Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why

Cover
Author Jay Asher
Cover artist Kendra List
Language English
Genre Young adult
Publisher RazorBill
Publication date
 2007
Media type Print (hardback)
Pages 288
ISBN 978-1-59514-188-0
OCLC 85622684
LC Class PZ7.A8155 Th 2008

Thirteen Reasons Why is a 2007 young adult novel written by Jay Asher. The book was published by RazorBill, a young adult imprint of Penguin Books. The paperback edition hit #1 on the New York Times best-seller list in July 2011. The book is the basis of the television series 13 Reasons Why, released through Netflix on March 31, 2017.

Plot

Clay Jensen, a shy high school student, returns home from school one day to find that he has received a mysterious package in the mail. It contains seven cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, a classmate who recently committed suicide. The tapes were sent to various other people before arriving at Clay's door.

The first person to receive the tapes was Justin. They kissed once, after she developed a crush on him. However, Justin told his friends that they did more than just kiss, which earned Hannah the reputation of a slut at school.

The second person to receive them was Alex. Alex violated their friendship when he published a "hot or not" list comparing the girls in their class. He awarded Hannah the title of Best Ass, which only reinforced her reputation as a slut. He also awarded his ex-girlfriend Jessica the title of Worst Ass, in revenge for her breaking up with him.

The third person was Jessica. After being compared to Hannah on the "hot or not" list, Jessica slapped Hannah and ended their friendship.

The fourth person was Tyler, a classmate who worked as a photographer for the yearbook. After suspecting that someone was taking pictures of her through her bedroom window, Hannah enlisted their classmate Courtney to help her catch the Peeping Tom. The Peeping Tom ended up being Tyler.

The fifth person was Courtney, who spreads a rumor regarding the sexual massages they gave each other in Hannah's bedroom, which further reinforces Hannah's slut reputation.

The sixth person was Marcus, who believed the rumors about Hannah and tried to take advantage of her as a result.

The seventh person was Zach, who tried to comfort Hannah after Marcus ditches her, though he was acting on a dare. After Hannah does not respond, he takes classroom "notes of encouragement" from her as revenge.

The eighth person is Ryan. After gaining her trust, Ryan stole a poem written by Hannah in which she detailed her personal problems. He published the poem anonymously in the school newspaper, but some of their classmates realized Hannah wrote it and mocked her. Hannah blamed Ryan for making her feel like even her thoughts are not safe from scrutiny.

The ninth person to receive the tapes was Clay. Hannah apologizes for including Clay, as he did not make her suicidal like the rest. She admits that Clay was the nicest person she ever met and that she wishes they had had more time to get to know each other. While listening to the tapes, Clay walks around town and visits the various places mentioned by Hannah.

The tenth tape is Justin. After Clay leaves, Hannah hides in the closet and witnesses an unnamed classmate being raped. Justin knew about the rape and let it happen.

The eleventh tape will be Jenny, a cheerleader who offered Hannah a ride home from the house party. She hit a stop sign while driving and did not tell the police, leading to a car accident which killed one of their classmates.

The twelfth person should be Bryce, who sexually assaulted Jessica & Hannah.

The thirteenth will be Mr. Porter, the school counselor. Hannah secretly recorded a conversation they had, in which she expressed a desire to kill herself. Overwhelmed, Mr. Porter simply told Hannah that if she was unwilling to press charges against Bryce, she should just try to move on.

Clay returns to school and runs into his classmate Skye, whom he has suspected of being suicidal. The novel ends with Clay reaching out to Skye.

10th anniversary edition

On December 27, 2016, the 10th Anniversary Edition of Thirteen Reasons Why was released. In this edition, the book's original ending is included. The anniversary edition also includes a new introduction from Asher, an essay from Asher, pages from the notebook that Asher used while writing Thirteen Reasons Why, reader reactions and a reading guide.[1]

Adaptations

Universal Pictures purchased film rights to the novel on February 8, 2011.[2] On October 29, 2015, it was announced Netflix and Paramount Television would be taking on the book to become a miniseries, with Selena Gomez as an executive producer.[3] The series was released on March 31, 2017. On May 7, 2017, Netflix announced that they had ordered a second season of the series.[4]

In 2009, Asher adapted the novel into a stage play for high school performance.[5]

Recent developments

In May 2017, the curriculum director in a school district in Colorado ordered librarians to stop circulating the book due to a rash of student suicides. After three hours of deliberation by librarians and counselors, the books were returned to circulation when it was determined that the book was not as graphic as the TV series. Notices were sent to parents within the school district alerting them to the possible influence of the series.[6]

Awards and recognition

References

  1. ↑ "Jay Asher tells why the Thirteen Reasons Why anniversary edition contains the book’s original ending". Penguin Teen. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  2. ↑ Fleming Jr, Mike (February 8, 2011). "Universal Acquires '13 Reasons Why' As Selena Gomez Vehicle". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
  3. ↑ Jaafar, Ali (October 29, 2015). "Netflix Gives Selena Gomez's '13 Reasons Why' Straight-To-Series Order". Deadline.com. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  4. ↑ "’13 Reasons Why’ Renewed for a Second Season at Netflix". Variety. May 7, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  5. ↑ Wilson-Taylor, James (April 12, 2017). "Could The '13 Reasons Why' Stage Play Be Coming Soon To Broadway?". PopBuzz. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Mesa County school district briefly pulls ‘Thirteen Reasons Why’ after 7 students’ suicides". Fox31 Denver. May 18, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Young Adult Book Award Nominees and Materials: Past Young Adult Book Award Winners". scasl.net. South Carolina Association of School Librarians. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy November 2009 :". International Reading Association. Retrieved 2010-03-31.
  9. ↑ "Previous authors".
  10. ↑ "YALSA 2008 Best Books for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association. Retrieved 2010-03-31.
  11. ↑ "YALSA 2008 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers". Young Adult Library Services Association. Retrieved 2010-03-31.
  12. ↑ "YALSA 2008 Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association. Retrieved 2010-03-31.
  13. ↑ "77th ANNUAL CALIFORNIA BOOK AWARDS WINNERS IN BRIEF". commonwealthclub.org. Retrieved 2010-03-31.
  14. ↑ "THIRTEEN REASONS WHY by Jay Asher". Kirkus Reviews. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.