Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed suicide two weeks earlier.
On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.
Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.
In my 33 years of being a librarian, I've rarely experienced the buzz and excitement that this book has generated, Harry Potter notwithstanding! I picked up several autographed copies of it last night, in anticipation of the author's visit to our school and to a local bookstore today. I thought I'd skim it to get an idea of its contents...well, there's no way to put it down. I tried. More than once. Jay Asher has the remarkable ability to write from both the female and male points of view. Thirteen Reasons Why grabs the reader instantly--it's well-written, it's perceptive, it has elements of a psychological, Hitchcockian(?)mystery/thriller. The reader is left to ponder the power of words, rumors, and innuendo; adults will be reminded of their teen years (and people they'll never forget) and teen readers, too, will identify with one or more characters. I won't recount the storyline, since the professional reviewers' synopsis will suffice. I will emphasize that this is a MUST READ, no matter what your age! Just start reading it at a reasonable hour, because putting it down isn't an option!
writes,
I received an advance reader's copy of this book a few months ago and it is easily the best book I had read this year. I loved it so much, in fact, that I was able to convince my school district to purchase over 200 copies of it, to give away to other teachers who attend my book talks on young adult literature. Yes, it is THAT good.
In this book, Clay receives a mysterious brown-wrapped package. When he opens it, he finds a handful of cassette tapes. After finding a cassette player (because, heck, it is 2007, who uses cassette players anymore?) he pops in cassette #1 and is shocked to find that his classmate, Hannah, is speaking on the tapes....Hannah had killed herself just weeks before the package's arrival.
As Clay listens to cassette #1, he finds that anyone who receives the package is indeed one of the thirteen reasons why Hannah committed suicide. This page-turner will keep you up all night, as Clay pops in cassette after cassette, to find out what his role is exactly in Hannah's death. Could he really be somewhat responsible?
You won't regret reading this book....and it won't take you very long. It is a fast read and will keep you on the edge of your seat, as you read on to find out more about the circumstances surrounding Hannah's death.
writes,
This book comes with a warning. About not picking it up if you have places to be. Believe it. And add to the list: sleep. If you are at all insomnia-prone, do not get into bed and pick up this book. You're not going to want to put it down. You might not be able to put it down.
Clay Jensen is having a bad week. Which is a massive understatement. But I don't think he'd have accurate words to tell you how he feels, so I'm certainly not going to try.
It started when Hannah Baker failed to show up for school. It continued in the whispers and looks. The reactions, some of which seemed random, some which almost maybe made sense. It culminated in the package left at his front door. The one with his name on it. No return address. The brief excitement ended when he found a cassette player and popped in the first tape. And out came Hannah's voice.
My Teen Librarian gave me this book because she thought I would like it, and I'm very glad she did. And so was Jay Asher, who got sent my original review (can be seen on Revish) and passed it around.
