Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why
By: Jay Asher

Summary:
This book is a creepy but exhilarating take on the snowball effect that caused the main character, Hannah Baker, to commit suicide. She creates a set of 7 cassette tapes for the people involved to listen to. All but 2 of these people belong on a “list” of wrong-doers who ruined her life at her new school. One of the “others” is the narrator we follow as he listens to these tapes over one long night. The book takes you through Hannah’s life, while the narrator reflects on his own, becoming more and more exhausted and upset as he reads them.

Teachability:
There are a few scenes in this novel that are not appropriate for young kids. They are sexually based and could be uncomfortable for younger or immature students. I would recommend this book for 8th grade at the earliest, and a more mature group at that. I like that there really are duel protagonists, male and female, with both perspectives alive in the text. I think that this would be hard to teach because of the extremely dark nature of the book, with no real redeeming qualities or breaks. Teaching this book about suicide for a high school girl could be too much for the classroom, but a mature literature group or individual book may be okay.