Thirteen Reasons Why - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Clay Jenkins returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers 13 cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Bakerhis classmate and crushwho 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, hell find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clays dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

Customer Reviews: Read 63 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Not just for Young Adults - Parents Need to Read this Too! February 7, 2008
23 out of 24 found this review helpful

I just finished this -- and I am telling you it was compelling. It should be required reading by anyone in high school or middle school -- or anyone who has a child in high school or middle school. Basically it tells of Clay Jensen, a high school student who receives a box of audiotapes narrated by a girl who he had a crush on, Hannah Baker, who has recently committed suicide. The book interweaves her words from the audiotapes with his comments and memories. It gives Hannah's reasons why she did what she did and names the people (who also are receiving audiotapes - each person is to mail them to the next person on the list) and why they contributed to what happened. It may have been something big, somewhat small, something seemingly innocent, something no so much. But it all leads up to Hannah not being able to cope by herself even when she reaches out for help. If anyone can read this and see themselves in it and make changes - or even better see someone else and reach out in compassion, this book will have a huge effect.

5 out of 5 stars

Courtesy of Teens Read Too October 18, 2007
19 out of 21 found this review helpful

I don't often write introductions to my reviews. In fact, the last time I can remember doing so was with the wonderful Pucker by Melanie Gideon, which I read in 2006. However, THIRTEEN REASONS WHY, the debut novel from author Jay Asher, is the type of book that begs an introduction. So if you'd like to skip down to the third paragraph for the "meat" of the story, I won't hold it against you -- but you'll be missing something important.

If you have the chance to only read one novel this year, THIRTEEN REASONS WHY should be that book. It's sad, amazing, heartbreaking, and hopeful, all at the same time. I dare you to read it and not become so immersed in the story that you lose track of time and your surroundings. You'll cry, several times, while reading this story. You'll have no choice but to think about your actions, and wonder what type of effect they have on other people. And, in the end, you might also find the need to say "thank you."

Now, on to the story...

When Clay Jensen finds a package on his front porch, he's excited. A package, for him? With no return address? What could it possibly be? What Clay finds is a shoebox full of cassette tapes, each marked as "Cassette 1: Side A," "Cassette 1: Side B," etc. Of course he rushes to the old radio/cassette player in his dad's garage to check out these mysterious tapes.

And soon wishes, wholeheartedly, that he'd never picked up that stupid package from his front porch.

What he hears when he inserts that first tape is the voice of Hannah Baker. Hannah, the girl he'd crushed on for longer than he could remember. The girl he went to school with. The girl he worked at the movie theater with. The girl who had changed, drastically, in the last several months. Hannah Baker, the girl who committed suicide.

Clay soon realizes that these tapes aren't just a suicide note, aren't, really, even a clear-cut rendition of why she did what she did. Instead, these are thirteen reasons -- thirteen people, to be exact -- who created a snowball-effect of events that led Hannah to believe that suicide was her only option. But why is Clay on that list? How could he possibly be one of the reasons that she killed herself?

As the day goes on, Clay becomes obsessed with listening to the tapes. And what he hears frightens him, disturbs him, and, in the end, leads him to realizations that he never would have expected. As Clay listens to the role that thirteen people, including himself, led in the ultimate death of Hannah Baker, his view of the world, and himself, changes drastically.

You will love this book, because you won't be able to help yourself. You will feel what Clay feels. You will, in a very strong way, experience the highs and lows of Hannah's life right along with her. And there is nothing, in my opinion, that could speak better for the authenticity of a book. Read THIRTEEN REASONS WHY. And then, if you're like me, you'll read it again. And, hopefully, none of us will ever forget it.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

5 out of 5 stars

Uber pager-turner! October 22, 2007
17 out of 18 found this review helpful

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!

4 out of 5 stars

Engaging, not engrossing. November 3, 2007
12 out of 13 found this review helpful

The premise is intriguing: a boy listens to tapes sent to him by a girl who committed suicide a couple of weeks ago. And I'll admit, I stayed up late to finish the final third because I was that curious about how it would turn out. I can imagine teens - male and female - enjoying the twists and turns.

But. This doesn't rise to my highest tier of young adult literature. Although it is at times fascinating, there are several pieces that Mr. Asher doesn't work out to my satisfaction. The biggest problem is that it is just too easy to buy Hannah's taped versions of events and blame others for her suicide. I also didn't quite grasp Clay's attraction to Hannah or his reaction to her recorded remarks. The drama felt forced. For developing teen readers, the many characters would make this a tough read, while accomplished readers would probably find greater satisfaction in other thrillers.

So while I enjoyed the book, I won't recommend it unequivocally.

1 out of 5 stars

Well intentioned, but... June 30, 2008
9 out of 16 found this review helpful

THIRTEEN REASONS WHY has an interesting premise. Given the numerous already existing reviews, I won't go into too much detail about the plot other than to say the story revolves around a set of tapes, a recorded memoir leading up to her suicide, that were sent out by a girl shortly after she committed the act. The intended audience for her tapes were the people she blamed for contributing to, nay causing, her suicide. Like I said, an interesting premise that I had hoped had a twist to it. Because, after all, this novel had strong reviews of readers praising its message and agreeing with it entirely. The message is this (caution: spoiler alert!): the people in this story are entirely to blame for the character who took her own life, therefore removing all accountability for her own actions (by this, I mean committing suicide). Now, I get what the author was trying to achieve and I think it was noble. Mr. Asher wanted to provoke some thought about how our actions, even if we view as harmless or insignificant, can significantly impact another and that we should consider his cautionary tale with all future interactions with people in our own lives. I respect that, which is why I gave this novel one star, as opposed to none. However, what I believe Mr. Asher missed entirely was that suicide attempts and completions are entirely selfish acts, leaving so many people destroyed in its wake. True, the characters in this book create a miserable life for Hannah (the girl who commits suicide), but ultimately the decision to take her own life is hers, and hers alone. THIRTEEN REASONS WHY removes all accountability from Hannah and places it all on the other characters, blaming them for an action they didn't commit. Moreover, the story also places a heavy load of guilt AND BLAME on the well-intentioned and "good guy" characters in the story for not stopping a suicide. Again, no accountability for the character who took her life, just the ones that had to experience the aftermath.

I devoured this book, reading it in just a few hours. I did so not because I was enjoying it, but because I was desperately hoping that my suspicion that the book was placing accountability on the wrong characters would be blown away; it was not.

To close, in life other people's actions influence our own behavior, but ultimately, the only one to blame or be accountable for our own behavior is ourself...even regarding suicide. This was a terrible read.

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