When I was a freshman in high school, my English teacher split the class into small reading groups. Each group was assigned a different book to read, one of them being "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher. My group was assigned that book. The book covered a sensitive topic: teen suicide. It was the first time I got to learn about mental illness from something other than a health textbook. I found it interesting and the book instantly became my new favorite.

Now, as a sophomore in college, I watched the Netflix series, "13 Reasons Why", which is based off of that book. Each episode goes along with each tape Hannah Baker, the main character, recorded as part of her suicide note. Since the show was released on Netflix, I've seen mixed reviews on social media. Many people have raved about the show, but others have found it to be a bit too disturbing. A lot of people are still on the fence about whether they should watch the show or not. Here as my advice to those people: read the book first, and then decide. As cliche as it sounds, the book really is the best version of the story. It's quite a bit different than the Netflix series, including the ending.

If you do decide to watch the series, don't try to binge-watch it all in one night. Each episode is jam packed full of sensitive material and it can be hard to watch at times. Take your time watching it. Some people can watch four episodes in one night while others can only watch one. It's similar in the show. Some of the characters can listen to all thirteen tapes in one night, while Clay takes multiple days to listen to them. Take breaks if you need to in order to try not to overwhelm yourself - especially when it comes to the last episode.

I think that everyone should try and watch this show. It can teach everyone something new about mental illness. Hopefully, after watching the show, people will try to treat others better.