OMG you all… check it out.
Three days in a row…. crazy stuff. 😉
Its been raining off and on in Central Minnesota for days now it seems… I woke up to a very wet deck and lawn… but the air feels like it is going to get HOT today…
Tomorrow evening is the June Books, Burgers and Brews discussion for June. We are discussing Thirteen Reasons Why, the book over the Netflix series of course. Although I have been watching the Netflix series (started episode 11 last night) as well as I am sure I will have some in attendance who have read the book and watched the series, and probably some who have just watched the series. While this will be a different discussion, I think it will be an important one.
I reviewed Thirteen Reasons Why in February of 2010. I thought the book was very well done and hard to put down…so much in fact that six days later I interviewed author Jay Asher about the book. Who knew seven years later this title would be known to many due to the Netflix series and apparently much negativity towards the series as they are saying it is glamorizing suicide. I talked with a friend of mine who is a School Principal lately and he said this is true, letter have gone home to parents regarding this… one girl has gone even as far as to make the tapes….
My point in discussing this book tomorrow evening is most importantly, I am telling people do not judge the book by the series. While I am finishing the book today to refresh myself on it as it has been seven years, I never once though it glamorized suicide. Here I go again… preaching book over movie/TV.
Tomorrow also kicks off the Annual Children’s Book Sale for the Friends of the Brainerd Public Library. We sell all the Children’s books for 25 cents each and there are some BEAUTIFUL books. It is not about making money on this sale. It is about putting good books in little ones hands. I will be helping with the set up of the sale and may be there for the first hour but then will need to head over and set up for Books, Burgers, and Brews….
Yeah – tomorrow will be bookish… but in good ways. 🙂
Book Journey 
I read the book in 2009 and didn’t love it the way other people did. I felt Hannah blamed a lot of her problems on other people even when she was partly at fault. Yes, I know people (especially teens) do that, but it seemed more extreme. I also felt like the book could have done more to educate people to the warning signs of suicide.
Yippee….so nice to see you for a third day in a row!! 🙂
I have never read this book. I don’t think I will.
Thank you for letting me know about it and what it is about.
HUGS.
Elizabeth
I haven’t read the book, but watched half the series…and I don’t know if I’ll return to it. Maybe now I can see what the book is like. Thanks for sharing.
I listened to the book when it came out and still remembered Clay’s response. I watched the series and felt it all over again. The scene with Mr. P at the end still got me all riled up. I read and watched from a 50+ year old perspective. It is so easy to think why oh why didn’t she just talk to someone, but we have no idea where a person is in life. I do believe that it is a MUST that parents watch this series if their teens are watching and talk about it! It is a difficult subject (with many issues as well) no matter in what medium it is experienced, but important. Look forward your group’s thoughts are on both.
I also read the book years ago and recently watched the series. Of course, I liked the book best and am not sure why everyone says it glorifies suicide.
My daughter read this book and my son too. And they watched the series, but after watching it my son told his friend who suffers from depression and who is suicidal, NOT to watch the series. Actually, he forbade her to watch it because he knew it could be a trigger. (He’s only 13 and the series made him want to talk to me about what he was watching. Kids are still impressionable at that age.) She listened to him and did not watch it and her mother was grateful to my son for the warning. A few days later the school removed this book from the library shelves because the school board’s psychiatrists thought that it could be a trigger. An email was sent out to all parents about the Netflix series. The rape scenes can be hard for some to watch. I allowed my kids to read the book and we discussed suicide and how to help friends who are self-injuring and depressed. As a parent I worry about the phenomenon of social contagion.