Third Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Penguin Books, 2007. Genre: Fiction

Thirteen Reasons Why is about a high school boy Clay Jenson, who discovers a box of tapes on his front porch one day. The tapes are recordings of Hannah Baker, a classmate who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Clay listens to the first tape and discovers that there are thirteen reasons why Hannah decided to commit suicide and he is one of them. As he listens to the tapes, he follows the map of the town and spends the whole night learning about Hannah and her life. Most importantly, he learns who and what each person did that influenced her to end her life.

“If you have the chance to read only one novel this year, Thirteen Reasons Why should be that book. It’s sad, amazing, heartbreaking, and hopeful, all at the same time…” says Teen Read Too.

In Thirteen Reasons Why, the book is told in first person because Clay is telling the story as well as listening to Hannah talk about herself. The reader knows the thirteen reasons why Hannah committed suicide as Jay Asher reveals them to Clay as he listens to the tapes. You know exactly what Hannah recorded and what Clay is listening to.

This is Jay Asher’s first book and it was terrific. I am looking forward to his upcoming books. Thirteen Reasons Why is so different than any other book I have read. This is the first book with a conflict like this and told from this creative point of view. It was very captivating and although it was a depressing book, I never wanted to put it down.

“You don’t belong in the same way as the others. It’s like that song: One of these things is not like the others. One of these things just doesn’t belong. And that’s you Clay. But you need to be here if I’m going to tell my story. To tell it more completely.”(200).

I love reading books about things that I can connect with and when the characters are around my age. This book was one that popped out from the others because it was about something I had never read before. I wanted to learn the thirteen reasons why Hannah ended her life. For being Jay Asher’s first book, he has blown me away. I was left speechless at the end of the book. I was so mesmerized at the detail and the thought that went into the book.

Although something like this hasn’t happened to me, I felt as if it actually did after reading the book. The book drew me in and I felt as if I was with Clay discovering Hannah’s life and her emotional rollercoaster. I truly felt sorry for Hannah Baker, I realized that the slightest things that some people do to others may not seem like a big deal, but as they build up, sooner or later the person is going to break. After reading this book, I am more aware of how I treat other people and what I say to them because you never know what one nice thing will do to them. It could literally save their life.

Through the Thick and Thin: There, Until the End

We have been waiting for this day since the beginning of high school. Everything is planned out and our bags have been packed since the beginning of the week. We are all excited because it is our big trip before we part separate ways and leave for college. For the past days I could hear my plane ticket on my dresser calling my name, anxious to fly to St. Johns, just like me. My phone rang on my dresser and I rushed to pick it up.
“Hello!” I answered and I knew exactly who was on the other line.
“Hey” said Bailey and Callie in-sink.
“Today’s the day!” I replied excitedly.
“Hurry up we only have 2 hours until our flight!” yelled Callie.
“Alright, alright. I’m going. I’ll call you back when I am leaving my house,” I sighed.
“Bye!” they both screamed into the phone again.
“Bye,” I laughed and hung up my phone. Everything was already packed except my toiletries. So, I put the rest of my necessities in the suitcase. Finally when I am done packing and have triple checked everything on my list, I pick up my phone and call Bailey back to tell her and Callie I am about to leave. After hanging up with them, I lug my suitcases down the stairs, along with my carry-on. I give one last hug and kiss to my family and head out the door, into the hot sticky summer morning. The air conditioning in my car is on high as usual, I pull out of the garage, down the driveway, and turn right, heading to Bailey’s house.

* * * * *

We boarded the plane, the three of us in one row. Bailey could barely stay in her seat because it was her first time on a plane and we were about to take off on the trip that would change our lives forever. The flight attendant announced for everyone to buckle up because we would be taking off in 5 minutes. “Click, click, click” was all we heard as everyone buckled their seat belts. Once again, the flight attendant appeared in the front of the plane and showed us how to correctly use the air bags above our heads and the emergency exits located throughout the plane. I had been on a plane before and heard this speech more than enough times, but for some reason I paid closer attention this time than the previous flights.
“Thank you and have an enjoyable flight.” said the flight attendant.
“We will be reaching Florida in approximately 3 hours and the weather is looking great. Enjoy the flight!” announced the pilot over the intercom. “”Ding”, the seat belt sign flashed on as we rolled down the runway. Slowly, we picked up speed. Just as we were nearing the end of the runway, the airplane’s wheels lifted off the ground and we were pushed back into our seats as the plane went higher into the sky. We went through the clouds and every so often I would have to pop my ears from the increasing air pressure. Finally we reached the designated height, just above the clouds. Bailey looked out the window and all she said was “OH MY GOD! The clouds look just like giant cotton balls!!”
“Wow! They do!” agreed Callie. “This is the prettiest sky I have ever seen. The clouds look so soft and comfortable I just want to sleep on them.”
“Good luck with that,” I laughed. The two of them stared out the window for the majority of the plane ride to Florida, while I listened to my iPod. For the most part, the plane ride was smooth and we landed successfully in the Florida airport. After gathering all of our luggage, we headed for our connecting flight to St. John’s. When we saw the plane we were taking, our mouths dropped to the floor. It was extremely small and only carried 10 passengers.

