Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a package for him on the porch.  Inside are seven cassette tapes, each side numbered, from Hannah Baker - on whom he had a crush.  A couple of weeks ago she committed suicide and no one knew why.

Hannah explains on the tapes the thirteen reasons why she decided to take her life, Clay being one of them.  All Clay has to do is listen.

So Clay spends the night wandering his town listening to Hannah's tapes, dreading to hear what part he had in her demise.

I really think this book should be required for students to read.  It brings to light how things that seem so inconsequential can have such a big impact.  In this day and age when bullies are so prevalent and so many young people are taking their own lives, this book might help some kids see things from a different point of view.  Maybe if there was a little more thinking and a lot less words lives could be saved.

This book is a provocative way of looking at how actions and words have an effect on our lives.  A quote from the book sticks in my mind, "When you mess with one part of a person's life, you're not messing with just that part.  Unfortunately, you can't be that precise and selective.  When you mess with one part of a person's life, you're messing with their entire life."

Very profound!