"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. " ~ Kentucky Book Award
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http://www.amazon.com/review/product/1595141715/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
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"Thirteen Reasons Why", by Jay Asher is an intense read with a very compelling story outline. I however do not agree that it should win the Kentucky Bluegrass Award in 2009. I am against giving this book the award because it is very poorly written. The author jumps back and forth between characters, male and female too often and it can be very confusing. This alone makes the book frustrating to read. This book is not award winning material. Although the story outline and plot are very interesting. If the author would have not been so scattered the book would have been easier to read. Now with that being said, at http://www.amazon.com/review/product/1595141715/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1 there was a comment posted by Susan G. Hodge stating that says, "Jay Asher has the remarkable ability to write from both the female and male points of view. Thirteen Reasons Why grabs the reader instantly--it's well-written, it's perceptive, it has elements of a psychological, Hitchcock an (?)Mystery/thriller." I disagree completely for reasons already stated. Susan Hodge also says, "The reader is left to ponder the power of words, rumors, and innuendo; adults will be reminded of their teen years (and people they'll never forget) and teen readers, too, will identify with one or more characters. I won't recount the storyline, since the professional reviewers' synopsis will suffice." Now this is something I agree with. Anyone that reads this book will be able to connect with one or more of the characters, because it involves so many aspects of teenage life. I was left to ponder the power of words and it did leave me feeling sorry for some of the characters.
On the same website, http://www.amazon.com/review/product/1595141715/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1 there was a comment made by Adam M. Smith which states, "Half of all high-school girls will go through most of what Hannah went through. It is sad, but that is teenage school life. At the end of the book, the only people you feel sorry for are those Hannah calls out (with 2 exceptions), as they now have to live with the idea that because they did not put Hannah before them in all things they were the cause of her death." I absolutely could not agree more. This book is sending the wrong message to those students who feel depressed or are suicidal. The message in this book is basically saying to people who are going through a lot worse, that if this girl goes through something not as extreme as they are going through, that it is unfixable and the only option out is suicide. Hannah is just as guilty as the people she is blaming for her death. I also agree that I didn’t feel sorry for Hannah, but only for the ones she sent the tapes too because she will leave them for the rest of their lives with guilt for something they didn’t realize they were doing.
In conclusion, although this book is captivating, it was poorly written and sends the wrong message to its viewers. I would not recommend this book as a Kentucky Bluegrass Award Winner for 2009.
Thirteen Resons Why is about a girl wo has committed suicide. Hannah Baker has left behind tapes to tell the people that pushed her to her final point what they had done. The storyline is interesting, but the format of how it was written is confusing. The book could have been better, simply by taking unnecessary parts out. It does not deserve a Kentucky BlueGrass Award, but not because the story was not clear. You could tell Jay Asher was a new author because he was not good at putting things in the right spot. He mixed up Clay and Hannah talking in different time periods to close togethor. This made it a harder read, but not to understand. It was difficult for me to understand why the teacher, Mr.Porter, had notgone after Hannah or told anyone. It was kind of unclear what his reactions were.
The first review was by Jennifer Wardrip of TeensReadToo.com, which i strongly agree with. "You will feel what Clay feels. You will, in a very strong way, experience the highs and lows of Hannah's life right along with her," says Wardrip.She is exactly right, the story is very heartfelt and can touch the people of all ages. You really feel the sadness that the characters are feeling.
Lisa Mcmann is the author of the next review i looked over. "There were a few spots where a bit of ambiguity got in the way." SHe is right, like i said before, the author could do some things to make the story a little less confusing, but overall a great book! Most of the reviews i looked over have about the same opinion as me. I think if Asher would have looked over it a couple of times and seen why people found it confusing, he could change up the switching back and forth of characters. Asher does a terrific role at playing both male and female characters, and puts every kind of teen in the story making it very realistic. The book tapped into all emotions: angry, sad, confused, violated. It really was deep and a very interesting read.
