Independent Reading Q4: 13 Reasons Why

Written Assignment:

For my final Independent Reading Project I read 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. This was a very and suspenseful novel. There were many things that intrigued me and hooked me onto this book. It tells the story of a girl by the name of Hannah Baker who killed herself. Clay Jensen, one of Hannah’s acquaintances, was the one who was listening to the tapes throughout the novel.

One thing that I loved about this book was the detail in each character. Even though all you heard Hannah from was her tapes and thoughts, you could cleary guess what was going through her head. She was a depressed and stressed girl that had “reasons” for everything. I liked how Jay showed her emotions and feelings and it was also very relatable to the mind of a young teenage girl. Even though all teenage girls can’t say they killed themselves, there are things that make them want to. The reasons Hannah had were all great examples of that. (Whether it was related to relationships, friends, or family.)   

This book was really interesting to read and I didn’t want to stop. Although I couldn’t relate completely, most of Hannahs reasons were things that have happened to me before. It made me feel like I’m not the only one struggling with the kinds of problems she had. Even if I didn’t have suicidal thoughts because of my problems, I was probably pretty close. This book just reminded me of how my life used to be. It felt good to read because it was a reminder that I overcame my emotions and didn’t resort to what Hannah did. Overall, this book was actually better than I expected it to be and I would recommend it to many people.

Creative Assignment (Playlist):

Stranger by Jhene Aiko: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y21lLimmy8Y
This song is about the artist having a connection with someone she hasn't met or someone she doesn't know too much about, but they have the same type of feelings. It also tells the story of someone not knowing what they have done or who has done something. In the book, Hannah has all these feelings for people that don't even know what they did. 

Save Me by Nicki Minaj: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYNPuckZX7k
This song tells the story of a girl who is lost and needs someone to help save her. She needs someone there to help before she loses her mind and does something crazy. In the book, Hannah actually went crazy and committed suicide. 

Sad Songs by Melanie Fiona: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjYmepzHrFg
Melanie Fiona sings her heart out about how she has no one to share or hear her feelings with. She sings about all the sad memories she has with people that brought her depression. In the book, Hannah is telling these people that broke her down what they did on the tapes.

Lost by Frank Ocean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_XQaIcIAfg
This song is about a young teen that lost himself and didn't know where his mind was. He let other people control him and didn't know how he could fix it. In the book, Hannah has all these reasons (13 to be exact) why she did what she did to herself. The reasons were all about what people did to her, such as Tyler, who was "creeping" in on her while she was getting dressed. Things such as this built up anger inside her that made her lose herself. 

Ordinary People by John Legend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIh07c_P4hc
John sings about how everyone is very different, but more alike than you know. This song sends a message that people should be treated equally and should never feel like they a beneath someone. In the book, this is obviously the main reason why Hannah plugged the plug on herself. 

Catch Me by Nicki Minaj: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuBDKSqIDSw
This song by Nicki talks says so much. She delivers lines about how people used to tear her down and make her feel invisible. My favorite line would have to be, "It's funny how you could always make me feel small, I have given my all. Catch me, catch me, I think I am going to fall...." That one line, I think, basically describes the whole book. People always made Hannah feel like she was small and unimportant.