Set in the fictional Evergreen town, ‘13 Reasons Why‘ deals with the suicide of a student, Hannah Baker who leaves behind a series of cassettes, consisting of reasons behind her suicide. It stars Dylan Minnette, Katherine Langford, Christian Navarro, Alisha Boe, and Brandon Flynn. The first season was released on Netflix on March 31, 2017. It received positive reviews and was praised for its subject matter and acting, particularly the performances of Dylan Minnette and Katherine Langford.
The series highlighted sensitive issues like suicide, depression, and rape in a very glorious manner. The series was no doubt bold with its content and did not shy away from its graphic content. However, its graphic depiction of issues such as suicide and rape along with other mature content prompted concerns from mental health professionals. The series is very disturbing and can take a toll on mental health and it’s not recommended for a young audience.
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Did A Real Story Inspire ‘13 Reasons Why’?
Despite its content being realistic, the show is not based on a true story. The character of Hannah Baker though is fictional, it draws reference from a real-life incident. The first season, mostly revolved around the life of Hannah Baker, and the reason behind her suicide. After receiving positive reviews for season one, the showrunner moved ahead with seasons two and three, drifting away from the central topic. Although Hannah, Clay, and the others are not actually real, Jay Asher has revealed that some of the things that happen in the book come from his own experiences and those close to him.
The documentary is about the creation of ‘13 Reasons Why‘ and the mental health issues portrayed in the series. It’s called ‘13 reasons why: beyond the reasons‘, and there are three episodes streaming on Netflix. After the release of ‘13 Reasons Why‘, awareness and spread of Mental Health increased worldwide. Sadly, on the contrary, after the release of the series, suicide among teenagers increased by 28.9%, conducted a study by the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
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Is The Show Based On A Book?
All the ‘13 Reasons Why‘ geeks are aware that the series is not based on a true story, but rather a book. The series is adapted from the book of the same name, written by Jay Asher. The book was originally published in 2007, as it follows the events of the first season, shifting between Hannah and Clay’s perspectives. Though the novel is not based on a true story, Asher did confess about the situations being loosely based on situations that happened in real life.
Asher explained to Coming Soon in an interview that, “All of the reasons Hannah describes were based, at least loosely, on situations I’d either experienced or heard about, mostly from my wife or close female friends. While Hannah wasn’t specifically based on anyone, her character always felt very real. So it was a matter of interpreting those situations through her thoughts and feelings,” he told, adding, “But, years before I came up with the premise, a close relative of mine attempted suicide when she was also a junior in high school. When I eventually did come up with the idea, it was obvious why it came to me as a female in high school.”
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