Dear Geneva 304 Families,
We want to make you aware of a relatively new Netflix series, “13 Reasons Why,” based upon Jay Asher’s 2007 young adult novel. The series centers on an adolescent girl’s suicide and the thirteen cassette tapes she leaves behind detailing the reasons why she took her life. While the show is opening up awareness and conversation about issues that are typically hard to talk about, especially between adults and teens, there are some blatant shortcomings in its execution. The show and the book deal with mature themes, including sexual assault and suicide that are vividly portrayed in the TV version. As a result, the show is not appropriate for some viewers, particularly young teens and/or those whom have struggled with mental illness, self-injury or thoughts of suicide, and minimally should not be watched without accompanying dialogue and/or intervention from trusted adults.