Tag Archive for: 13 reasons why

COLUMN: 13 Reasons Why relies on female suffering for storytelling


In a previous column, I gave credit to Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why for doing what high school television shows rarely do: explore the consequences of the characters’ cruelty and apathy toward each other and themselves. Instead of portraying action, 13 Reasons Why focuses on reaction — the characters’ responses toward Hannah’s suicide and the incoming […]

COLUMN: 13 Reasons Why lacks emotional captivation


I first encountered Thirteen Reasons Why in middle school, reading Jay Asher’s novel alone in my bed as the entire house sat quiet around me. At 13 and 14 years old, I always found myself reading when the night is the most frightening: the rest of my family asleep, left alone with nothing but my thoughts. […]