Thirteen Reasons Why

An Ideal Audio Book

The trouble with making books into audiobooks is that some simply do not survive the translation in media intact. Not so with 13 Reasons Why. Compellingly written and evocatively voiced, this audiobook comes from a novel whose premise - a boy's inner monologue as he is listening to audiotapes of a dead girl's voice - is ideally suited to the listened. On top of that, Jay Asher's novel is an accurate, sometimes painfully so, rendering of teen life, teen sorrow, and teen frustration. His main character's reactions are realistic and inevitable, and his storytelling weaves together 12 stories into one cohesive whole. I loved this book so much that I taught it to a Grade 9 and 10 class low-literacy class, who were inspired to become active in their community to help people "So no one has to get a box on their door...or mp3s in their email...and hurt like Clay and Hannah did." When the students ask me if they're allowed to lend the book to friends and family, when a mother phones me in happy tears because her daughter wants a BOOK for Christmas, that's when I know the novel is great.

86 of 89 people found this review helpful

Good Book for Parents & Teens to Share

I enjoyed the idea, format, and execution of this book. I felt mixed emotions about the narrator, as was intended and this opened up a good dialogue between me and my 13 yr old daughter. Worth your credit if you're interesting in understanding the inner workings of a young girl's mind.

89 of 95 people found this review helpful

Beautiful and Tragic

I found this book on accident and Its not something that I usually read. In fact in my giant book shelf its one of a kind. I thought the story was tragic but beautifully told. Its sad that a young girl would feel such a way but it really does show you the "snowball effect" and that everyone is connected, a "six degrees of separation" type deal. I myself couldn't put it down, like the boy listening to the audio tapes, you felt what he felt. There isn't a book like this that would've been written better and the character voices they chose to use was wonderful and I felt fit the people perfectly. Definitely something I would read/listen to again!

29 of 31 people found this review helpful

A beautifully written book on an ugly subject

My daughter found this book and while she is reading it, I listened to the audiobook. This was an amazing story, crafted beautifully and I think the audiobook version adds something extra with the dual character voices.

This story is also a great way to connect with my teenage daughter and keep those lines of communication open and honest. This book deals with lots of ugly issues many of which you never want to discuss with your kids and that is the reason that you have to. To be able to use this book as a parenting tool has just been a bonus.

I highly recommend this to parents and their teens to read together or individually for discussion.

22 of 24 people found this review helpful

Beautiful, Tragic, Beaitiful & Honest

So this is one of those rare titles that you best listen to on a weekend when you have NOTHING better to do with your time. Why? The book is so exceptionally enthralling that you will find yourself immediately drawn into the story if you are even remotely a fan of literature of this kind. The narration was faultless and the story was tragic but honest and done so well. Absolutely superb.

I think this book has the potential to polarize an audience. I say this because the topics the book touches... topics such as high school, suicide and date rape... all these topics are highly sensitive. These also are topics that some are not comfortable talking about and are in general very 'heavy' emotions to deal with. The book comes off as that, heavy.... riddled with feelings and emotions... That being said the somewhat heavy tone lends to making each portion of this book seem meaningful in some way. You know a book is great when it feels organic in a sense and unforced which was exactly what this was.You knew the outcome of the novel, the tragic end of the girl who left the tapes, and yet you find yourself engrossed in the novel from beginning to end.

I agree that this book is tragic and if you are looking for a happy ending then you will miss out here. I mean yes, there is some amounts of closure and the main character here does find some sort of redemption in the end but there can be no true happy ending in a book where one of the main characters commits suicide. What appeals most me though in this book is the honesty.... it's tragic, it sucks but it's also true and it needs to be told. It also helps that the book is written so beautifully with the phrasing, the pauses, the choice of words being just plain immaculate.

It's the sort of book that makes you want to be a bit nicer to people for the mere reason that you never know what they are going through and you never know if maybe they are teetering at the edge of their breaking point. It makes you want to ask someone "how are you" and actually mean it.... Sharing a kind word with someone just for the mere fact that you can just in case.

The book had that ability to bring me back to some not so nice moments in my own life maybe not as bad as what Hannah went through but bad in its own right (I think everyone goes through something like this at one point or another) and it made me thankful for it not 'snowballing' as it did with Hannah because really, who knows how different I would have been now?

When I finished the book and told a certain someone about it, they told me I shouldn't 'gush' about it in my review.... Well.... I am gushing and I believe this book was absolutely worth every moment of gushing. I mean I went through this book cover to cover in one sitting.... For a usual busy body like me doing 1 million things at once that truly is a task for a book to accomplish.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a sobering and honest title. To break up the monotony of sci-fi or action or romance or fantasy or whatever you're accustomed to. To delve in the mind of someone who simply was pushed too much... Where a series of unfortunate occurrences snowballed into something tragic... Something, that if you take the time out to reflect on and really allow to marinate within you can actually make you a better person after you finish it....

