13 Reasons Why has taken the internet by storm. A thought provoking story of what drives a young girl to suicide, this show has gotten many people talking. The Netflix Original is based on the 2007 book by Jay Asher, and I like many other adolescents at that time read the book. I loved the book when it came out, it talked about important issues going on with every day lives of high schoolers. When the Netflix show came out, I hadn't read the book in years and was a little fuzzy on the details. I loved the show and all the detail that went into it, and how they didn't shy away from serious topics. After watching the show I was inspired to read the book again. Once reading the book I realized they had changed a lot and added some details to characters.
Warning! Spoilers!
1. Sheri's name change
In the book Sheri's character is named "Jenny Kurtz", but the show had it changed to "Sheri Holland". Possibly because Jenny and Jessica sound too much alike and might be confusing with the storyline?
2. Olly Olly Oxen Free
When Hannah, Jessica, and Alex are at Monet's, they use the phrase "Olly Olly Oxen Free" to release their frustrations, while in the show the characters go for a trendier "FML".
3. The tapes are stretched out
In the book Clay finishes the tapes in a single night, spending most of the time riding around to Hannah's stops and sitting in a diner. In the show however, Clay has a much harder time getting through the tapes, and spends more than a week listening to the chilling stories.
4. The order is different
While the first few names are the same, the order changes once Hannah gets to Jessica's party. In the book Clay is number 9, while in the show he is number 11. I like the change in the show more because it lets Clay skip Bryce and give the tapes to Mr. Porter, preventing Bryce from destroying the tapes, while having the other people on the tapes know of there existence.
5. Sweet sweet Jeff
Jeff is a character in the book, but he is just a nameless senior who dies because of Jenny/Sheri's mistake. In the show he is much closer to Clay, acting as his wingman, making it that much more painful when he dies.
6. Guardian Angel Tony
I love Tony. He is one of my favorite characters in the show. From the first episode he is seen following Clay, making sure he is ok while listening to the tapes. In the book we don't find out that Tony is following Clay until a few tapes in. Tony just wants to do what is right by Hannah, and I love him for wanting to do what he thinks is right.
7. The Bakers store
A change made to show the family struggles in Hannah's home life, the Bakers own a pharmacy that is competing with a big-box store in the show. In the book the Bakers just own a little shoe store that does not play a big part in Hannah's story.
8. Courtney's story
Courtney is the popular girl involved in all the after school activities, but she has a little secret. In the book Courtney wants to be liked by everyone to prove that she is the most popular girl in school, hanging out with Hannah and inviting her to parties solely for the purpose of being on Hannah's good side. In the show however, Courtney is hiding the fact that she is gay due to the fact that she was raised by gay parents, and doesn't want people blaming her parents for her sexual orientation. Courtney begins to ignore Hannah after the night with her and Tyler taking pictures, which causes Hannah to feel abandoned and lost.
9. The lawsuit
Hannah's parents play a very minor role in the book while in the show they are filing a lawsuit against the school because they believe Hannah was bullied and the school did nothing about it. This creates tension with Clay and his mother since his mom is a lawyer and will be representing the school.
10. Student Interference
Throughout the show the other students on the tape are constantly checking in on Clay to make sure he doesn't reveal the tapes or do anything crazy. The threaten him, follow him, and push him to finish the tapes so that they will be done with. In the book no other student really interferes with Clay listening to the tapes, possibly because Clay listens to them all in one night instead of a week.
11. Clay confronts Bryce
In the show we get a brave confrontation between Clay and Bryce. Bryce raped Hannah in a pool and Clay hides a voice recorder in his backpack, very Hannah Mr. Porter-esque, and gets him to confess to the rape. It's an important moment in the show that shows that maybe justice will prevail, but in the book Clay just passes the tapes along to the next person.
12. Something happens to Alex
In the final episode we see that Alex Standall was shot in the head. Many people speculate that Tyler shot him due to the fact that Tyler has a suitcase full of guns and he took a picture of Alex down in the dark room, but I believe that Alex shot himself. There are many times in the show you worry about Alex, especially when he is drunk and he falls in Bryce's pool and you wonder if he will be able to swim. The last time we see Alex is when he is cleaning his room, which is exactly what Hannah did before she died. None of this happens in the book, and it just adds more gravity to the situation.
13. The way Hannah does it
In the book Hannah is said to swallow some pills as her method. In the show though, we get a graphic scene of Hannah slitting her wrists in the tub. The producers wanted to show how painful suicide is and how it's not an easy thing to do, so they opted for a more violent method. It's a hard scene to watch, but it serves its purpose well.
