was creatively written. I liked how the author started out with the ending of the story. It was a bit confusing at first, but it all came together as I continued reading. I also liked ho..."

Hi Veronica,
I agree with your opinion. Parental care for children is important. How Hannah's parents are not busy with business, but often communicate with Hannah, Hannah does not have so many troubles. In fact, I believe that Hannah should learn to communicate with others, especially to learn to communicate with peers.

MollyKate wrote: "I remember reading this book when it first came out in middle school. Looking back, I think that it was a lot for me at that age, but I do believe I was interested in it because of the mystery behi..."
Hi MollyKate,

I like you wrote that everything effects everything. Hannah's classmates had a snowball effect on her. Little by little, the words that had hurt Hanna accumulated. It led to Hanna's suicide. In my opinion, when we get along with others, we should pay attention to our words and try our best to reduce the harm to others.

Lizette wrote: "Reading “Thirteen Reasons Why” made me feel so many emotions. One of the ones that kept popping up was anger. Anger at all those people that caused so much pain in Hannah’s life. I felt angry that ..."

There were so many emotions of anger popping up and I too became frustrated with the adults in her life unable to notice what was happening to her. There can be so many things that get overlooked in that age, especially with females, because that is a time that we go through a lot of changes physically and emotionally. This book taught me to always watch what I say and always keep a close watch on my students, no matter what.

Lucelia wrote: "Veronica wrote: "This novel was creatively written. I like how the author started out with the ending of the story. It was a bit confusing at first, but it all came together as I continued reading...."

I have not seen the series but I am wanting to! I also think that when I had first opened up this novel back in middle school that I was probably very confused as well. The author does a tremendous job telling the story through the tapes.

The topic of suicide is still not an easy topic to discuss. From personal experience, I have had some people close to me deal with this and it is sad that you can miss some of the signs. This book contains heavy material that even as an adult it is hard to talk about suicide without being labeled at risk or something. I am torn between judging Hanah and her reasons why she took her own life, it may seem that she is only responsible for her actions. While on the other side being in her position and feeling the way she felt could make others realize they need to be careful how they talk to others or how they make others feel. I want to see the series as this is a topic that should be taken seriously without leaving the stigma. I don't know how to feel about this book and what level of audience it is appropriate for although I am probably leaning more towards middle and high school.

Linrui wrote: "The story begins with an unsigned parcel received by a high school boy Clay. Hannah was their classmate and committed suicide by swallowing sleeping pills a few weeks ago. Before she committed suic..."
The sentence you selected is deep, I would agree that everything affects everything. One change in something could have an impact on the life of someone else. This could be a good opening for the introduction of the book.

Veronica wrote: "This novel was creatively written. I liked how the author started out with the ending of the story. It was a bit confusing at first, but it all came together as I continued reading. I also liked ho..."

Veronica, I agree with you that the topic was serious and the idea of Hanah coming about it in a light manner was disturbing. While the book was interesting and the way it was presented was very creative, I can't see myself using this book because I feel I am not strong enough to cover this topic.

This novel is PAINFUL. I erased this paragraph and wrote again not knowing what to say. Recently I suffered the pain of going to the funeral one of my dearest student. It happened the weekend before this Spring Break. He graduated three years ago. They came back from college and he was celebrating his 21st birthday the night before. I taught him when he was in third grade, and he was my neighbor. I still have too many mix emotions and confusion to comment about this subject.

I believe this book is not appropriate for youth because it gives the wrong message about suicide. Hanna commits suicide and blames it on other people not taking responsibility for her actions. I understand that Hannah was affected by the rumors in her school and those rumors may have made the students mistreat her. But recording messages to make 13 kids accountable for her death is just a way to take revenge. Hannah wanted those 13 people to feel guilty and experience the pain she went through because of them. Perhaps she was hoping that by making them feel ashamed and guilty will lead to them committing suicide as well. Hannah made some bad decisions according to her feelings. She was responsible for her actions and cannot blame other people for it.

Nancy wrote: "The topic of suicide is still not an easy topic to discuss. From personal experience, I have had some people close to me deal with this and it is sad that you can miss some of the signs. This book ..."
I agree with you that this book is hard to read because of its content. I understand that Hannah's feeling and emotions were affected because of the rumors and and actions of those 13 people that hurt her. But I still believe that she could've done other things to get away of those situations.

Linrui wrote: "The story begins with an unsigned parcel received by a high school boy Clay. Hannah was their classmate and committed suicide by swallowing sleeping pills a few weeks ago. Before she committed suic..."

I Linrui, I believe that it is important to learn to choose our words because of the impact that they have on others. Unfortunately the rumors made by the people altered Hannah's feelings and emotions leading her to take her life.