Cautiously and nervously, we step onto the plane. My hands are shaking uncontrollably, but I try not to let it show because I want to show Callie and Bailey that everything is going to be fine. Inside the plane, there are only 5 rows of 2 seats. To prevent arguing who will sit where, I voluntarily sit by myself behind them. It is not long before we take off. I close my eyes as we ascend higher into the sky. This flight is going to be about 2 hours, which isn’t that long. I have to keep reminding myself that because my gut feeling is telling me something is up. About an hour into the flight, the pilot announces that there is a storm approaching, but it is nothing to worry about. It’s not even 10 minutes after the pilot announces were heading into a storm, that our plane begins to shake. At first it isn’t bad, just a few small ones here and there, but soon it became much worse. As I looked up from the floor, I could see everyone’s heads jerking back and forth about their seats. Bailey and Callie had their heads between their legs, trying to stabilize themselves. I realized I should probably do the same thing. Suddenly a lighting bolt hit one of the planes wings and the pilot yelled back to us, “Get the life jackets on from under your seats! Get the air bags from over your heads! NOW!” I rushed making sure I did everything he said to do at the beginning of the flight if we ever needed to use them. My hands, shaking now more than ever and I began to hyperventilate. I buckle on the safety seat belts on the chair. I could feel the plane descending faster and faster. All I saw out of the window was the black smoke from where the wing used to be. Over the screams of the passengers I heard the pilot yell “BRACE YOURSELFS!” Crash! The plane hit something hard, head-on and my head smashed into the seat in front of me. Everything went black and silent.

* * * *

“Madeline, Madeline can you hear me?” someone whispered. I tried to open my eyes but I was so weak.
“I think she’s awake,” said another girl with dark hair. She sounds so far away. I don’t know where I am. Why am I laying on dirt? I slowly opened my eyes and there standing over me were people I had never seen before. Why is everyone staring at me?
“Madeline, how are you feeling?”
“What happened?” I tried to ask, but all that came out was mumbles of jumbled words. Apparently the girl with dark hair understood what I said and she explained how the plane was struck by lightening and we crashed onto this deserted island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. On our descend down, I hit my head on the seat in front of me and passed out cold. Luckily the pilot pulled me out of the plane, but I have been unconscious for a half an hour. There is no radio signal so far, she explained, but the pilot is trying to find one.
“Wait,” I mumbled lethargically. “Who are you and why were we in a plane?”
“We are your best friends Madeline,” explained the girl with long blonde hair who gestured to the girl with dark hair.
“What are your names?” I questioned.
The tall girl with blonde hair replied, “I’m Callie.”
“and I’m Bailey,” chimed in the short, dark haired girl. “Don’t you remember us, Madeline? We have been friends since we were 5.” A confused countenance appeared on her. The girl whose name was Callie began to tear up.
“Why doesn’t she remember?” she sobbed. A slender man with gray hair walked over to me.
“She is showing signs of amnesia. I am a doctor and I was on my way to St John’s for a patient in need of special medical help. As you can see, this girl needs my attention now and I’m going to need you girls to help me,” said the man. “Since we don’t know how long we are going to be stuck on this island, I am going to need you girls to tell me everything about Madeline in order to hopefully help her remember what has happened.” He applied poultices to my forehead and arms to help alleviate the pain from my contusions. I closed my eyes and listened to everyone talk around me.

The two girls told me almost everything they knew about me to hopefully help me remember. They started with my family and where I live. I have a mom Kathy and a father Dave, along with an older brother Michael who just finished his sophomore year of college. My family and I live in a two-story white house on a side street in the middle of town. After learning about my family, the two girls told me about our friendship. We get together at one of our houses and watch a movie every Friday. While watching these movies we eat popcorn, Oreos with peanut butter, and drink milk. They inform me that we have been friends since we were 5 where we met in our kindergarten classroom. Cassie began explaining how Bailey came up to her and I when we were playing with our building blocks on the carpet in total silence. Bailey, being the outgoing one, walked right up to us and asked if she could play with us. After that, she told me, we have been friends ever since. The girls continue to tell me stories and facts about my life, that they know so well, but I don’t have any memory of any of them. Passengers from the plane gather large sticks from the woods and the blankets that survived the crash from the plane, to build a tent for us to sleep in. No one knows how long we are going to be stuck on this island. When the tent is pitched, the pilot starts a fire in the sand because the sun is setting fast. We ration out the little sustenance we have and talk around the fire, while one man cooks the albacore he caught. I squint at the phosphorescence from the fire as I watch him. Everyone is laughing and having fun, but I can not stop thinking about my situation. Every possible question comes into my mind about why this happened to me and will I ever get better. Since today has been long and dreadful, I walk into the tent and fall asleep on the “beds” the other passengers made.

