Thirteen Reasons Why

“You can't stop the future
You can't rewind the past
The only way to learn the secret
...is to press play.” 
-Jay Asher, Thirteen Reasons Why

According to many, this book has changed and saved lives around the world. After hearing such amazing reviews, I had to read the book myself. So I ordered it from Amazon and I am so glad that I did!

Rating & Audience level

4/5

To me, this is for mature readers due to sexual references, suicide and language.

Through my eyes

WOW! That is all I have to say. I did not mean to spend my whole work day reading this book. It was so intriguing that I couldn't put it down.

The way Asher wrote this book, through both Hannah and Clays eyes, is what makes the story. The back and forth of his thoughts and her words is what I like the most.

Most people like seeing that they have packages addressed to them on their front porch. Clay Jensen was the exact same way. He carried it into his room and opened it. Inside were seven tapes, numbered 1-13 on each side. There is no letter or note inside explaining who, what, when, where and why he has these tapes. So out of curiosity, he finds a tape player in the garage and puts the first tape in, presses play and is taken back by what he hears.

Hannah Baker was the typical new girl in town. She fit in at one point, but then high school slapped her in the face. After many tragic events that had happened in a short amount of time, she took her own life.

"Hello boys and girls, Hannah Baker here," these were the words that came through the radio. In the beginning, Hannah explains why she has made the tapes. There were thirteen main reasons why she decided to take her own life. Each one of those reasons is a person. When the person who has the tapes finishes them, they are to pass them on to the other person. If that person does not pass them to the next, a second set of tapes is going to be released for everyone to hear. What Clay didn't understand is why he was on the list. He was always so nice to Hannah.

Throughout the book, each person has who has affected her life has a side of a tape. Each story has a special spot in the town where the event talked about took place. Clay travels to each spot and listens to the tape. Little by little, Clay comes to realize that he loved Hannah. He misses working with her. He misses her touch. He just misses her.

After finding out where he stood in the tapes, he finished them all. Clay passes the tapes on to the next person. He realizes that he needs to be there for other people who are distancing themselves, making obvious changes in their lives and anyone who needs someone to talk to. The tapes changed his life completely.

Many people would not agree with her choice of suicide because they do not think that the things she went through are agreeable to take their own life. After reading many reviews about the hatred towards Hannah, it upset me because not everyone can handle anything. People are all created differently. I cry at the drop of a dime. Thomas on the other hand could have his hand cut off and not shed a single tear. That is why suicide is one of the top 5 reasons for death around the world. Yes, there could have been a lot more serious issues with her but she took all she could handle in the world. I really did enjoy the book and I would read it again!

The raw and intense emotions throughout the book is what held me on to each and every word that Asher wrote. He wrote about a topic that people do not take lightly. In my eyes, he made it easy to read and it has helped many people pull through any problems that they may have been dealing with. Asher also opened the eyes to all the kids who ever bullied someone. Just remember that your words can hurt someone deep. 

If your having problems, talk to someone. Anyone. Talk to me. I’ll listen. I can’t promise you that I have all the answers, but I’ll listen to you. And I will send you virtual hugs and videos of kittens. They won’t be a solution to your problems, but even just a smile helps a bunch to brighten your day.

There are also many other ways to get help. http://www.suicidehotlines.com is a great place to go. All you have to do is choose your state and call. Someone is there 24/7 to here you, help you and give you a outlet.

Jay Asher also has a website to leave your own thoughts, stories and to help one another. http://www.13rwproject.com/#/reviews/312

The book has changed many lives, maybe it can change yours too. 

Brats, Cars and Beer!

Good Evening Y'all!

Whew. Today was a long one. This morning I went to work at 7 am, after being up all night trying to figure out my new awesome blog ;) 

Today on Ramstein the Enlisted Club did their first Car Show. Usually it would have been a success, but of course Germany wanted to hand us some bad weather! This morning it was a lovely one. The wind was blowing and it felt so nice outside. My friend, Amanda, and I made burritos to sell to the bikers before they left for the Poker Run. 

I am sure you are thinking, "What is a Poker Run?" Well, I can tell ya! It is where the bikers (motorcycles) drive 2 hours out and 2 hours back, stopping along the way at different locations. When they stop, they are to pick up a card from a certain spot, bring all the cards back and they are given prizes based on the hands they are given! It is a totally awesome idea and they had a lot of fun!

After we got done selling our awesome burritos, my car showed up! ;)

Haha. I wish! The awesome people for ADAC brought this out for everyone to take pictures with and drool over.

So after my car showed up, we were told to sell some awesome hamburgers from the restaurant, J.R. Rockers. We set up everything to make some money!
Some awesome vendors came out to show everyone what they had going on! There were two big hits though! The Red Bull promoters and the Kawasaki Motorcycle promoters.

Kawasaki Military Sales were raffling this sweet Ninja motorcycle to one lucky winner. They were also raffling a two night stay at the beautiful Edelweiss Resort & Lodge in Garmisch, Germany. (We are going there in two weeks, and I am excited!)
I did sign Thomas up for the Ninja giveaway and I signed up for the Edelweiss giveaway! Let's just say, I hope I am the winner and not him. ;)

Red Bull was giving out there new energy drinks. They have come out with 3 new flavors that are pretty tasty! They now have blueberry, cranberry and lime flavored Red Bulls. They also came out to the show with this AWESOME race track simulator! All the boys and men were waiting in line to give the simulator a spin. :)
I really liked the blueberry and lime flavors!



It was the recipe for the perfect day. I mean who doesn't love awesome brats, some pretty sweet cars, and ice cold beer?! Well mother nature had something else in mind, of course.

Around 1 PM it decided to rain! It was horrible but that didn't stop these car lovers from having fun! There were still fun games and contests going on for adults and kids! My favorite game to watch was the pickle game. It was where the adults tied a pickle around their waist, put their hands on their head and had to move the matchbox car to the other side of the stage only thrusting their hips! It was a great thing to watch and absolutely hilarious.

The rain got heavier after a hour, so they shut down the food vendors. Although they shut us down, the car lovers were still sticking it out and showing off their cars!

After I got off, I came home. Thomas was cleaning like crazy because his parents are coming to visit in a week! We cleaned and cleaned. After I got done cleaning, I was so tired I couldn't even walk. The rain can knock you on your butt when you didn't get any sleep the night before.
So I laid down and read a new book, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, and fell asleep mid read! It is now 3:15 in the morning over here in good ole' Germany!

This girl is tired y'all so she is going to bed!
I hope everyone in the States has a great Saturday evening and everyone in Germany is sleeping tight!

Have a good one y'all :)

Sincerely,

The Southern Bookworm

THIS BLOG claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. All of these pictures belong to the Ramstein Enlisted Club.I am simply using them to show what happened during today's activities. 

Hey Y'all!

Welcome to my page. Thank you so much for visiting it! My name is Rachel Wilson and I am 19 years young. 

Yes I am married! He is an amazing Airman and his name is Thomas. :) We are currently living in Germany with our adorable pup Husker! 

This blog is going to be a little about everything that is going on in our crazy world. It will mainly be about books, food and our travels around Europe. These are my favorite things besides my family :) I am currently working at a coffee shop on base and I love it!
I am hoping to start my Woman's Studies degree in January. When we return to the states, I am going to be pursuing some kind of degree to start an awesome career for myself. I am partially a grown up but I have no idea what I want to do in near future.

I really hope y'all enjoy my blog and everything it has to offer. I know I am new to it but I will get the hang of it :)
Thanks y'all once again and have a great day/night :)