A book every teen should read. Adequately expresses the dangers of bullying, rumors, peer pressure, and not telling someone how special they are to you. If you read the blurb on the book, you know this book deals with suicide so it's definitely a tough read. Hannah Baker tells the thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. I think the most important thing to get out of this is the power of the "snowball effect." There is never ONE ANSWER to why someone feels like they can't go on. Even at the end of the book, I wanted to believe that her reasons just weren't enough- but then I put myself in her shoes and remembered what it was like to be a teenager. Teens are cruel. I don't mean to make a joke but Will Smith said it best when he said, "parents just don't understand." Most parents are so deadset on being tough with their children at the age when they start making their own decisions that they forget what a tumultuous time that is or was even for them. And as much as some teachers want to convince themselves they are doing adequate work to encourage youth, for me at least, it is rare to find a teacher who invested time to make students that needed attention feel like they were worth it. Most of my teachers in high school stopped working (at least "emotionally") when the bell rang at the end of the day. This book makes you reflect on yourself and your impact on those around you. Definitely keeping this in mind as an absolute must teen recommendation.