Thirteen Reasons Why Being Appropriate For Middle School

Jaws dropped and hearts ached as millions of people around the world were left flabbergasted at Hannah Baker’s tragic story. Th1rteen R3asons Why explores the world of a high school teenager enduring the emotional and social hardships that every adolescent must surpass. Hannah Baker ends her life and leaves a series of thirteen cassette tapes delineating why she decided to commit suicide. As the novel unfolds, the reader is exposed to a variety of characters and their perspectives on Hannah’s tragic death. Jay Asher creates a vivid storyline that conveys the profoundness of teenage suicide and heavily impacted the media. Jay Asher’s Th1rteen R3asons Why was influenced by his past experiences. He was born on September 30th, 1975 in Arcadia, California as a result, imagined the setting of the novel to be a combination of both there and San Luis Obispo which was where he spent his teenage years(Lundquist). 

Nonetheless, he wanted the reader to feel as if the novel could occur anywhere (Smith). Asher graduated from San Luis Obispo high school to later attend Cuesta Community College where he wrote his first two children’s novels called Children’s Literature Appreciation(Lundquist). Anyhow, his true desire was to be an elementary school teacher and therefore transferred to California Polytechnic State University(Lundquist).However, Asher left during his senior year in order to fully commit to a serious writing career(Lundquist). He then began to work at various places such as libraries and bookstores that later aided in his knowledge and awareness of the writing industry(Lundquist). The unique format of the novel was inspired by a museum that offered a self-guided audio tour (Asher). For the tour, each participant received a Walkman containing a cassette tape (Asher). This is how Hannah Baker’s tapes were both played and recorded. While Asher states the reasons on the 13 cassettes were loosely based on experiences himself, his wife, or his friends has undergone, the prime event that inspired him to write the novel was the attempted suicide of a close relative(Smith). 

Like Hannah, the relative was a junior in high school and according to Asher, it was extremely unexpected(Hamblin). Be that as it may, he later discovered the underlying reason for which the unfortunate attempt occurred. It was due to the fact that suicide and depression were never or very rarely talked about. Therefore, she was apprehensive about her feelings because she felt if she talked about them, no one would understand(Hamblin). This inspired Asher to write about difficult topics such as teen suicide because “Yeah, you’re writing about very sensitive issues, but that’s why we need to talk about it: Because it’s hard to.”(Hamblin) And so, ten years later Hannah Baker’s story began. Th1rteen R3asons Why is about Hannah Baker, the new girl in town who commits suicide due to numerous reasons and events which she describes in 13 cassette tapes that she leaves behind. The concept is if one receives the tapes, they are a main reason why she decided to end her life. Everyone must listen to all the tapes and then pass it on to the next person once they are finished. Through the tapes, Hannah threatens that if the chain is broken, a full set of tapes will be released to the public. The novel is told from the point of view of Clay Jensen, one of Hannah’s good friends who secretly had romantic feelings towards her. As Clay listens to the tapes, he rides around town on his bike following the sequence of events and places that Hannah talks about. He is consumed by the tapes and attempting to fully comprehend Hannah’s perspective and the reasons for which she ended her life. Jay Asher writes the book in a unique manner which is similar to a conversation between both Clay and Hannah. The reader is given the opportunity to read, comprehend, and analyze Hannah’s tapes at the same time Clay does. Throughout this, the reader also grasps at Hannah’s personality and what she was like before she committed suicide. With Hannah’s character gradually developing in the reader’s mind comes the introduction to other vital characters in the story. 

A main theme expressed through the characters and their actions is that they are all linked together or somehow, one caused another. This facilitates the transition from tape to tape and symbolizes the intense buildup of emotions Hannah was feeling that led her to suicide. Furthermore, the simplicity in both setting and environment in which the novel occurred (a high school) only further conveys how such a devastating event can happen anywhere and anytime. Asher uses this to put his audience, both adult and adolescent, into the character’s shoes. By doing so, he instills awareness into his audience, their surroundings, and community. To continue, the extremely successful novel Th1rteen R3asons Why heavily impacted the media and innumerable people. In fact, it was turned into a Netflix original television show in 2017(Hamblin). This action only goes to show how the novel sparked a discussion concerning difficult matters, but did so for the better. “it’s refusal to look away from very serious topics is causing people to take notice of bullying and suicide prevention and open up a dialogue to talk about an epidemic that affects a large amount of people every day.” (Smith) 

In addition to suicide, the novel also touches on bullying and sexual harassment. Despite the multitude of sensitive topics, many say to Asher that the novel saved their lives which in turn reassures him that tough topics such as these must be talked about(Hamblin). All in all, the novel Th1rteen R3asons Why is incredibly profound and impactful. The combination of the unique writing style, difficult subjects, and intricate plot contributes to the massive effect the novel had on the media and the perspectives of millions of people. Perhaps, the novel saved various lives and gave teenagers across America a sense of comfort and let them know they are not alone. The novel also immensely gave rise to the ongoing discussion of teenage suicide and told a story that needed to be told.