“13 Reason Why” Book Review

This book which written by Jay Asher, is a dynamic novel published in 2011 by Penguin Group. This book features a life of a teenage freshman college student and newcomer Hannah Baker and her colleague Clay Jansen in the life situation that one cannot manage to survive an overcome depression from friends and colleagues. The book basically highlighted some of the basic internal peer pressure and influences that eventually depressed the life of teenage in the modern world today. This book is a unique creative piece of writing that has seventeen chapters. It is distinctively outlined in a style that reader is very much connected into it until the end. The two other chapters label the protagonist and the remaining one was an inspirational message to the teenage while the rest thirteen chapters critically argue the reasons why the Hannah Baker committed suicide.

Before Hannah Baker committed suicide, she recorded 7 cassette tapes. The tapes have both sides, side A and side B. Each sides were especially dedicated to thirteen people whom she knew that they were the reasons why she committed suicide. The reason of suicide committed by Hannah was not known by Clay Jansen until a mail arrived and he found seven sets of cassettes in the mailbox. He took the box home and played using the old stereo in the garage bought by his father, and listen to the stories recorded by Hannah to outline some of the actions taken for granted which were the contributing factors towards Hannah’s tragic and devastating decisions to commit suicide. While listening to the cassette tape, the first name called was Justin Foley.

Justin Foley was Hannah’s first kiss when she entered freshman class as a newcomer. Justin was just another average guy in the school which usually hangout lot of girls. However, Justin and Hannah did just more than kiss or nobody really knew it but with an arrogant attitude, Justin spread out the tales. For Justin, it was just another chapter of his love life but for Hannah, a newcomer, it was a very stressful and painful as it would probably shake her character in the next few years in to stay in the school.

With the tape played, Clay follow the instructions and directions given by Hannah and follow the map around and arrived at Hannah’s old house. There the second name was called and it was Alex Standall. Alex was the person who named Hannah as “Best A” after hearing the false rumors about Hannah and Justin. This adds another twist to degrade Hannah’s reputations. According to the tape, as the false rumors widespread about Hannah and Alex this time, Jessica David, another newcomer breaks up with Alex and Clay arrived at a coffee shop where Hannah and Jessica had an argument Jessica scratched Hannah’s face with fingers leaving scars on her face. Jessica was the fourth person named in the tape as Clay move around listening carefully on the stereo.

As Clay moved around carefully following the instructions on the tape, the fourth name was called and it was Tyler Down. Tyler was equipped with camera when Hannah and Courtney Crimsen (fifth name) were inside Hannah’s room. Earlier on, Courtney was invited by Hannah to help her catch the crook. This time, Courtney took Hannah to party and again the rumors sparked out again about Hannah and Courtney.

Clay listen carefully and follow the instructions and directions given. Sixth on the list was Marcus Collie. Marcus was in fact Hannah’s ‘soul mate’ and he actually proposed her for a date to Rosie’s. Clay was somewhat so wondering and kind of having a mixed feeling but he carefully followed through and seventh name was called Zach Dempsey. During one of the peer communication class, Zach stole Hannah’s encouragement note and the story highlight that the class refused to help Hannah.

As the tape continue, the eight name was called and it was Ryan Shaver, a person who stole Hannah’s poem. Hannah thought that everything would be fine as time goes but still life gets hurtful and her heart was butchered by proud behavior from the students. As Clay listen carefully, the ninth name was called and it was Clay. Clay’s heart was shanked and so he listens carefully but Hannah mention nothing bad done to her by Clay and further express how much she like Clay but she just does not want to hurt herself again so she turned down.

Justin was again named on the tenth place. This was after party, when Justin left Jessica in the bedroom lying on the bed and he walked out Brace walk in the bed room and the bedsprings screaming under Brace weight. Hannah was there but hid in the closet and did not do anything to help Jessica. Furthermore, it elaborates the eleventh person. It was their cheerleader Jenny Kurtz, which Jenny decided to give a lift to Hannah but she refused to because it was raining. Unfortunately, accident already occurred when Hannah was looking for help.

Again Bryce Walker was named on the twelfth place. Brace do all nasty things to Hannah Body while they in the Hot tub Hannah giving herself to Brace regardless of reputation.

Finally, last person named was Mr. Porter, was the English teacher and also the school guidance counsellor for the student from last name A through G. He does not put an effort to rescue Hannah to from this thing and she was already firm to commit suicide. As a counsellor we have to think critically and help the client in appropriate manner so that they can feel safe, not to let them as they are to find their own solution to the problem as a counsellor or guidance we need to help them.

Some main theme are Rape and sexual assaults, violence and suicides which kills Hannah Baker. Hannah was very depressed and it reaches a point where she could withstand the enormous pressure and rejections from her friends. She has nothing left to, but the only resort to commit suicide. She tried all her best to protect her reputations and integrity but the kind of people she hangs out were not protective. Because there were gossiping about her, spreading the false information about her, as a teen age girl her reputation was spoiled. They took Hannah for granted, everyone around her. She tried every person but none of them were fair enough to help her. Even the school English and guidance lesson teacher could not help her out.

Hannah was a new comer in the school. However, her experience was not a good precedent to uphold her integrity and reputation. She was marginalized, which psychologically and emotionally hurt her. Teenage now a days are exposed to such situation where they are immature to solve such problem. In order for us to feel safe and secure is to keep our reputation good as it is and we need to humble our self and stay out form the social activity which will not help us but to spoil us. That offer nothing but the bad reputation for our future.

Violence against girls and women. Now a day in our society as you can see there’s many problems faced by women and young girls, because there is no equal respect for man and women as well as boys and girls. Which leads to such crime, in order for the society to live a good and a peaceful life is to respect the right of one and another. Even though Hannah was not physically bared to violence, she was emotionally butchered. With the increased technology, the violence against women and girls have been growing in an alarming rate. Such behavior should be condemned at highest possible manner. Defamation of character. Despite, the fact that nobody knows the truth about Hannah’s relationship with several few boys she interacts with but the rumors were spread around defaming her character. Again, with increased technology, many people face such defamation in their life. Providing facts and figures to comment over someone is much acceptable than a lame rumor to defame character.

Challenges were faced, Clay does everything Hannah told her to do. Even though his skin is torn deep in few placed by the rusted fence, he need to clean up the blood before he proceeds on with the information he has. His whole body tenses and he curse as loud as hard as he can. It feels like his skin in peeling away from the muscle. After few moments he finally bend and flex his finger again. Using his free hand.

At the point when there is no light to separate the dim, everyone needs motivation. Everybody deserves to be forgiven and loved for not what they are but who they are. Sometimes you don’t have to keep things secretly and try to solve it with your own idea, you need to at least express your feelings to your parents and they will try to help you solve the problem, keeping thing secretly sometimes leads to destruction of life, like Hannah did. Humans are social pieces to relive on correction to live in the struggle world today. It is an opportunity good to understand youth, experiences, thought, and emotion. Kids and youth who see this arrangement requires adults to process it. Accept this open door to both keep the danger of damage and personality continuous social and conduct issues in the schools and network that may need to tended to. Suicide is never an answer. It is an irreversible decision with respect to a temporary battle issue.