When high school student Clay Jenkins receives a box in the mail containing thirteen cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah, who committed suicide, he spends a bewildering and heartbreaking night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah's voice recounting the events leading up to her death.
We had a big, noisy crowd, which made discussion a bit difficult, but most of our talk centered on depression and suicide. Was Hannah depressed? Why don't people talk more about depression and suicide? And what does depression actually look like?
We liked the way the book was written, with Clay's reactions to Hannah's recording happening as he hears her, and one of our book clubbers urged us to listen to the book on audio, as she thought it was really interesting to hear two distinct voices.
Another book clubber encouraged us to go the the Thirteen Reasons Why website, where you can listen to Hannah's reasons yourself.
Overall, while it's hard to say we enjoyed this book, it is safe to say we were all affected in some way, and it's changed how we think about others.
Already read it? Why not try one of these book-club-approved If You Liked Thirteen Reasons Why readalikes?
Kearsten's Book Club meets at the Main Library, in the Storytime Room on the 4th Mondays of the month at 6:30pm. Join other teens, ages 12-18, to snack, chat and discuss a variety of titles for teens (or of teen interest)! No registration required - just show up and be ready to talk (or simply listen) about the book!
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