Thirteen Reasons Why
Author:
Genres: Children's Books, Health, Fitness & Dieting, Teen & Young Adult
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: Children's Books, Health, Fitness & Dieting, Teen & Young Adult
Book Type: Paperback
This isn't going to be anything approaching a stellar or profound review, and much has already been said about it, so I probably don't have too much original content to add. I will just provide a few personal comments about the aspects of it which made the greatest impressions as I was reading through it.
In retrospect, I've been reading quite a few books recently, quite unintentionally, which I wouldn't normally read, and this is another example. It seems to be something of a love-it-or-hate-it work of adolescent fiction, but I can see why it's been controversial since its initial publication. I read a fair few more reviews than I normally do, also, as the novel seems to have sparked some extremely strong opinions. I guess I'm one of the few who were somewhat ambivalent about it: it wasn't the horror show some people have described, but it certainly wasn't a work of singular genius, either.
I won't rehash the plot here, as most people reading reviews are familiar with it. That said, I appreciate people's opinions, but I don't agree with the common argument that the novel, and, to an even greater degree, the TV series, in some way "glorifies" suicide. I think the book overall is a decent reflection of adolescent angst, particularly in the statement, "when you mess with one part of a person's life, you're messing with their entire life. Everything... affects everything." When people have limited life experiences, one singular event, let alone a "series of unfortunate events," can seemingly encompass their entire lived experience, to the degree that they often believe that there is nothing outside their immediate circumstances and that they can't expect anything different in the future, which seems disturbingly infinite. As Shakespeare noted, "sorrows come not as single spies, but in battalions." Difficult life circumstances often get the better of everyone, including adults, even highly successful ones. However, young people are, as the novel accurately depicts, clearly more vulnerable, especially to the power of suggestion and mimicry, owing largely to an immature brain and a lack of impulse control. Ideally, as we get older, at least in my own experience, aside from some extraordinary occurrences, there are relatively few occurrences where that rings true.
This novel, and subsequently, the Netflix series, sparked far more controversy than was expected, for what has been termed "suicide contagion." It was a somewhat-talked about novel, but things really blew up when the series was released. In fact, there was even a CNN article as late as 2020 which claimed that "some mental health experts" argued that the show was actually "dangerous" on account of its depictions of suicide. A Children's Hospital study in 2019 actually suggested that the suicide rate among 10-to-17-Y-O boys spiked in the month after the show was released (although a later study suggested that it was little more than a "bump," and could not be attributed solely to a TV show). Another study suggested that this was not actually the case, but that did little to quell the controversy. Other "experts," and I use the term loosely, suggested, without any real evidence, also suggested that the show may have had a greater impact in the incidence of "self harm" among teenage girls, which couldn't be determined on account of a lack of reporting. Correlation vs. Causation seems to be the primary issue here.
Many readers, reviewers among them, really take issue with the main protagonist, Hannah Baker, who leaves behind thirteen cassette recordings, each addressed to a specific person who she claims were a primary reason she chose to kill herself. Many express an instant dislike of her, arguing, perhaps with some merit, that the recordings are an ultimate act of revenge, to inflict as much suffering and guilt on each of the individuals in question as possible, to reiterate that there is no way to make things better, no way to repent, because Hannah is already gone, and nothing can change that. This manipulative and vengeful behavior thus affects other kids - who are kids - possibly affecting them for the remainder of their lives, for seemingly trivial youthful transgressions (aside form the rapists, that is - but the primary figure in question doesn't even get to hear the tapes: they will only affect him and his reputation vicariously, which is, incidentally, what was influenced on Hannah herself).
The book, itself somewhat lackluster, does raise important issues about how to engage the primary audience in discussions about suicide and self-harm, as well as in dealing with very adult issues such as rape and sexual assault, betrayal, drug use, alcohol abuse, and other serious incidents which can affect someone for the rest of their life. I won't go into the differences between the TV show and the novel here, but each raises the issues in different ways. At this point, I'm uncertain whether this work, in its various forms, helps or harms: I suppose that depends on the consumer, but if it at least raises awareness and sparks conversations about these very timely topics, that's probably a good thing.
