The book 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher is a book about many social problems that eventually lead up to the death of Hannah Baker, one of Clay’s good friends. She explains 13 reasons why she killed herself, each reason being about a different person. This however makes her a very interesting character. In the beginning of the story she full of happiness and had all the hope in the world, but at the end each reason made her more and more depressed and full of despair.

In the first couple of chapters, she didn’t have a problem in life. She just started school, she had a lot of friends and no work to worry about. Everything would seem perfect right? Wrong. She trusted to people way too much, it came to a point where they started to take advantage of that. An example of this is on page 29 and it says, “I can still see Justin huddled among his friends at school. I remember Hannah walking by, and the whole group stopped talking. They averted their eyes. And when she passed, they started laughing.” Justin was the guy that gave Hannah her first kiss. After many rumors about the different stuff they did, he left her by herself, meaning he only kissed her because she liked him and he didn’t like her at all. He was just one person that lied to and betrayed her through out the book.

During the middle of the book, Hannah starts to get a picture of how bad she is getting treated by the other kids at her school. They are doing really weird things to her  because they think that she doesn’t have her own feelings so they can to anything to her. For example, she was touched by boys that had no reason to touch her like that. Afterwards, they would use a stupid excuse that was not even relevant to the situation at all. Another example is of this kid named Tyler. He did worse than touching her, he stalked her and he took pictures of her room. She was heavily scared from that and at that moment was when she finally realized that people are taking advantage of her and she needed to stop being so kind to everyone.

In the final parts of the book, Hannah just gave up on life. She had been treated so badly that she just had enough. And the worst thing that happened to her was that she was raped by one of the boys at her school. She didn’t even try to stop him because she knew their was no point. On page 253 it says, “I’m sorry. I guess thats an odd thing to say. Because isn’t what i’m doing? Giving up?” I think at this point, she didn't have the will to stop people anymore. Like she didn’t stop Tyler when she found out he was stalking her. She had given up, and after she got raped, she was done, that was the point when she just killed her self.

In conclusion, Hannah changed a lot in the story. She went from being exited about her new school to being full of despair and have no point in living anymore. This book is a good book for kids to read today to let them know that they should stand up to people who are bullying them or doing anything that makes them uncomfortable.

Summer Reading Response for A Long Way Gone

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah is about a strong boy who experiences a lot of war in such a short amount of time. He has to travel to different towns to try and escape the rebels who are on a hot route towards him. Through out the story, Ishmael showed tremendous courage, strength, and consistency and that is what makes him a good character.

In the situation that Ishmael was in, you have to keep courage and not to lose hope. That is exactly what he did. For example, on page ninety-six it says, “Some said it was Gasemu’s fault that we didn’t get to see our parents. Others said it wasn’t, and that if it hadn’t been for him, we would all be dead. I didn’t care. I wanted to see my parents, even if it meant dying with them.” He was never distracted by excuses. He never blamed anything on anyone because he thought that he wasn't going t live. He kept his head high and he never got down on himself. This is why Ishmael Beah is a courageous person and he teaches many people to keep your heads high and to not give up.

There is two different types strength, and Ishmael Beah is both types. You can be two types of strong, physically and mentally. In terms of physical attributes, Beah, was very strong. He was tortured and it only made him stronger. He went into the army and fought and shot at a lot of people. That takes a lot of strength. The other strength is the mental type. When you are in  any type of war or even argument you might lack in this. The fact that he kept strong and kept going is a great feature. An example of this is on page 109 and it says, “ ‘You are afraid of looking a man in the eye and holding a gun. Your hands tremble as if the gun is being pointed at your head.’” This is a important line because it teaches Ishmael to keep strong. It also teaches him that he can’t be afraid when his life on his line. That is what makes him strong.

The last trait of Ishmael Beah is his consistency through out the whole thing. He always stayed positive and always followed what he was told. He kept him self out of trouble and never killed anybody that he didn't need too. He was always good. He was a good person. A reason that he was so good is because of this, “It was during that attack in the village of Kamator that my friends and I separated. It was the last time i saw Junior, my older brother.” This explains that he has a reason to go all out and kill the rebels. But he doesn’t. Even when he loses his parents and his brother and friends, he still does’t want to kill anybody to prove a point. This is why he is consistent throughout his story.

In conclusion, Ismael Beah is a great character. He always keeps his cool and his head up. He does this consistently  and is a great teacher for people. I believe that a lot of children should know his story and learn from him because he is a truly great person.