Book Club Response: Thirteen Reasons Why

     Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher is about Hannah Baker, why she killed herself, and about Clay's reaction to them as he listens to her suicidal tapes that she recorded before she died.  The book is very dark, is on a heavy subject(suicide), and also has rape, which is why some middle schools have banned the book.  The book teaches important lessons through the experiences that Hannah has had, though.  There are many reasons why the book should be banned or kept at schools, and it really depends on how a person looks at it and how mature they are. 

     Thirteen Reasons Why is a good books for people twelve years and over because the book teaches valuable lessons that could help though out life.  One lesson the book teaches is that every action you perform has a reaction.  Another thing the book shows you is that everything you do, whether you think it's big or not, someone else might feel it is big or important, or someone might take it wrong and use it against someone.  An example is that when a rumor was spread about Hannah Baker being felt up, some people took it as being allowed to treat her like an object.  Bryce decided it was okay to smack her butt, and later in the book another guy attempts to rape her.  More things occurred in the book, having a snowball effect, until finally she decided it would be easier to die. 
     This book might make people stop and think about what they're going to say and do and how it might affect others.  People will think about what happens after they spread a rumor, not just how it will benefit them, but how it will hurt others.  They might think, "Do I really want someone to feel like Hannah did?" and decide to stay quiet.

     As well as teaching many important lessons, Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher, deals with heavy subjects in order to teach them.  The main character, Hannah Baker commits suicide, and this could be very heavy on an immature or young person's shoulders.  Hannah puts light to suicide, and makes it seem like its a good way to escape your problems.  There are also high school parties where there are drinking and sex, or more specifically, rape.  The concept of girls being taken advantage of could make some girls feel uncomfortable with their bodies and/or gender, or could give them fear of being raped.  Younger audiences shouldn't be exposed to these things in a book if they aren't mentally ready.

     There are many ways to look at Thirteen Reasons Why.  There are many things that support both sides of the argument, and when it comes down to it, it's self evaluation.  A person could be young and mature and would be fine reading the book, and there could be an older person that's out of school and could feel uncomfortable.  Thirteen Reasons Why teaches many lessons and uses negative topics to explain them.  It is up to the reader to decide if they're ready for the topics.