13 Reasons Why
Asher, J. (2011). 13 reasons why. New York, NY: Razorbill.
Oh, where to start...
First off, before I say anything else, let me say that I really liked this book. It was well-written, refreshingly (if that word can be applied considering the subject matter) different from any other style of writing in YA fiction at this point and it was disturbingly on-point for things that take place in high school life. Maybe not all to one girl, but then again, maybe so. But, I did like the book. I liked the story about Hannah Baker, a high school girl who seemed to be living a regular high school girl life and then unexpectedly commits suicide after interacting with 13 different individuals. Prior to her death, Hannah meticulously created a system where those 13 people would have to listen to her perspective of the roles they each played in her life and ultimately, her decision to take her own life. The way Asher intricately welded each of these people together through Hannah was intriguing, giving the reader--both adult and young adult-- a whole lot to think about.
BUT. I can't really recommend this book without addressing the elephant in the room. Netflix. I haven't watched the series and odds are, I probably won't. I have talked to many who have watched it, though. I don't like when producers and directors take creative liberties with subject matter like this under the guise of calling attention to the seriousness of such subjects as suicide. Let's be real. It's all about the dollar for them. I don't believe for a second that the writers and Selena created this series as a type of therapy (I watched an interview with Selena Gomez, one of the producers, where she went on about how it's important to talk about these things with kids as if she's an expert on kids. Who knows, maybe she is since she isn't so far from being one herself.) Having ranted about that, I think it's careless to use sensationalism as "therapy." The series sensationalized Hannah's death and to what extent? Not therapy, I must say. In conversation with some of my students who had not read the book, I found that they were completely surprised that the ACT of Hannah's death was minimalized in the book and NOTHING like what they experienced with the series. That changed their entire outlook on the story. In my humble opinion, the book was a way of revealing how others' actions affect the feelings and lives of others. It could be used as a way for someone who is struggling to see how final Hannah's actions were and that through the eyes of Clay, the one character of the 13 who Hannah didn't blame but included so that he could see that he was something good in her misery, readers can see that there are people who care that they could reach out to. This book could be used in so many ways. I'm not sure I would say that about the series and since our readers are digital natives and all about Netflix, I'm sad to say, most who have watched the series will never read the book. They've been slighted, I think.
All in all, I liked the book. I think the subject matter is very real and is dealt with appropriately for high school students. But I'm not an expert either, am I? Maybe season two of the series will tank.
