Thirteen Reasons Why

I finished Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher a few days ago. I haven't written yet about it because I can't figure out how I feel. Here's the synopsis from amazon:
When Clay Jenson plays the casette tapes he received in a mysterious package, he's surprised to hear the voice of dead classmate Hannah Baker. He's one of 13 people who receive Hannah's story, which details the circumstances that led to her suicide. Clay spends the rest of the day and long into the night listening to Hannah's voice and going to the locations she wants him to visit. The text alternates, sometimes quickly, between Hannah's voice (italicized) and Clay's thoughts as he listens to her words, which illuminate betrayals and secrets that demonstrate the consequences of even small actions. Hannah, herself, is not free from guilt, her own inaction having played a part in an accidental auto death and a rape. The message about how we treat one another, although sometimes heavy, makes for compelling reading. Give this to fans of Gail Giles psychological thrillers.

Well written: yes
Creative: yes
She is clearly a very depressed girl with few coping skills or anyone she trusts to really listen. Number 13 on the list should be shot. If he existed in real life and the tapes became public I would hope that he would lose his job and any credibility. To me, this book belongs up there with Speak (one of the most important young adult books of the last 10 years). This book should be taught in schools if only as a way to begin real discussion. If you are a suicide survivor it will probably be painful to read. Read it anyway.

I would like to interview the author. I want to know why he wrote this book.

alcohol & depression

You know how sometimes you know something, but you haven't accepted it? That's how I've been with alcohol for the last couple years. I've known that it was uniquely bad for me, but I've continued to drink, sometimes beyond a healthy limit. Recently I drank 4 1/2 beers over a few hour period. The next day I felt awful, not really physically, mostly emotionally. I was depressed and anxious. I did a tiny bit of research and came across some interesting information. The first bit is that people like me (family history of alcoholism & depression as well as my own issues) should not drink, ever. This was not entirely surprising, but like I said I'd been ignoring this.
The second bit of info was far scarier. It was about suicide statistics. Basically if you are older and you suffer from depression & are an alcoholic you are at a much greater risk of committing suicide. What are you suppossed to do with this information when you love people who fit this description and you know they won't seek help?
As for myself I'm cutting down on drinking. Ideally I would like a drink to be a special occasion thing only. I'm sick of being around people who have to have a drink especially in a date situtation. If you can't have fun together sober than perhaps something is wrong.