13 Reasons Why is a show and a book about a girl named Hannah Baker, who faces many challenges in her life, resulting in her suicide. Before she committed suicide she recorded cassette tapes on the reasons why she took her life. She leaves them for her acquaintances to listen to. The tapes go in order of the way things happened. After each acquaintance is done listening to the cassettes, they are supposed to pass it on to another person from the tapes.

There are many opinions on 13 Reasons Why. Some people think highly of the show, and believe it is important for teens to watch. Guidance counselor Michelle Huber finds value in the show. “I think it is a very powerful series to watch,” she said. Huber thinks there is a lot of strong content throughout the series that serves the purpose to have thoughtful conversations with parents or adults. According to an essay in the Chicago Tribune, the show sends unintended messages that may glorify suicide.

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I’m very frank and open with my family which is incredibly important.

— Junior Rebekah Hallman

Huber’s gives advice to stop a bullying situation. “It is to somehow intervene, whether that is standing up for the person, getting in the middle of people, or trying to break up a situation.” She believes that the biggest thing a person can do to help bullying is to tell other people. “If [teachers] are in our classrooms or office, we don’t get to see what’s going on in the hallways,” Huber said.

Rebekah Hallman thinks 13 Reasons Why shows the hard truths about mental illness. “Suicide can be dealt differently by everyone with different personalities,” Hallman believes. She has dealt with depression in her own life, “I’m very frank and open with my family which is incredibly important.” Finding a great support system can help with depression and anxiety.

Overall there are many different opinions on the show, as well as different people’s thoughts on how the show and book handle difficult topics shown throughout the storyline.