Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
On March 10, 2009 in the New York Times, there was an article titles: A Story of a Teenager's Suicide Quietly Becomes a Best Seller. I checked our catalog to see if we had a copy. We did...it was checked out. So I went and bought another copy and began to read and was enthralled. This book by Jay Asher is mesmerizing. It is about a boy, Clay Jensen, who comes home to discover a package with no return address on his porch. In side are audio tapes. Tapes with the haunting voice of Hannah Baker, a classmate of Clay's who just recently committed suidice.



On the tapes, Hannah says she will reveal the thirteen people who played a part in her deciding to kill herself. She tells of being the new freshman, of bullying, gossip and sexual harrassment. She sets the scene so descriptively that you are there. You are there with Clay as he tries to figure out why he is on the list, what he did to bring Hannah to that point. You are concerned for Hannah even knowing the outcome and you are very concerned for Clay.



The book doesn't pull any punches and as a high school librarian, I can say that it seems pretty realistic and I will be recommending it to our school counselor for an all school read and author visit. The only reason that it doesn't get five stars is the ending is a bit hokey and screams at you. Not the overall resolution, which is superbly done, but the little hook at the end. That is a bit cheesy and unnecessary.


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