Where to start
Thirteen Reasons Why
2 versions · originally a book, 2017
This haunting narrative explores the devastating ripple effects of a classmate’s suicide through the intimate, chilling medium of cassette tapes.
✦ Most fans start here
Thirteen Reasons Why (2017)
The original novel
✦ Start hereThirteen Reasons Why
Jay Asher · Book · 2017
Thirteen Reasons Why (2017) is the essential source material, offering a singular, internal perspective that prioritizes Clay’s emotional processing as he navigates Hannah’s recorded revelations in real time.
2017 series
13 Reasons Why
Brian Yorkey · Series · 2017
13 Reasons Why (2017) functions as a serialized expansion, transforming the intimate cassette-based mystery into a sprawling investigation that dramatizes the wider social fallout within the school community.
Common questions
Is Thirteen Reasons Why a book or a show?
Thirteen Reasons Why exists as both a book released in 2017 and a television series also released in 2017. Both versions share the same title, with the book serving as the original source material for the subsequent television adaptation.
Should I read the book or watch 13 Reasons Why first?
You can choose either format to start, as both the book and the television series titled 13 Reasons Why were released in 2017. The book provides the original narrative, while the television adaptation offers a visual expansion of the story presented in the source material.
Are the 2017 book and the 2017 show titled Thirteen Reasons Why different?
While both share the title Thirteen Reasons Why and were released in 2017, they represent different mediums. The book is the original written work, and the television adaptation titled 13 Reasons Why is based on that source material.
What is the difference between Thirteen Reasons Why and 13 Reasons Why?
There is no functional difference in the story as both refer to the same 2017 intellectual property. The variation in the title is simply the difference between the written book, Thirteen Reasons Why, and the television adaptation, which uses the numerical 13.