teenage bullying gone bad, leads to a puppy love story. upon picking this book up at Targét one fine day, I was hesitant at first, considering that the storyline is centered around a teen’s suicide, Hannah Baker. but what grabbed my attention was that she’d left her suicide “note” on tapes, for a specific list of classmates; eh, and one teacher.
this book is more than about a suicide. it speaks volumes about bullying and speaking up! it teaches us about the potential signs -really in all honesty, for me, it was a learning tool on maybe what to look for. the story really emphasizes the importance of bullying by outlining touchy subjects like rape, the spread of rumors, sexual abuse, stalking… the “peeping tom”, and peer pressure. important issues that one single teenage girl encountered and endured prior to ending her life.
Hannah uses the 13 tapes to tell her story and what she went through; describing a list of people to have motivated her suicide. she addresses a message to each of them.
on the other end, main character, Clay Jensen who is listed on the “tapes”, as the goody guy, has a hard time battling with her suicide. throughout the book, he mentally beats himself up with the thought of “not knowing”. if he had known, he could have spoken up; he could have stayed with her that night at the party, despite her order for him to leave; he could have been there as the true friend that she longed for. in short, he could have prevented Hannah from hurting herself.
I enjoyed this book to say the least. however, i pretty much knew what would happen after reading or “listening” to the first couple of tapes. on the downside, not at all unpredictable.
so, did Clay Jensen make sure he spoke to Skye on the next day of school because he feared the same thing with her? another contemplating suicide prospect? hmm..