This is the books that I was mostly excited about because I had watched the Netflix series, but I had never read the book before. I thought that since I had seen the series, and it did have some very graphic scenes, that I would be prepared for anything that I was going to read in the book. However, it did get to me, especially in those last chapters where Hannah commits to her decision. I think since I was actually reading the thoughts it made me think of how someone could actually get to the point of thinking and actually committing to take away their own life. It also was hard to read when she was planning her actual death, and how she considered her parents reaction to finding her. It made me think of my cousin who committed a murder-suicide a few years ago over something that was definitely not worth taking his life and especially his daughters life. I wondered what were his thought before doing what he did, and the guts he had to actually go through with his plan. I also wondered when he decided that this was his only option. I wondered if he planned ways that he was going to do it also, or if he ever considered anybody else besides the person he was trying to hurt.
But back to the book, I think reading the book let me have a deeper understanding of Clay and Hannah's point of view. I was able to understand how he felt and what her thoughts were a little bit more in the book than in the series. I'm not saying the series did an awful job at doing that, but the book did focus more on Clay and Hannah. However, in the series I got see a little more about the other characters, like Justin, Jessica, Alex, and the others. It showed us how much Hannah's death affected them as well. The series really shows how suicide doesn't end the pain, but that it passes it to others, for example with Alex. I did prefer the series because I got to see the reaction and learn a little more about each character that was on the tapes.
I think the character that made me more upset though was the counselor, Mr. Porter. Yes, the way everybody treated her was awful and watching the series there is no possible way that you could not hate Bryce. However, Mr. Porter made me upset because he was the last hope Hannah had to save her life. She went out to seek for help from him, like most schools would recommend, but she did not find the support that she needed from him. There were so many red flags, like the anonymous poem and the note to the teacher. Yes, her classmates let her down and so did her teachers, but Mr. Porter is the counselor. It does seem unfair to put this all on him, but it was his job. Hannah lost hope and he simply told her to move on with her life. This made Hannah take her final decision. I do wonder why Hannah didn't seek help from her parents. I understand that they did have their problems and were worried about their finance,but Hannah should've understood that she is their daughter. I honestly believe that they would've gave her the support she needed.
As for having this book in my curriculum, I don't think that I would include it, for obvious reasons. Everybody has their own interpretations of the book and the series. Some people thought it glorified suicide and others thought that it persuaded teenagers to take this decision.

Amanda R. wrote: "I really wanted to love this book, I absolutely loved the Netflix series and had very lofty expectations for it. I think that was the problem for me, because I had seen the show I went in to the bo..."

I also had high expectations of the book because I had watched the series when it first came out. The series quickly grabbed my attention and I was hooked. The book did not have the same effect on me as the series, but I can say I was satisfied with it. I think since the book focus only on Hannah and Clay, I was able to understand them much more than in the series. I did prefer that series also brought in the other characters and their reactions to hearing the tapes.

Veronica wrote: "This novel was creatively written. I liked how the author started out with the ending of the story. It was a bit confusing at first, but it all came together as I continued reading. I also liked ho..."

Regarding her tone of voice, I thought that played an important role in the tapes. I feel like her sarcastic tone of voice and playing with her words in regards to her life shows how she truly reached the point of not caring anymore. I think that she felt as if she had control of her life, just like in the movies where the villain has the hero captured. I also think that when she began recording these tapes she still was 100% committed to this decision because she did begin to lose the sarcasm towards the end, which is when she realized that she was actually going to do it.

It has been about a year since my oldest daughter was admitted into a psychiatric ward because she was having suicidal thoughts and had begun to cut herself. It is something I do not wish on any parent and have realized since then how very real depression and suicide can be to a person.

After reading this book, I felt like I understood how my daughter might have been feeling and why. I knew of many things that she had faced in school and other events that might had contributed with her depression. It just makes me sad to think that so many of our children are going through this and feel like there is no hope.

Fortunately, for my daughter there were people in her life that listened and she was brave enough to ask for help. It has been difficult to say the least, but she tries everyday and still has her moments.

As for this book, I hope that it does open people's eyes to the seriousness of mental health and that our children are crying out for help and we need to listen and we need to start teaching our children to be kind to each other.

There is always hope and sometimes someone just needs to show you the way.

Lorena wrote: "I believe this book is not appropriate for youth because it gives the wrong message about suicide. Hanna commits suicide and blames it on other people not taking responsibility for her actions. I u..."

I agree with you about it being somewhat a revenge and that those people caused her to commit suicide. One thing my daughter told me not to long ago, is that when someone wants to end their life they will. However, blaming people for their depression might be harsh. Mental illness is real and some people just need more help than others to get through certain things and episodes in their lives.

Amanda R. wrote: "I really wanted to love this book, I absolutely loved the Netflix series and had very lofty expectations for it. I think that was the problem for me, because I had seen the show I went in to the bo..."

So, I guess now I will watch the Netflix series since you say it's good. Hopefully, I will enjoy it as much as the book.

Blown away by this book. I went into it expecting a book that would entertain teens but I found myself emotionally ravaged by this book. Read it in one sitting. About 4 hours. There's no way I could put it down. I couldn't stop thinking about the book for a good 2 days afterward. I had to recover. Love the ending. Such a powerful message. Recommend to anyone over the age of 15.

Lorena wrote: "I believe this book is not appropriate for youth because it gives the wrong message about suicide. Hanna commits suicide and blames it on other people not taking responsibility for her actions. I u..."


I will just say that this book can open up some great discussions between adults and teens on the hard to discuss topics of suicide and how to treat people that you go to school with.

Yadira wrote: "This is the books that I was mostly excited about because I had watched the Netflix series, but I had never read the book before. I thought that since I had seen the series, and it did have some ve..."


I really liked the way the author wrote the story. Most of it is what Hannah said on the tapes, but in between what she said are Clay’s thoughts, memories, and conversations as he listens to them. Hannah’s words are in italics while Clay’s are in regular print making it easy to follow the back and forth. Clay’s part clarified some things and gave more information for other things and sometimes just made you feel so sad for Clay. I loved the ending. I won’t give it away, but I felt like Clay really learned something (something we all can take away from the book) from his terrible night listening to those tapes. I am surprised just how much I enjoyed Thirteen Reasons Why (so much so I literally could barely put it down and read it all in one day).