Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

4 comments:

  1. Thirteen Reasons Why is about Hannah, a teenage girl who commits suicide and sends out 13 cassette tapes to the people who she feels contributed to her motivation for committing suicide. The story is told from the perspective of Clay, one of the boys who receives the tapes, and he narrates the story of his night dealing with the revelations on the tapes and waiting to hear why he received them. The book was very engaging and a quick read - I think it would be of high interest to students of all ages and genders, and it would be very different from the other books we have assigned for summer reading. It is also very powerful - it presents a challenging message about the effects our actions can have on others, even we don't think they mean anything or don't intend to cause harm. However, I think it is far too risky a selection to assign for summer reading. Given the subject matter, I would be uncomfortable assigning it to students without an adult continually engaging them in discussion about what they are reading. I also think it's a very heavy and uncomfortable topic, which does not make for the "escapist" feeling that summer reading is often intended to be. I think this would be better suited for a small group "book club" type situation, where an adult can be more involved with the students as they read and discuss.

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  2. Definitely a great book to read, although it can be very depressing at times. Students who have read this book have really enjoyed it and the story line that goes with it. It really makes the students think about how there actions affect people around them. This book would be great for small groups or whole class reads where there is someone to help the students through the text and topics discussed.

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  3. I have to be honest: I did not like this book. The narrator was so darn self-righteous in her emotional manipulation of the kids she left behind, it was like watching Draco Malfoy use the Cruciatus Curse on someone like Luna Lovegood. Although some of "the reasons" turned out to be quite different from what I predicted (this was the good part of the book and would definitely make for some very compelling lit circle discussions), some of the narration was a little predictable and repetitive.

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    Replies
    1. Ha - I love the analogy about Draco Malfoy and Luna Lovegood. It's creative and spot-on!!! :)

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