[2] To ensure he fully captured the emotions of the story's main character, Hannah Baker, he gathered information from women about their high school experiences.

[2] Asher wants readers to understand that it was a conscious decision not to make any mention of mental health issues, as his story is more about how we treat people.

[6] Thirteen Reasons Why had remained in hardcover long past the usual one-year release-to-paperback schedule due to its continued grassroots popularity and sales fueled by author participation.

[9] High school student Clay Jensen receives a mysterious package in the mail with seven cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, a classmate who has recently died by suicide.

After the show's release, school psychologists criticized the novel's premise for failing to address mental illness and making Hannah's death seem like the result of "stressors or coping challenges.

[17] The book has been challenged because it addresses teen suicide, is sexually explicit, includes drugs, alcohol, and smoking, and is considered unsuitable for the age group.

[16] In May 2017, the curriculum director in Mesa County School District in Colorado ordered librarians to stop circulating the book due to a rash of student suicides.

[3] Principal Diana Allen said, "If we don't talk about it, we're hiding from it," and shared that she wants students to have conversations about the book and be aware that counselors are there to support them.

[3] Further, educators James Chisholm and Brandie Trent argue that incorporating the novel into school curricula can not only increase students' reading comprehension and analytic skills, but also their ability to apply the themes of the novel in their own lives as well.

[30] On October 29, 2015, Netflix announced that it would be making a television adaptation of the book with Selena Gomez in the role of an executive producer instead of the main character.

In the TV series: Justin Foley, Jessica Davis, Alex Standall, Tyler Down, Courtney Crimsen, Marcus Cole, Zach Dempsey, Ryan Shaver, Sheri Holland, Clay Jensen, Bryce Walker, Mr. Porter.