The Book That Has Saved Lives
Friday, June 17th, 2011
The Book That Has Saved Lives
They say a good book always stays with us, it changes us, and sometimes we even feel so inclined that we pass it on. The novel, Thirteen Reasons Why is a teen-suicide novel that was released in Oct of 2007. It may have been years ago, but it is still making an impact today on its readers. The novel is even said to be saving lives during an interview with the author, Jay Asher.
The novel that has just been released on paperback yesterday, has grown into a major phenomenon over the years. Although a great read, it is a heavy one about a teen suicide. The story is about a school junior, Clay Jensen, who comes home from school one day and finds a box containing seven cassettes. When he listens to the first tape, he hears the voice of a classmate, Hannah Baker, the girl who has just killed herself. “I’m about to tell you…why my life ended,” she says calmly. “And if you’re listening to these tapes, you’re one of the reasons why.” Hannah then tells the whole sad story and takes Clay on an emotional journey.
From the beginning of the novel, the story is intense, with readers connecting to the books messages of tolerance and compassion. However, before hitting the hearts of many readers today, the manuscript did in fact get rejected twelve times. But what does it matter now, having changed so many people’s lives.
Hollywood has also tried to get their hands on it; however Asher has turned down several offers already, stating that the producers in question didn’t seem to understand the novel. That being said, he did meet up with Selena Gomez to talk about a possible future for the novel on the big screen, stating they both had the same vision for the movie.
If you’ve heard this novel or have read it, what did you think about it? It does make me upset that there is now a Disney star involved….on a topic that is hardly Disney related. What are they thinking?!
