Saturday, September 17, 2011

Thirteen Reasons Why (Jay Asher)

So happy Hannah got the chance to read one of my favorite books! Here is what she had to say:




Cover Image





Summary:



Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.



On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.



Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.



Review



Well Jay Asher, you’ve certainly made my list. My top 10 list that is, for the best reads of summer and here are a few of the reasons why:



1. Your style is the most unique I’ve ever seen. It makes everything so crisply significant when the entire book is dialogue. And the way you slid between Hannah and Clay was brilliant.



2. The way you incorporated the character of Hannah right from the beginning of the first tape, introducing her spunk and sarcasm. It pulled me in that she was such a loud presence but was silent most of the time as the story went on.



3. Your wording, the way you made her speak, I felt all of the passion, the sorrow, the deep pain that is instilled in all of us at some point. You made her relatable, and in doing so you made her utterly unforgettable.



4. The hardest part of this book for me was Clay. His pain tore through me as he pleaded and talked to Hannah as he listened to the tapes. Not many of the authors I’ve read have come anywhere near this kind of reality, there’s always that one little un-namable obstruction keeping them from jumping into the next dimension and somehow in this book, there was nothing. You transcended the realm of “I just went there” and you owned it.



Readers, I could go on and on so let me put it to you this way: Why are you still on the computer? If you are 14+ you should be on your way to the book store. NOW.

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