Today is our second day on the island and I still don’t remember a thing, other than what the people here have told me. Everything is so confusing, it is so overwhelming. The doctor says I am slowly getting better by what I remember from what people have told me, but I don’t see any progress. The pilot is still working on getting a signal to the closest airport from his radio, but he hasn’t had any luck yet. We have little food and water, just what was on the plane and what fish and berries we can retrieve from the island. Today I learned personal things about me. My favorite color is plum and I love pizza and popcorn. Along with this, I learned I am an athlete who plays three sports soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. I am an A student and got accepted to one of the top 20 schools in the country, Northwestern. Cassie informed me that I love starburst and whenever I eat them I unwrap the candy perfectly making sure not to tear the wrapper and I tape it onto a piece of paper with the hundreds of other starburst wrappers. When I heard this I started laughing because it was so silly. After they were done with the story, we decided to take a break. So, I decided to go swimming in the ocean. As I walk towards it, the sun creates a glare on the water, but it is a clear, turquoise, tropical ocean. Its placid, cool water extends all the way to the horizon on all sides of the island. As I walk into the ocean, the seashells jab the bottom of my feet and the smooth sand seeps its way between my toes. The small waves undulate against my legs. As I look up to the sky, I wonder if I will ever remember anything. I know those two girls who are apparently my friends will try to help, but I don’t know how much of a help they will be. The sun is going down and it’s getting chilly from a zephyr from the ocean. So, I wade out of the water and grab my clothes from underneath the mangroves. Suddenly, the pilot comes running out of the tent screaming “I GOT IT! I GOT IT!” Everyone ran to him practically trampling the poor man.
“I got a signal!” he announced. “The airport in Florida is going to send an airplane tomorrow for us all!”
“Thank goodness!” we all yelled together. Everyone ran to get together anything and everything that was left of theirs. I went to bed somewhat hopeful of returning to a “normal” life again.

Morning finally came and we cleaned up what mess we could, trying to leave the peaceful island the way it was before, but that wasn’t possible with an airplane on it. The rescue airplane came around noon. However, it wasn’t a large airplane because the it wouldn’t be able to land on the island. The airplane roared overhead and a basket came down and hit the sand with a thud. Callie, Bailey and I climbed in and were slowly lifted to the airplane. Eventually everyone was lifted up to the airplane and we left the island for good.
“Madeline, you know we will help you through this no matter how long it takes. We are your best friends and nothing is going to change that.”
“Thanks,” I smiled.
“Madeline, I know a doctor’s office that specializes in these types of situations. He could really help you to get better,” explained the doctor. “From watching you over the past two days, I can see you have potential to fully recover. However, it will take the patience and help of your loved ones and friends, along with a professional.”
“Okay. Thank you for all your help,” I answered. The plane ride was only about an hour and we landed back in Florida where everyone on the plane said good-bye to me and wished me luck with my recovery. Callie, Bailey and I walk through the mobs of people in the airport to where our parents are waiting. Eventually we reach the elevator that will lead us out of the airport. Before pressing the button on the elevator, we hear our names screamed from down the walkway. Three couples come running at us, who Cassie whispers to me are our parents. My two parents embrace me in a hug and I just stand there because I don’t know who they are. Bailey clears her throat and says she has something to say so I am released from the hug.
“Mr. and Mrs. Brown, there’s something you should know about Madeline.”
“What is it sweetie,” questions the woman.
“When we crashed on the island, Madeline hit her head on the seat in front of her really hard and she was knocked out. We she awoke, she didn’t know who she was or who anyone was. Madeline has amnesia.”
“Oh my,” said the woman who was beginning to lament.
“Luckily there was a doctor on the flight and he said it can be fixed. He gave Cassie and I the number to a specialist. We have told her almost everything we know about her life. The doctor said that with the help of her close relatives and friends, we can hopefully help her recover and remember, but it is going to take a while.”
“Wow,” exclaimed the man who also had tears rolling down his cheeks.
Everyone decided this specialist is the best shot of recovering me, so we are going to see him as soon as possible. I have realized that even though I have no clue who any of these people are and they know it, they are still going to help me recover. It shows me I must have a great family and these two girls really are my true friends. For the first time, I truly believe everything is going to be okay.