Thirteen Reasons Why in Pick-a-Shelf

Oct 14, 2012 Carrie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, death, realistic-fiction, teen, recommended, bbtbrpals, tower-team

After finishing up this book last night, I couldn't get to sleep. I just laid in bed and thought about it. What we do everyday, what we say heck what we DON'T do or DON'T say everyday plays some roll in someone's life. You could be one of the names on someones list, you could be the one who could have said just the right thing to stop it. Or you could have been that person to set the snowball rolling. And if you are on someones list, here's hoping your role is Clay.

We are not in this world alone ...more

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Jan 28, 2010 Joanie rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, own

I feel like I should give this book a spilt review. One rating for the format/premise and one for the character of Hannah.

First, the set up. High school junior Clay comes home to find a box of cassette tapes on his front porch. The tapes were recorded by Clay's classmate and crush, Hannah Baker, who recently committed suicide. On the tapes Hannah identifies the reasons (or the people) who led her to take her own life. Clay listens to the tapes, adding his own commentary and recollections of the I feel like I should give this book a spilt review. One rating for the format/premise and one for the character of Hannah.

First, the set up. High school junior Clay comes home to find a box of cassette tapes on his front porch. The tapes were recorded by Clay's classmate and crush, Hannah Baker, who recently committed suicide. On the tapes Hannah identifies the reasons (or the people) who led her to take her own life. Clay listens to the tapes, adding his own commentary and recollections of the events featured on the tapes, waiting with dread for his own story to appear.

The story unfolds like a mystery novel and had me reading long after I intended to go to sleep and for this, I gave the book four stars. I also really liked the character of Clay and felt for him as he listened, hoping for a different outcome.

As for Hannah though, I just felt annoyed. I'm sure that makes me sound heartless and unsympathetic to the plight of teenagers but some of her reasons just didn't hold up to me. I get that someone who is depressed and contemplating suicide is not necessarily thinking about things in the most rational way but Hannah came across as irrationally bitter and vindictive. I appreciate the author's point that we never know how our words and actions might affect someone so we should be more careful with one another but I expected to feel more for Hannah than I did.

One of her 13 reasons is that the first boy she kissed later told people she let him go up her shirt which led to her developing a bad reputation and ruined what should have been a sweet memory for her. Her point is that the cumulative or snowball effect of these incidents is that she no longer felt safe or happy anywhere, but these are things people go through every day. Maybe for someone already struggling with depression these incidents would have a greater impact but it just didn't resonate with me. At times I found myself (and I'm almost ashamed to admit this) wanting to tell her to get over it. When I was a kid there was this ghost story we told about a doll that would come to life at night and kill anyone who hugged her too tightly, kissed her too wetly, was too rough with her hair-that's how Hannah felt to me. Not that some of the kids in the book weren't cruel to her, they were, but she was far from the target of merciless bullying. Another reason is that a girl invited her to go to party so she could get a ride from her and then didn't talk to her once they got there. See what I mean? Annoying.

Overall, I did like things about the book and I liked the style and format enough to not want to put it down but I didn't feel for the character of Hannah what I think the author wanted me to feel. ...more

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Mar 17, 2009 Lisa rated it it was amazing

Once I opened the book and began reading, I couldn't put it down. It was a page turner and a reminder of how our lives are connected and each of us affect others. This book really stuck with me. ...more

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Mar 30, 2010 Kathy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite-authors, highly-recommend, young-adult, teen

Teen suicide. Why does someone with a whole life ahead of her/him take her/his own life? Well, as this exceptional book reveals, there is not just one answer, no simple explanation of one thing that went wrong. Suicide is a chain reaction, with encounters and events bouncing off one another, and not even the tragic ending of life ends the repercussions. Through the clever use of the suicide's actual voice on tape recounting what led her to such a point of despair and hopelessness and the reactio ...more

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May 04, 2010 Nicole rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya, 2012

This is written for a teenage audience, and I suppose the point is for that audience to read it and consider that their actions have a ripple affect and that they should stop and consider the way they treat people.

However, as an adult reading this, I was annoyed at the teenage angst used as an excuse for suicide. Yes, there are a lot of parts of your teenage years that stink, and minor things seem to be the biggest events in the world. However even when I added up her 13 reasons, they really did ...more

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May 13, 2009 Ashley rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, 2009

I liked the writing of this book a lot and couldn't believe this was his first book. I am still unsure of how I felel about Hannah which to me is a great character. I loved Clay and felt so bad for him through out the whole book. The premise of the story was interesting and worked out well. It kept me interested from the beginning. I think this book should be read in high school now. ...more

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Mar 21, 2012 Lorna rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, realistic-fiction

I didn't have a problem with the subject matter, but I did have a problem with the whole pre-recorded tapes and mailed packages thing. It just didn't ring true. ...more

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Mar 13, 2010 Jenn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016-cover-to-cover

Wow, I was transported straight back to my high school days with this one. What teen didn't contemplate suicide at some point? How horrible must all the tape receivers have felt? Including Clay. She made sure that everyone involved in these tapes would never ever forget the hell they helped put her through. ...more

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