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| Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher |
In anticipation of Banned Books Week next week, it's worth noting this is one of the most challenged books of 2012. I'm guessing this is because of the main topic: teen suicide. The reason I recommend the book to everyone, despite its tragic and often difficult-to-stomach subject matter, is because I think it really shows readers why it is so important to think about how your actions and words affect others.
This is something I think about often. It's so common today to hear phrases such as:
"You're retarded."
"That test raped me."
"That's so gay."
"I'd kill myself if that television show got canceled."
But what if the person you're casually talking to—probably not meaning any offense at all, I realize—has or knows someone with a learning disability? Or has been sexually assaulted? Or isn't heterosexual? Or is struggling with depression and/or has had someone close to him/her take his/her life?
I read a negative review of this book on Goodreads that also made me think. Without giving away any spoilers, this particular reviewer said "the reasons leading to Hannah Baker killing herself were not believable enough for me." Well, isn't that kind of the point of the book? Just because you don't think something you did or said was significant doesn't mean it didn't significantly affect someone else. And ultimately, it doesn't matter what you intended; what is important in the end is how your actions or words were interpreted by others.
Have you read Thirteen Reasons Why? What did you think? If not, will you ever read it, or is teen suicide an untouchable subject for you?
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