Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why

Review by Chloe R and Molly T

The young adult novel Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher, was an interesting book which made me question the way I saw others. I would recommend it for incoming high schoolers so that they can develop a better sense of empathy. Especially because kids in high school can be very judgmental at times. The book gives insight into the life of a girl whose life had been influenced greatly by the opinions of others, enough to take her own life. The book then describes how thirteen specific people contributed to her eventual death, forcing them to listen to recordings. On the recordings the character Hannah Baker explains the repercussions of fellow students' actions and how they affected her. The book focuses on Clay Jensen, a kind fellow classmate, and his experience listening to the tapes.

The books mystery and cliff hanging chapters make readers obliged to get to the end of the book. The first chapter hooks you right away by making you not only want to read more but also figure everything out for yourself. If you are someone who likes to become part of the story and experience the impatient need to read more than this book is perfect for you. With every new chapter there is a new twist, this causes suspension and always keeps the reader guessing. However, the book gives you very little background information, you have to figure out the story while reading. This means that you have to read the book closely to understand the whole story. These twists and cliff-hangers make it almost impossible to understand the story if you do not pick up the book frequently, so if you want to read this book make sure you are ready to commit to the story.

This book was a great find. It’s exciting, easy to read, and an overall great book for teenagers. We hope you decide to read it!