Review: Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



"Before that party, I'd thought about giving up so many times. I don't know, maybe some people are just preconditioned to think about it more than others. Because every time something bad happened, I thought about it."—Hannah Baker, protagonist

I initially thought of giving Thirteen Reasons Why four stars. Don't get me wrong, I liked it. And I was affected by it (the word I described myself after closing the book was SPENT).

I just didn't know how affected I was until that train ride home yesterday.

I was sitting there, reading the book's Interview with the Author page while waiting for my stop. Suddenly, a picture of one of my closest friends appeared in my mind. My friend was speaking to my counselor on the phone, assuring her that she would talk to me, "guard" me, help me. This happened just a few years back, during one of the darkest moments of my life. That best friend did not question my feelings and actions, and did not judge me as weak or melodramatic. As she was discussing "plans of action" with my counselor, she had no idea that she was saving me at that very moment. Because she tried, I felt that I had to try. For me, for her, for the people I love and who love me.

And suddenly I realized how important this book is.

To the adults (and teenagers) who would judge Hannah as a weak, melodramatic teenager with the annoying penchant of making mountains out of molehills, please remember how you were as an adolescent. Before you acquired the ability of "focusing on the manageable" (read: maturing as an adult), don't forget that as a teenager, the whole world seemed to revolve around you and your issues. And while there are many who turn out fine and dandy as adults, there are still a significant number of youngsters who just could not cope. High school rumors, as tackled in Thirteen Reasons Why, may seem like a non-issue to you now, but for most teenagers, their reputations mean the universe to them. Nothing is shallow when you are at that age.

To the author, here's to you: *slow clap*. Kudos to the way you wrote the book. Aside from the book's ingenious format, the way you opened Hannah Baker's heart and soul in Thirteen Reasons Why is so commendable. Truth is, I sometimes felt disconnected with Hannah while I was reading the book (thus initially thinking of giving it four stars) because I felt her issues were so inconsequential. But that was the whole point, wasn't it? Because we, as adults, tend to brush aside adolescent problems, so we fail to save them from themselves.

I tell you, whatever you feel about the book while reading it, it is the aftermath that hits you. No, not hits. BLUDGEONS.



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