Thirteen Reasons Why

1. Thirteen Reasons Why By: Jay Asher PowerPoint by: Makenna Larson

2. Information • Author- Jay Asher • Genre- Suspense • Year Published- 2007 • Number of Pages- 288

3. Summary When Clay Jensen finds a package on his porch, he expects anything but what he actually gets. He gets a shoebox filled with thirteen cassette tapes that his classmate, and secret crush, Hannah Baker recorded. There is only one problem, Hannah Baker committed suicide two weeks ago. On each tape is the name and story of a person that had a hand in the Hannah’s decision to commit suicide. This book takes you and Clay Jensen through the last few months of Hannah’s life, and what led her to take it.

4. Rating • 2 3 4

5. Rating 3 I gave this book a 3. I gave it this because even though it was a good book, it was slow paced and hard to follow at times.

6. A message from Jay Asher about suicide. “What should someone do if they’re worried that a friend might be suicidal?” “The first person a concerned friend should talk to is the person they’re concerned about. Suicide has such a stigma attached to it that we feel we’re going to offend that person by bringing it up. But I’d rather err on the side of offending them than losing them to suicide. That person need to know they can talk to you, and that you won’t downplay their feelings. But then you need to assist that person in finding the avenues of help that are available. Don’t let them brush it off as something they’ll take care of if things get worse. Instead, give them the phone numbers and contacts they need; or better yet, initiate those contacts for them.”

7. Another message about suicide from Jay Asher. “What should someone do if they see themselves in the character of Hannah?” “They absolutely must talk to someone about their feelings. Unfortunately, because of that stigma I mentioned earlier, so many people are embarrassed to admit when they’re having suicidal thoughts, or even that they’re depressed. The important thing to know is, even when it feels like you don’t have anyone to talk to, you do. There’s a national phone number and Web site (1-800-SUICIED and www.hopeline.com) available 24/7 for teens- or anyone who might need someone to talk to. And they can put you in contact with local people for more help.” This slide and the previous one are excerpts from an interview with Jay Asher that can be found in the back of the hardback edition of Thirteen Reasons Why.

8. On the very last tape that Hannah left, she said two word. Only two words. But they were two words that hit me hard. Hannah just needed someone to listen to her story. If someone had taken the time to ask Hannah if she was okay and listened to her story, she might not have felt so alone, and she might not have taken her life. So we should think about these words, and see if they mean anything to us….

9. “Thank you.” Page 282 of Thirteen Reasons Why