44 of 49 people found this review helpful

Loved It!

I truly loved this book, I felt as if I was there hearing her through the tapes along with him. I was very moved by the way this book shows that your actions truly have consequences and no matter how small something might seem to you for someone else it can be devistating. Its a Great book!!!

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

Turned out Better!

It wasn't anyting at all what I expected but it was a whole lot better. 13 reasons why tells about a teen and why she wants to kill herself, right? I think it was a lot deeper than that. All the mixed feelings how Hannah feel are so complicated that it's hard to understnad. But Jay Asher convey it pretty well. This book is not like happily ever after book, but yet you can still enjoy it.

25 of 29 people found this review helpful

Absolutely fantastic!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes! This tale takes the readers on a heartbreaking journey.

What did you like best about this story?

The interesting way it was written.

What about Debra Wiseman and Joel Johnstone ’s performance did you like?

Amazing job!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I came across this book three years ago and aways wanted to read it. I'm glad I finally did. This tale had me questioning my actions. The saying: Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me are not good parental advise.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Maybe I just didnt get it

Based on several reviews I read on this book, I am guessing I am one of the people who thought it was just ok, well maybe not even that. I wanted to love this book, this look at how bullying and peoples everyday decisions affected others, how off handed comments and actions can be taken to heart and the unforeseen and unexpected outcomes of those decisions on others. I wanted to understand Hannah and her choice, to understand how what some see as little things could be so very serious to her, enough to kill herself. But honestly, I just found, I didn’t like her. I thought she was being spiteful and vindictive in her tapes, they did not read/sound like a person saying Hey, this really hurt me and here is why. No, it was like you didn’t invite me to prom and you suck, now I killed myself and it was all your fault…ha! Ok, so I exaggerate, but honestly I felt worse for Clay and some of the others than Hannah herself.

Now, I am not suggesting that some (all 2 of them) of the “13 people” that are addressed in the book are not deserving of such hate and disgust. I hate to think that these things really happen and I know they do because I was in high school once too, and honestly for people to be so cruel and sick at such a young age is not only sad but scary. But most of the 13, Clay included (Why was he even included, I still don’t get that. He was good and kind and I have to say part of my resentment and dislike towards Hannah is her choice to involve him.) did nothing more than what happens every day to everyone in life. You get embarrassed sometimes, you get annoyed, and people say things, but to kill yourself over it, it just felt so shallow of a reason. And maybe it was because to me, what some of those included said or did were so, not a big deal, for the most part I did not truly feel most of them did anything really bullying at all. I think that really is what really sums up my dislike for this book overall. There are people out there who are getting verbal abused with such cruel cutting words, I want to cry for them, who are being physically assaulted, we see it in the news and displayed on you-tube all the time, yet Hannah’s upset her kiss that she wanted was not like that in a love story? Also was it just me or did it seem that she started to act in ways that put herself in more danger of bad things happening…but then was mad and blamed others because if two months ago you had taken me to the movies I would not have gotten in the hot tub naked with him that night…really?!? So now all the kids (yes children) have to live with Hannah’s tape to them because God forbid, they did not treat her like the world revolved around her, she is just as guilty for her lack of caring and cruelty towards them with these tapes as she claims they were toward her.

I will say I like the duel narration of the story and very much like Joel Johnstone’s voice, so much so I have looked into other books he has narrated, simply because he’s reading them. I thought the narrators were clear and crisp in their execution and did what they could emotionally with the story they were given. I liked the author’s decision to write the story in this way, even if I did not love what he was writing. The overall performance of the narrators was one redeeming quality.

I apologize in advance if my review offends, it’s not my intention. I just felt like this book took a very sensitive and serious topic and sent a horrible and confusing message to those teens who are struggling with true bullying and thoughts of suicide. I wanted to love it, to cry with it and to find some deeper understanding, but it fell short for me in almost all aspects.

61 of 74 people found this review helpful

Disappointing and possibly dangerous

Started strong... but got old really fast. Maybe it is because I'm 40 years old and a school counselor for 9th and 10th grade. Don't get me wrong, suicide and bullying are serious topics that deserve attention, but this book is not about suicide, it is about revenge. It is more similar to the mental journey of a school shooter then a suicidal person. This is not a new concept but, I worry that a book like this might inspire more people to use suicide as a form of revenge. Aside from my professional opinion, I just didn't find the story that interesting. The angry tone got old and the "reasons" were mostly trivial. The students I work with struggle with some serious stuff. Drug addicted parents, homelessness, molestation, alcoholism, crime filled neighborhoods, foster care, rape. They would do anything for a life like Hannah's. That should be the lesson from this book. Count your blessings, focus on the good and remember that you are living someone's dream!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful