13 Reasons Why, Netflix Series
By Jenevive Desroches on Wednesday 19 April 2017, 10:14 - Book Review - Permalink
"Today, I am wearing lacey black underwear
For the sole purpose of knowing I am wearing them.
And underneath that, I am absolutely naked.
And I've got skin.
Miles and miles of skin.
I've got skin to cover all my thoughts like saran wrap
That you can see through to what leftovers are inside from the night
before.
And despite what you might think,
My skin is soft,
And smooth,
And easily scarred.
But that doesn't matter right?
You don't care about how soft my skin is.
You just want to hear about what my fingers do in the dark.
But what if all they do is crack open windows so I can see lightening through
the clouds?
What if all they crave is a jungle gym to climb for a taste of fresher
air?"
~Hannah Baker, age 17 (13 Reasons Why)
Nope, this is not a book. But it is a story. One I stayed up too late last night finishing while I sewed shorts for my own teen. We'll switch back to printed word next week.
The above excerpt is longer than I usually pull, but it's also everything I love about this show. And I do love it. Netflix sells 13 Reasons Why as the story of one teenager's suicide, but it's so much more. It's one of those stories that pulls you in and leaves you aching as much for the secondary characters as you do for the main two. The poem was spoken by Hannah, the thread that pulls the rest of the show's story lines together. And yet it could have been about any of the characters. They are all strong and flawed and perfect and vulnerable and fierce and wildly, wildly beautiful in the midst of their own lives and dramas.
13 Reasons Why doesn't answer any questions, except to say that we need to be better to each other. It doesn't pose any solutions. The specific challenges and problems raised are universal. The show is not without flaw (why, for example, in a cast that is so diverse, does this story still center white lives?), but it is powerful and it is important.
So yes, I recommend it. Just keep your emotion-management tools of choice (tissues, punching bags, etc) nearby.
