I know I have been gone from my blog for a while and I apologize. School has been keeping me extremely busy this semester and getting my grades to stay where they need to be has been hard work. I felt I needed to add a post though.
A few months ago I came across a book due to its very good reader rating. It wasn't a book that I was looking for, so I passed it by and payed no attention to it. However, over the next month I continued to come across this book, so finally I stopped and looked at the synopsis to see what all the fuss was about. The book is called "The Thirteen Reasons Why" and it is about a girl in high school that commits suicide, but before doing so she makes a collection of audio tapes that discuss the thirteen people that, for the most part, nudged her toward the end. The book looked interesting so I got it and added it to my collection where it has stayed for the last couple months. Finally yesterday I felt a need to take a break from studying so I opened the book and read it. Like the main character in the book, I found myself needing to reach the end of this girls story. When I finally made it I thought about my life and the things I have done that may have affected others. So often we interact with others on a daily basis without realizing the full effect just our presence has on someone. Whether positively or negatively there is nothing any of us do that does not affect someone else. This of course led me to yet another thought.
I had a very close friend in high school who committed suicide. If he had made tapes discussing those that altered his life to the point that he felt there was no escape, would I be on those tapes? I'm not saying I ever did anything towards him that I wish I hadn't done, or feel bad about in anyway, but was there something I did or didn't do that made him feel he couldn't come to me? My friend was not the typical person you think of when you think of someone that would commit suicide. He was not a loner that acted depressed or withdrawn. He actually had many friends, went to parties, and was constantly smiling and laughing. So what changed his mind about life?
This may be a depressing subject, but I encourage everyone to read this book. The author wrote the book intending it to be a suspense novel, but there is a very powerful message present, everyone matters. No matter who you are, or think you are, you matter to those around you and what you do creates a ripple effect that could eventually lead to a snowball effect. Read it for my friend and anyone you may have known that commited suicide.
