Sixteenth book

Yesterday I finished Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Intense! It's about a teenager named Clay who receives a mysterious package in the mail one day. Seven cassette tapes, with sides labeled one through thirteen. And when Clay begins to listen to them, he discovers that they are from a classmate who killed herself. Hannah Baker. The tapes detail the events in her life that led to her suicide. I won't say any more about the plot, in case any of you are planning on reading this one. I will say that I think Jay Asher did a great job in accurately portraying the way things can, and often do, affect people. The level of teenage angst was appropriate; he never bashes the reader over the head with it. This book is really about how the smallest things you do can have unintended affects far beyond your scope. It's also about the importance of reaching out to people. I really, really liked it. I might try to find a copy to send to my oldest goddaughter. No, I will try to find one. This book really makes you think about things. The ripples the smallest actions send out, getting bigger as they go. How hard it is to truly know someone, including ourselves. How it is worth it to reach out, to make friends, to treat people well. I think this is a great book. I'm definitely keeping it. And I hope some of you will consider reading it, too!