13 Reasons Why

This week I completed reading 13 Reasons Why and overall I found this selection to be very valuable. I know a lot has already been said about this book but I think I have a couple of points to add. I think it was very well done how Asher tells Hannah's story. He tells her story with so much life that a number of times I had to stop and remind myself that she was dead. Actually her death did not seem real to me until I had finished the book which meant Hannah had no more to say. I wanted the book to keep going because it felt like as long as the tapes continued so did Hannah. I then took comfort in the fact that this was not a true story but that thought only lasted a minute. The hard fact is this is the reality for many and that is so scary to think about. As an educator this book made me think about my students differently, it has led me to consider just how much some of my students have going on in their lives. It has also made me think about students who do not discuss problems with anyone, not teachers, not peers, and not parents. That to me is the really scary part, that there are students who may be struggling but are not calling out for help. The past two nights I have awoke from a nightmare and while I cannot remember exact details of the nightmares I know they were related to this book. This book has certainly struck a cord within me, it has disturbed me but at the same time the book shows the power of the little things. Of course we see how little things can have a terrible impact but we must also remember that positive little things could make all the difference in the world.

As I think about classroom applications for this book, it led me to consider a lesson in which students could respond to Hannah. My thought for this lesson is that after reading the book students could pick to respond to one of the tapes. The premise I would present to the students would be that they have ran into Hannah after the conclusion of the incident. Students would then create a dialogue of what they would say to Hannah and her possible responses. Students could even role play the conversation to get a dialogue going. After the assignment is completed students would share their conversation with the class and a discussion would be held on what could have made a difference and possibly saved Hannah? Through this lesson students can consider the point that little things can go a long way and maybe this stories outcome could have been much different. This lesson would be aligned with the following common core standard:

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
•  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.