I'm 33 years old and have no children. I'm not familiar with many of the things that are hot with the teenagers of today, but I had come across the book "13 Reasons Why" several times in passing and I became curious about it. I had perused the reviews, read both the positive and the negative, took note of all the viewpoints, and decided to take a chance and read it. I'm glad I did. 
 I am not a mental health professional, so I can't really say how realistic this book is when it comes to dealing with a depressed teenager contemplating suicide. What I will say is that I thought it was well written and it moved me. 
 I was a teenager in the late 90's and I remember what it was like. I remember the pain, and how everything felt like the end of the world.. the typical melodrama of adolescence. Oh yes... I remember it all. I would hate to be a teenager today. With the addition of the internet and social media, teenagers have taken teasing and bullying to a whole next level. It can get incredibly cruel. There's also this horrible mob mentality. And once the ball gets rolling, it's so hard to stop it. 
 What I took most from "13 Reasons Why" was the importance of personal responsibility. I think it's imperative for teens (and adults as well, of course) to understand there are consequences for your actions. YOUR actions, no matter how minute and harmless they seem to you at the time, can cause a chain of events that you might not have anticipated. We're human beings. We are imperfect and sometimes we hurt people. That is the reality of life, and is inevitable. We will never be angels, but maybe if we took the chance to think before we act, or before we spread a rumor like it's Truth we can save ourselves and other people a lot of unnecessary grief. 
 With that said, was Hannah a blameless victim? No, she was not. She had a part to play in her own downfall. She made some poor choices, and also made critical mistakes in deciding NOT to act and speak out when she should have. In those instances, she had no one but herself to blame. And in the end, no one drove her to commit suicide. She made that decision on her own. 
 I wouldn't say that "13 Reasons Why" was a perfect novel, but I think it was a very good one. I could easily see this as required reading in a high school's contemporary English class. I hope that happens one day. I also think parents and guardians should read it as well.