It's an alternative way for people to engage with the very timely issue of suicide, without really "glorifying" or encouraging it. I remember reading somewhere that it's almost a covert propaganda piece about bullying, which I can definitely see, in some respects. In sum, it's definitely a moralizing tale, in a rather overt way, which will hopefully at least make people think.
In retrospect, I've been reading quite a few books recently, quite unintentionally, which I wouldn't normally read, and this is another example. It seems to be something of a love-it-or-hate-it work of adolescent fiction, but I can see why it's been controversial since its initial publication. I read a fair few more reviews than I normally do, also, as the novel seems to have sparked some extremely strong opinions. I guess I'm one of the few who were somewhat ambivalent about it: it wasn't the horror show some people have described, but it certainly wasn't a work of singular genius, either.
I won't rehash the plot here, as most people reading reviews are familiar with it. That said, I appreciate people's opinions, but I don't agree with the common argument that the novel, and, to an even greater degree, the TV series, in some way "glorifies" suicide. I think the book overall is a decent reflection of adolescent angst, particularly in the statement, "when you mess with one part of a person's life, you're messing with their entire life. Everything... affects everything." When people have limited life experiences, one singular event, let alone a "series of unfortunate events," can seemingly encompass their entire lived experience, to the degree that they often believe that there is nothing outside their immediate circumstances and that they can't expect anything different in the future, which seems disturbingly infinite. As Shakespeare noted, "sorrows come not as single spies, but in battalions." Difficult life circumstances often get the better of everyone, including adults, even highly successful ones. However, young people are, as the novel accurately depicts, clearly more vulnerable, especially to the power of suggestion and mimicry, owing largely to an immature brain and a lack of impulse control. Ideally, as we get older, at least in my own experience, aside from some extraordinary occurrences, there are relatively few occurrences where that rings true.
This novel, and subsequently, the Netflix series, sparked far more controversy than was expected, for what has been termed "suicide contagion." It was a somewhat-talked about novel, but things really blew up when the series was released. In fact, there was even a CNN article as late as 2020 which claimed that "some mental health experts" argued that the show was actually "dangerous" on account of its depictions of suicide. A Children's Hospital study in 2019 actually suggested that the suicide rate among 10-to-17-Y-O boys spiked in the month after the show was released (although a later study suggested that it was little more than a "bump," and could not be attributed solely to a TV show). Another study suggested that this was not actually the case, but that did little to quell the controversy. Other "experts," and I use the term loosely, suggested, without any real evidence, also suggested that the show may have had a greater impact in the incidence of "self harm" among teenage girls, which couldn't be determined on account of a lack of reporting. Correlation vs. Causation seems to be the primary issue here.
Many readers, reviewers among them, really take issue with the main protagonist, Hannah Baker, who leaves behind thirteen cassette recordings, each addressed to a specific person who she claims were a primary reason she chose to kill herself. Many express an instant dislike of her, arguing, perhaps with some merit, that the recordings are an ultimate act of revenge, to inflict as much suffering and guilt on each of the individuals in question as possible, to reiterate that there is no way to make things better, no way to repent, because Hannah is already gone, and nothing can change that. This manipulative and vengeful behavior thus affects other kids - who are kids - possibly affecting them for the remainder of their lives, for seemingly trivial youthful transgressions (aside form the rapists, that is - but the primary figure in question doesn't even get to hear the tapes: they will only affect him and his reputation vicariously, which is, incidentally, what was influenced on Hannah herself).
The book, itself somewhat lackluster, does raise important issues about how to engage the primary audience in discussions about suicide and self-harm, as well as in dealing with very adult issues such as rape and sexual assault, betrayal, drug use, alcohol abuse, and other serious incidents which can affect someone for the rest of their life. I won't go into the differences between the TV show and the novel here, but each raises the issues in different ways. At this point, I'm uncertain whether this work, in its various forms, helps or harms: I suppose that depends on the consumer, but if it at least raises awareness and sparks conversations about these very timely topics, that's probably a good thing.
It's an alternative way for people to engage with the very timely issue of suicide, without really "glorifying" or encouraging it. I remember reading somewhere that it's almost a covert propaganda piece about bullying, which I can definitely see, in some respects. In sum, it's definitely a moralizing tale, in a rather overt way, which will hopefully at least make people think.
