The Wrong Decisions – Thirteen Reasons Why Review

I had three copies of the exact same edition through the last five years, and I only got past half way this time. I was forever fascinated by its topic, suicide, risky but very important to talk about. While an interesting approach, it failed to grasp me as much as it did to others.

While intriguing at first with its mystery in the first chapter, it ended as soon as Clay began listening to the tapes. I hated how off track his thoughts went in comparison to what Hannah spoke about on the tapes. I hated Clay for thinking about how beautiful another girls lips were while Hannah was talking about her sexual harassment. What the heck Clay?!? At the start of each tape, the thoughts were familiar to the tapes, but as the chapter went on Clays thought parted further and further from the tapes and I began questioning on whether it was one or two plot lines I was meant to follow. Usually, author divide plot lines/perspectives into alternating chapters, NOT alternating sentences.

However, I found it fascinating on how all of the thirteen stories connected with each other, with was began in Justin’s story was just the snowball which was just the beginning of the snowball effect of Hannahs demise. As the snowball grew with more stories, I found it easier to skim read and luckily enough, Thirteen Reasons Why was quickly over.

I found Clay’s character to be boring and ignorant, too innocent for my interest. All of the characters were rather boring. I was only fascinated by the yearbook-creep, and that was only because I wondered how much thought he put into being a creep and cameras. I love cameras.  And then there was Hannah, a cruel, hypocritical self-centered what the frak girl. Why did she want these thirteen people to listen to her tapes, why does she blackmail them into listening, why does she want to torture others so much? Blame them for your choices, blame them for not noticing, and then do the things you hate them for yourself? For example, she hated how no one noticed her harassment nor helped when she watched her past friend get RAPED and do nothing about it during or after. Going to extremes before trying to resolve things?

Overall, I don’t understand how this book could help someone possibly suicidal, even the author said himself to do what Hannah didn’t do. How is the reader supposed to know this is what the author meant when he made his characters act irrationally? I now understand why banned books exist, because if anything, this books supports suicidal thoughts and reliance on others, then blaming them when you cannot stand. Thirteen Reasons Why only got worse as it went on, and I wouldn’t wish for anyone to read this book.