Bianca Harkless
Editor-In-Chief
If this were not the newest edition of Book Buzz, I would probably have recommended the title to the story be ‘The Love/Hate Relationship that is '13 Reasons Why’ because that is pretty much exactly what this is. I read 13 Reason Why by Jay Asher and had some mixed feelings about it.
Before this goes any further, I would like to put out a trigger warning for this story. I will talking about a series of topics relating to the plot, including suicide, self -harm, drug abuse, rape, and may other things that are equally terrible. If you are easily influenced or susceptible to these topics, please, do not read the book, watch the show, or read this mediocre drag. Your mental health is more important than reading a book or watching a show. If you are feeling suicidal, depressed, or in any way that is alarming to you or those around you, talk to someone. We have plenty of people on campus that you can talk to, and it will get better.
From this point on, I will assume that everyone who is reading this has either watched the first season of the show, has had it spoiled for them or has read the book. Starting out, Hannah, our victim, is not by any means a likable character. She blames her actions on other people. Yes, it sucks that she was sexually assaulted, sexually harassed, bullied, and everything else that she puts the blame on, but in the end, she was the only one responsible for taking her own life.
Now that my stance on Hannah has been taken care of, my view on the rest of the characters should come pretty straightforward. While I do not like Hannah and think she is utterly responsible for her own actions, I think that the other characters should be held accountable. Bryce is a rapist. Marcus sexually assaulted Hannah. Zach got a suicide note to addressed to him from Hannah and did nothing about it. Tyler is a peeping tom. They all should face repercussions for their actions. Hannah is responsible for her actions just as much as any of the other characters are responsible for theirs.
Personally, I choose to think that Hanah is looking for some justification as to why she killed herself. By blaming the other people that she includes on the tapes, she does not have to look in the mirror and look at why she actually wants to do it. I would also like to address that Mr. Porter is a terrible representation of what a teacher or counselor (or adult in general) should do if someone comes to them claiming that they have been sexually assaulted. He blames her for all of the things that have happened, and I really cannot stand that. While I think that looking into cases of accused assault is important, believing someone is also important.
I hope you all really enjoyed this cluttered, messy addition of Book Buzz. I would not tell everyone to go read this book, but if you think you can handle the content, read it and form your own opinions as to who is really in the wrong and where. 13 Reasons Why by James Asher is kind of a mess, but take it for what you will.
Image Credit: Glen Noble on Unsplash
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