In our school systems as well as in society in general, it is often questioned whether certain topics should be exposed to people. Children in school are, many times, not allowed to read certain books that are banned due to their content. Sometimes, it is necessary for these essentially taboo ideas to be brought to the table. The book 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher presents the theme of depression and suicide, and should be an important part of curriculum for students. 13 Reasons Why begins when a high school student named Clay Jensen receives a package of cassette tapes. As he listens, he discovers the story of a girl from his school, Hannah Baker, who killed herself. The tapes delve into Hannah’s mind and reveal the events and emotions behind her suicide. This plot brings to the reader the themes of depression and suicide. Hannah explains the deeper set emotions behind the seemingly little events that occur throughout her life. Because of this, the reader is made aware of the fact that any …show more content…
The effects of depression in teens include feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or anger, having low self esteem, withdrawing from social activities, doing poorly in school, and changes in eating or sleeping patterns. These symptoms often go overlooked by the adults in young people’s lives because of the common expectation for teenagers to be moody and unagreeable. Additionally, in many cases, teens do not possess a full understanding of what is occurring with their feelings and thus do not put forth much effort into expressing their negative emotions, so they fail to recognize their symptoms as those of depression and do not try to seek any sort of aid. With one in five adolescents suffering from depression, it is incredibly important that this topic be presented to young people in schools so that they are made aware of the signs and effects as well as encouraged to take the necessary steps to obtain