The book Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher explains a story of a girl who commited suicide. I think the book deserves to win the Kentucky Book Award 2009 for various reasons. I enjoyed reading the book and was pulled into the story because it was well detailed and mysterious in a way. The chapters were set up by discussing each tape Hannah Baker created before killing herself. It was a well written book for the author caught my attention and I felt like I was apart of the story. I could relate to the story in many of ways. Asher discussed situations in which Hannah Baker had to go through, and the same problems she had, I have witnessed other teenagers go through in life. Thirteen Reasons Why should definatley win the Kentucky Book Award. The plot was detailed and everything that happened related to the plot and why Hannah Baker did what she did. It brought me to think on a whole new level about the tiny things that may bother someone. On the link, http://www.amazon.com/review/product/1595141715 I agree with Susan G. Hodge's perspective about the book. She says, "The reader is left to ponder the power of words, rumors, and innuendo; adults will be reminded of their teen years (and people they'll never forget) and teen readers too, will identify with one or more characters" (Hodge). I agree 100 percent to this statement. I felt pulled into the book and Jay Asher grabbed my attention from the start and I wanted to finish the book that very same day I started reading it. Jay Asher convinced me that even the smallest remarks make a huge difference on someone's life. Along with that, On the same website, a teacher Stephanie Lockner said that teens must read and that the novel was intruiging. I agree also. The book pulls readers in and allows others to have a new perspective on life. I beleive this novel should win the Kentucky Book Award 2009.
The book " Thirteen Reasons Why", by Jay Asher was a very well written and intresting book. It describes Hannah Bakers life leading up to her death. I do believe that this book deserves the Kentucky Bluegrass Award for 2009. But i also disagree towards Hannah blaming others for her killing herself which wasn't right. She made all of those decisions of what she wanted to do and in the end the choice was still hers. The book was a bit confusing to follow because Jay Asher put Hannah's and Clay's conversations to close together as well as it jumped back and forth between them two. I also thought it was really cool that the chapters made it for each side of a cassette focused for one person at a time.
There were 3 other people who also commented on this book; I dissagree with 11connera and 11siskaa because they belived that this book didn't deserve the Kentucky Blue Grass Award for 2009 for unneccesay reasons, i do understand where they are coming from but to not award Asher with this award because of the way Hannah blamed others for her death. There are many more reasons why hannah wanted to kill herself but every little thing added to her being upset and confused about her life. She shouldn't have focused on them being the reason but it doesn't mean they didn't have something to do with it which is why i still believe Asher deserves this award.
I Hate reading, i just find it incredibly boring, but when reading "Thirteen reasons why" by Jay Asher, i found myself not being able to put it down. The book was about a girl named Hannah who was crying out for help in every way she knew how. The thirteen tapes she left, to me, seemed like her final cry for help. The way that the author jumped back and forth between Hannah's tapes and Clays thoughts just added to the book. The author really had a way of relating to the reader on a personal level, he really got some things down about being in high school. A couple times i would read something and have to laugh because the exact same thing had happened to me before. The way that Hannah spoke on the tapes really had a way of grabbing the reader. You could just tell that she was reaching her breaking point and i could almost hear her voice and how there was no lie in it anymore. I think this book should definitely win the Bluegrass award because of the raw honesty i felt while reading it. To me, Everything that was wrote i could see happening. The way the author described the rape that she encountered, the way he described the parties that Hannah went to, it all felt real to me and very honest. Nothing was watered down to try and sound elementary, it all jumped out with a brutal honesty that made me have to look at my life in a different way. I found myself reading Hannah's final words as if they were something that I'd really never get to hear again. "And I'm sorry." Just as Clay felt listening to the tapes, it feels like the end of Hannah after getting to know all these things about her life. I agree with the one comment that was good about the book, the other one which said it didn't go into depth enough for fear that the reader wouldn't like Hannah anymore, i think i know what they're saying because at the beginning of the book i felt Hannah was doing a very self centered thing sending all those tapes out. On the other hand as the book went on i came to see that for the most part she wasn't trying to point fingers, just inform people why she decided to take her own life. I would recommend this book to everyone (and i probably will) and if it doesn't win the Bluegrass award, then i think we need new judges because i can't picture anything beating "Thirteen Reasons Why."
My impressions of "thirteen reasons why" by Jay Asher was that it was a very intresting book that i enjoyed reading. I also think that it should win the kentucky book award because of the topic of suicide goes through alot of teenagers and this may help them relize what they do to the people they would leave behind. The most intresting part of the book was when Hanna was outside of her peping toms room watching him the same way he watched her this was important to the plot because of it was ironic that she was outside her peping toms room. The posting by 11connera written above says, "I however do not agree that it should win the Kentucky Bluegrass Award in 2009. I am against giving this book the award because it is very poorly written. The author jumps back and forth between characters, male and female too often and it can be very confusing. This alone makes the book frustrating to read." I do not agree with this becasue i had no problem following the plot. I do however agree with Bobby Dunham when he writes, "I Hate reading, i just find it incredibly boring, but when reading "Thirteen reasons why" by Jay Asher, i found myself not being able to put it down." i felt the same way most books i also find wheather boring but this was one of the few that i have found that i like.
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