Th1rteen R3asons Why
July 6th, 2008 by polliwog
Do you remember Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone ? Were you a fan? If so, Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher is a book you have to read. Just as Serling brought out the “human” traits we would rather stay hidden, Asher supplies his modern twist to the same story. Indulge me as I use poetic license to alter the cover lead-in to reflect the style “ala” Rod Serling.
Imagine, if you will, a high school just like any one in a million in the USA. You have two weeks of school left until summer vacation. You arrive home one afternoon and find a box on your front porch with nothing on it but your name. Inside you discover several cassette tapes recorded by a classmate who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Her voice explains that there are 13 reasons why she committed suicide. You are one of them. If you listen, you will find out why.
This book should be a “must read” for everyone in high school. It is a blending of Newton’s Third Law of Motion with Six Degrees of Separation. Only 288 pages, it is a quick read. But like the story, be ready to hold on through the night until completion because you can’t stop reading. Asher skillfully takes you through a roller coaster of emotional ups and downs that can make any one of us upon personal reflection say “There by the grace of God go I.”. Thirteen people’s otherwise unrelated stories tied together in a ball that picks up momentum until it’s fatal explosion. A tragedy no one saw coming despite the signs.
The use of Hannah Baker’s recorded voice blending the past into the present takes on an eeriness that compels you to move on through the pages just as the lead character, Clay Jensen, is compelled to move through the cassette tapes. To keep things from being too confusing, Asher creates a neat twist of strategically placing icons from a tape recorder (stop, play, pause symbols) between the “listened to” words of Hannah and the actual circumstances, thoughts, and emotions of Clay in “current time”.
Not since reading Crossing the Wire by Will Hobbs and Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer have I felt such an emotional experience. Even though Th1rteen R3asons Why is a book of fiction, it tells of an unfortunate truth that plays out, all too many times to this conclusion, in countless schools across many nations. For a first-time author, this book is so fantastic you wonder can he have anything left. Jay Asher spins his web with realistic truths and despite what he claims, you can’t help but feel the characters are indeed real. If just one person is changed by this book, it will be well worth his efforts.
I hope you find this book as honest as I do. Just remember…….
You can’t STOP the future
You can’t REWIND the past
the only way to learn the secret……….
is to PRESS PLAY.
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on July 6th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Okay–you’ve piqued my interest. Might I borrow your book? I’ve contributed a bit too much to Amazon.
on July 14th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
I’m ordering the book!
Would you be interested in doing a book talk in any of my classes on your favorites reads…especially this one?
I just read about this idea of inviting parents (and why not school board members!?) to preview books during class time in a professional development book entitled Writing Beside Them (Mrs. Huff and I are a member of an online book discussion group utilizing this book) You may check out this site at learners4life.pbwiki.com).
Your blog is such a great example to show our students.
Thanks!