Thirteen Reasons Why

I caved and started watching the show after hearing about all of the backlash, and then realized that I had to read the book too. It's one of those easy reads I could devour in a few hours, and I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about it. I loved the format and how it was told through a set of tapes, with the main character's thoughts interspersed throughout as he listened to them. The subject matter, though, is problematic. I do appreciate that the author based this on the story his relative told him about her motivations for attempting suicide. In terms of anti-bullying, I think this book is really effective. It really makes you think about how you treat other people and realize that even the smallest things you do to them can really affect them. It enforces that you should be kind and helpful to everyone and really noticing the warning signs when someone isn't okay.
At the same time though, I do feel how problematic this is. Like, it's problematic to blame others for someone's suicide. Especially when she is the one blaming them and basically saying, “You killed me.” Don't get me wrong, they definitely did do some wrong things or ignored her warning signs, but it just is another thing entirely to blame them for her death. I know in the end she says she forgives them, but, I don't know, the whole thing just made me really uncomfortable. I'm still conflicted and I just wish they had acknowledged the mental health side of this more than they did.
All in all, I don't entirely know how to feel about this book but it was unique and well-written and I enjoyed reading it. Regardless of how problematic is, maybe it's at least a good thing that the author raises this conversation in the first place.