New York Times best selling author Jay Asher will be at Words Bookstore in Maplewood Tuesday, February 10 at 4 p.m. Asher, a teen favorite whose “Thirteen Reasons Why” tackles the issue of bullying, is coming to Words as the New Jersey stop on his “50 States Against Bullying” tour.
Asher’s debut teen novel, “Thirteen Reasons Why” spent three years on the New York Times bestseller list. His second teen novel, “The Future of Us,” was coauthored with Carolyn Mackler. His novels have sold to over thirty foreign markets, and both were optioned by major Hollywood studios.
Here is a description of “Thirteen Reasons Why” from Asher’s website:
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier.
On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list.
Through Hannah and Clay’s dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.
‘When I wrote Thirteen Reasons Why, I felt confident that teens would understand and appreciate the ideas I wanted to talk about in the book,” said Asher in a press release. “And I’ve received many inspiring letters from readers saying it made them more conscious of how they treat others, as well as the importance of really reaching out when they need help and not simply dropping hints. With adults, my fingers were crossed that they would see this as an opportunity to begin a dialogue with teens about some important issues. Thankfully, they’ve jumped at the chance. It’s been wonderful to hear about some of the conversations that have started. Of course, simply hearing that they loved the book is great, too!’
Words Bookstore, 179 Maplewood Ave., Maplewood, NJ
