THIRTEEN REASONS WHY
BY JAY ASHER
YESTERDAY, ONE HOUR AFTER
SCHOOL
CASSETTE 1, SIDE A
CASSETTE 1, SIDE A - JOURNAL
• Reflect on this quote:
What does it tell you
about Hannah’s
character? About the
story she is about
to tell?
CASSETTE 1, SIDE A
“… because there are thirteen sides to every story”
(9)
A common quote: “There are three sides to every
story: your side, my side, and the truth. And no one is
lying. Memories shared serve each differently” from
Robert Evans (2002).
Reflect on this quote, and compare it to Hannah’s
version.
CASSETTE 1, SIDE A
• “Because it may seem
like a small role now, but it
matters. In the end,
everything matters” (13)
– Consider a few people
in your life who play small
roles, but have made a big impact on your life. Who
are these people, and what was the impact?
CASSETTE 1, SIDE A
“…a snowball
effect” (31) –
What does snowball
effect, or butterfly
effect, mean? What
do you think
Hannah means when she says that this rumor is “just
the beginning”?
CASSETTE 1, SIDE A
“Betrayal. It’s one of the worst feelings” (13)
Why is betrayal one of the worst feelings? In your
opinion, what feelings would be worse than betrayal
– why?
CASSETTE 1, SIDE A
• “I know you didn’t mean to let me down” (13)
Consider a time when you have let someone down
(a teacher, friend, family member, etc). Did you
mean to let that person down? Does anyone ever
truly intent to disappoint someone?
CASSETTE 1, SIDE A
• “After all, how often do we get a second chance”
(19)
Have you ever gotten a second chance? Ever
wanted a second chance? Explain.
CASSETTE 1, SIDE A
• “And everyone knows you can’t disprove a rumor”
(30)
Is this statement true or false? How could you
disprove a rumor? Explain.
CASSETTE 1, SIDE B
CASSETTE 1, SIDE B
• “It’s about the repercussions of what you did. More
specifically, it’s about the repercussions to me. It’s
about those things you didn’t plan – things you
couldn’t plan” (42)
What is a repercussion? How often do we consider
the repercussions of our actions? Can we plan
repercussions?
CASSETTE 2, SIDE A
CASSETTE 2, SIDE A
• “So many things could have gone so horribly
wrong” (56)
Are you an optimist or a pessimist? How do you know
this about yourself?
CASSETTE 2, SIDE B
CASSETTE 2, SIDE B
“Unlike old age or cancer, no one anticipates a
suicide” (73)
Consider this statement, and consider its validity.
Who might know about a suicide before it happens?
CASSETTE 2, SIDE B
• “… every story I’m telling leaves so many
unanswered questions” (78)
What are ‘unanswered questions’? Why might
someone be haunted by unanswered questions?
CASSETTE 2, SIDE B
• “Revenge, in a twisted way, would have given me
some sense of satisfaction.” (83)
What are your thoughts on revenge? Is it worth it?
Should one try to seek revenge on a person who has
wronged them?
CASSETTE 3, SIDE A
CASSETTE 3, SIDE A
• “Their reputations were more important than their
faces. And Courtney’s reputation was more
important than my reputation” (112)
How important is one’s reputation? Would you value
your reputation above friendship or physical safety?
CASSETTE 3, SIDE A
• “Do you believe everything people say about me?”
(115)
With so much gossip, how can you tell the truth from
a false story? What should you do before you
accept gossip, or a second-hand story, as the truth?
CASSETTE 3, SIDE A
(110) – What role does
disappointment and
expectation have in your
daily life? How does it
affect your outlook on life?
CASSETTE 3, SIDE B
CASSETTE 3, SIDE B
• “I wanted them
to get past the
rumors… and if I
wanted people
to treat me that
way, then I had to
do the same for
them, right?” (135) – Reflect on the concept of
‘forgive and forget’ as Hannah does here.
CASSETTE 4, SIDE A
CASSETTE 4, SIDE A
(156) – If you had to
guess, which people
have you made the
most impact on?
Why? If there was a
way to see how much
impact you were
having on another
person, would you
want to know?
CASSETTE 4, SIDE B
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
CASSETTE 5, SIDE A
CASSETTE 5, SIDE A
(207) – Have you ever
wanted to just go back
In time and change
things?
CASSETTE 5, SIDE A
• “When you mess with one part of a person’s life,
you’re messing with their entire life” (201)
Consider how this statement might make you act
differently around people in your life.
CASSETTE 5, SIDE B
CASSETTE 5, SIDE B
“If there’s one thing I’ve
still got, it’s my memory.
Which is too bad.
Maybe if I forgot things
once in a while, we’d
all be a little bit
happier” (223) –What
role does memory play in our pain and ability to
forgive?
CASSETTE 5, SIDE B
• “Rationalize why this isn’t the tape you’re making a
return appearance on” (224)
What does rationalize mean? Why is this an
important theme in the novel?
CASSETTE 5, SIDE B
• “… you hardly ever talked to her and barely even
knew her, but is that your best excuse for what
happened next? Or is that your only excuse? Either
way, there is no excuse.” (224)
Is it easier to destroy/manipulate/betray someone
that you do not know well? Is there ever a good
excuse for hurting someone?
CASSETTE 6, SIDE A
CASSETTE 6, SIDE A
• “ ‘We’re all to blame’ he says. ‘At least a little’”
(233)
Is everyone, in some way, due part of the blame
when a loved one is suffering from mental health
issues (depression, etc)?
CASSETTE 6, SIDE A
• “It feels good knowing someone understands what
I’m listening to, what I’m going through. Somehow
it makes it not as scary to keep listening” (239).
How is empathy an important part of going through a
difficult situation?
CASSETTE 6, SIDE A
• “’Thank you,’ I say. And when I say it, I mean it….
For how he reacted when I broke down and cried.
For trying to make me laugh on the most horrible
night of my life” (239)
How do things such as silence and humor help in a
difficult situation?
CASSETTE 6, SIDE B
CASSETTE 6, SIDE B
(253) – Do you
agree or disagree
with this? Do you
believe that
depression or
suicidal thoughts are
something that
comes naturally?
CASSETTE 7, SIDE A
CASSETTE 7, SIDE A
(280) What do you think
Hannah means by this?
What does she mean
when she says “not
enough”?
CASSETTE 7, SIDE A
• “How do you know what a friend is?”(271)
Come up with your own definition of what a friend is.
How important are friends?