Welcome to Day 2 of the Top 5 in 5 Giveaway blog hop! You can check out the other participating blog's posts below:
60 Seconds or More
Quill Cafe
Now, on to my Day 2 pick (and a reminder to enter the giveaway!)
60 Seconds or More
Quill Cafe
Now, on to my Day 2 pick (and a reminder to enter the giveaway!)
Thirteen Reasons Why |
I read this book soon after being traumatised by another that was on my list. The two did not deal with entirely the same issues (although there was some overlap regarding death). Still, they both left a deep impression on me- so much so that they are my first choice recommendations whenever a student comes to me with a desire for just "something" to read. It's an Issue Book, no doubt about that, but the way that you are drawn into Clay's night time wanderings, thefts, evasions, anger, sadness, guilt- is nothing short of amazing. It's not just that you get to hear Hannah's thoughts right before she takes her own life. It's Clay's impressions of her reasons. His reflections on what he himself could have done differently. His realisation that things that may have seemed like nothing to him, meant so much more to someone else.
It's a lesson on impressions, really. I wouldn't call it a suicide book, nor will I call it a book that addresses teen suicide- although many easily attach those two labels to it. For me, Thirteen Reasons Why was about, more than anything else, the ripples that are caused by our own words. Actions. Or lack of either.
It's funny, though. Some of my girls had quite the negative reaction to this book. They called her reasons silly. While it was reassuring that they did not think her reasons were good enough to end a life, it was at the same time a bit disappointing. To me, the list of reasons were never about whether they were good enough. They were about Hannah finally finding a voice to say that You. Hurt. Me.
Even if it was too late to save her.
It's a lesson on impressions, really. I wouldn't call it a suicide book, nor will I call it a book that addresses teen suicide- although many easily attach those two labels to it. For me, Thirteen Reasons Why was about, more than anything else, the ripples that are caused by our own words. Actions. Or lack of either.
It's funny, though. Some of my girls had quite the negative reaction to this book. They called her reasons silly. While it was reassuring that they did not think her reasons were good enough to end a life, it was at the same time a bit disappointing. To me, the list of reasons were never about whether they were good enough. They were about Hannah finally finding a voice to say that You. Hurt. Me.
Even if it was too late to save her.