Finished: Thirteen Reasons Why (Asher). omg, what an overwhelming book. I'm wondering if this book has become any kind of required reading for kids entering high school? The thirteen reasons are the thirteen reasons why high-schooler Hannah Baker commits suicide...or more to the point...thirteen people. Hannah Baker makes an intricate set of audio tapes recounting the incidences leading up to her loss of self and loss of purpose and her decision to commit suicide. Starting with her innocent first kiss with the boy she liked the summer before starting high school turning into harmful rumors that she did more than kiss, spread by, of course, the boy himself, and recounting each incident or experience that continues to batter her reputation and delicate self-esteem; each person gets the entire set of tapes to listen to and hear how they added to Hannah's plummeting sense of self-worth over the first years of high school. The story is told through the eyes of Clay Jensen, the one boy who truly cared for her. His heart breaks as he listens to all the tapes and tears his hair out wondering how he could have helped her. He's the only person on the tapes that she puts on the "list" to actually tell a good story about and tell that she cared for him and she's sorry. He heartbreakingly listens and recounts his own experiences with Hannah. I can't really do a detailed recap...it was just too sad. Hopefully this book is a lesson to any teenager, or any person at all, who reads it to know that even the smallest action on your part towards another person can have a huge impact on them.