First Impression

First Impressions Journal By: Nillani Nithi 09E

The first time while I was reading the book " Thirteen Reasons Why", I realized it was full of emotions.  It was hard to read for the first time because it has the power to devastate the reader.  But i was surprised by the deep meaning behind the characters and subject matter. The co- narrators are Clay Jensen and Hannah Baker.  I felt that Clay Jensen plays an important role in the book. He tells us that it's okay to doubt some of the things Hannah says. It's even okay to be mad at her. He honors her and respects her last wishes. Sometimes as readers, we might feel bad having negative feelings toward a young girl who took her own life, but Clay reminds us that no one is perfect.I saw Clay as the type of boy who stayed loyal to you no matter what the situation and never made judgement s towards others unless actually knowing them.  Hannah Baker seems like a simple girl at heart.  She seemed like a very independent, open-minded girl.  She was confident enough and strong-headed to be able to record thirteen tapes leading to her suicide. 
 
     For this story, author Jay Asher created a fictional place; Historic Crestmont Business District.  I identified it as a quiet, strictly middle-class, and uneventful, small town. The town seemed modest with its small population but this explained how fast the word and gossip spreads around town like wildfire. I understood why Jay Asher has recognized this as the perfect setting for, “13 Reasons Why”. This is because when Hannah talked about hanging outside of school, the same rumors and gossipers followed her there. Hannah talked about how innocent her town seemed, but that you cannot believe what only the human eye can see.
 
        In this book, I thought the plot was excellent, it was unique in today's writing world, everyone seems to be writing about vampires or fantasy things, which is all good but it was nice to have something real. The writing style was  very fresh and interesting to read.  I think this book applies not only to teenage suicide, but to many other issues facing our children today. Everyone (including adults) can find themselves in this book, whether you are the troubled, the trouble causing, or trouble- enabling. This book will definitely stay with you for a long time after you finish reading - hopefully, it can help you to become a more compassionate and understanding person. I know it has changed the way I look at people and what they may be experiencing.