Thirteen Reasons Why

Jay Asher

Jun 2011 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES AND INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

**THE BOOK THAT STARTED IT ALL, NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES**

“Eerie, beautiful, and devastating.” —Chicago Tribune

“A stealthy hit with staying power. . . . thriller-like pacing.” —The New York Times

“Thirteen Reasons Why will leave you with chills long after you have finished reading.” —Amber Gibson, NPR’s “All Things Considered”

You can’t stop the future. 
You can’t rewind the past.
The only way to learn the secret . . . is to press play.

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why.
               
Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and as he follows Hannah’s recorded words throughout his town, what he discovers changes his life forever.

Need to talk? Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) anytime if you are in the United States. It’s free and confidential.

Find more resources at 13reasonswhy.info.
 
Find out how you can help someone in crisis at bethe1to.com.

Ratings and reviews

I want to hate this book. I want to hate Jay Asher for writing it. I want to hate myself for reading it. But I can't. This book is so beautifully written, and it will change how you see life. But seriously, put a trigger warning. This book is emotionally devastating, and I know lots of people who would get severe anxiety attacks from reading this. But this isn't a bad thing. This book is a black light, showing you how demons could be hiding behind your best friend's smile. This book will change you.

Such a poignant and sad story giving insight to why a young person might choose to make the ultimate and tragic decision to end her life. I wouldn't recommend this for teens who have a history of depression, who've been raped, etc., as it might be a trigger for them. But I do think every parent should read this book. I also recommend watching the series on Netflix. Very powerful and well done.

I guess this book would be good for a teenager. As an adult, I questioned a lot of Hannah's decisions and the situations she put herself in. Some things were out of her control, but if you make bad choices, you will probably have bad consequences. Clay is a likeable character, but I couldn't really empathize with Hannah.

About the author

JAY ASHER's debut novel, Thirteen Reasons Why, a #1 New York Times and international bestseller, has sold over 3 million copies in the United States alone and is now a thirteen-part series on Netflix. The Future of Us, his second novel, was co-authored with Printz Honor winner Carolyn Mackler. He is also the author of the New York Times bestselling What Light. Piper, out in Fall 2017 and co-authored with Jessica Freeburg and illustrated by Jeff Stokely, will mark Asher’s graphic novel debut. His novels have been translated into thirty-seven languages. He lives with his family in California. Follow him on Twitter @jayasherguy.