By CHANTAL ALBA

Netflix released its new original series “13 Reasons Why” last Friday and, yes, I binge-watched it. The series is based on the best-selling book by Jay Asher, which follows around Clay Jensen and his quest to uncover the truth about why his friend and crush, Hannah Baker, committed suicide.

The series starts off with Clay coming home to a mysterious box with his name on it. Inside the box, are cassette tapes recorded by Hannah leaving detailed stories dedicated to specific people about why she decided to take her life. If you haven’t watched it yet, I highly recommend that you do. It’s a great show and will definitely pull at your heart strings with its intense emotional content.

Personally, I think this series is great and I’m glad it’s generating a lot of buzz because it sheds a lot of light about the issues teenagers deal with everyday in high school. It gives you a real portrayal of how high school can be for some students. It shows just how bad things can get between bullying, friendships that end in betrayal, rumors, and loneliness. Basically all things that pushed Hannah to take her own life.

If you have a heart and soul, than you can definitely empathize with Hannah Baker’s tragic decision, and Clay’s need to try to make things right for her even though it is already too late.

This story shows that each of us need to hold ourselves accountable to being a good person, because we never know what a person is going through or how much they can take. I don’t want to give away anything for those who haven’t watched it, but this story can definitely serve as a fictional cautionary tale about why we need to treat others with kindness and respect.