Jay Asher (born September 30, 1975) is an American writer and novelist. He is best known for writing the bestselling 2007 book ''

Thirteen Reasons Why ''Thirteen Reasons Why'' (stylized as ''TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY'') is a young adult novel written by Jay Asher in 2007, that follows the story of Hannah Baker, a high school freshman, and the thirteen reasons why she kills herself. Following her de ...

''.

Early life

Asher was born in

Arcadia, California Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of th ...

, on September 30, 1975. He is half Jewish. He attended Cuesta Community College and later

California Polytechnic State University California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (California Polytechnic State University, Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt in Arcata, California or California State Polytechnic Univ ...

San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (; Spanish for " St. Louis the Bishop", ; Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, in the U.S. state of California. Located on the Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfwa ...

, before leaving during his junior year to pursue his career as a writer. Asher spent years trying to kick-start a career writing children's picture books. During this time, Asher worked at a shoe store, a trophy shop, libraries, and bookstores..

Career

Asher has published four books: ''Thirteen Reasons Why'', a 2007 New York Times best-selling young-adult fiction novel; ''The Future of Us'', co-written by Carolyn Mackler; ''What Light''; and ''Piper''. Asher has also written several picture books and middle school humor novels. ''Thirteen Reasons Why'' won several awards and received five stars from Teen Book Review. It also received high praise from

Ellen Hopkins Ellen Louise Hopkins (born March 26, 1955) is a novelist who has published several ''New York Times'' bestseller, bestselling novels that are popular among the teenage and young adult audience. Personal life Hopkins was adopted by Albert and Val ...

Sherman Alexie Sherman Joseph Alexie Jr. (born October 7, 1966) is a Spokane- Coeur d'Alene-Native American novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker. His writings draw on his experiences as an Indigenous American with ancestry from se ...

Chris Crutcher Chris Crutcher (born July 17, 1946) is an American novelist and a family therapist. He received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 2000 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens. Biography Crutcher was ...

, and Gordon Korman. Asher's novel, ''

'', was considered for a film treatment with

Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...

starring. Netflix released a series based on the novel on March 31, 2017, with Gomez serving as executive producer.

Sexual misconduct allegations

In April 2017, the

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization that acts as a network for the exchange of knowledge between writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers ...

and Asher's agent received an email signed anonymously by seven female members of the society accusing Asher of using conferences to lure women into sexual affairs and that he threatened them to keep quiet. Asher, who is married, admitted to engaging in multiple affairs with members of the society and agreed to no longer attend the conferences in any capacity. In February 2018, the

announced that it had expelled and cut ties with Asher in 2017 following allegations of sexual harassment. Asher disputed that he was expelled stating that he left voluntarily, and filed a lawsuit against the society. Prior to the lawsuit the allegations were not publicly reported in the press. Asher maintains that the affairs were consensual and that he has been a target of harassment for a decade. Asher has not revealed the names of his accusers stating that he has no intention in doing so. On February 13, 2018, a spokesperson for Netflix confirmed to ''

BuzzFeed News ''BuzzFeed News'' is an American news website published by BuzzFeed. It has published a number of high-profile scoops, including the Steele dossier, for which it was heavily criticized, and the FinCEN Files. Since its establishment in 2011, it ...

'' that Asher did not play a creative role in the further seasons of the series.

Personal life

Asher married Joan Marie on September 7, 2002. Asher lives in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Published works

Young adult novels

* ''

'' (2007) *: This is the story of

Hannah Baker Hannah Baker (August 28, 1990 or 2000 - October 9, 2007 or 2017) is a fictional character created by American author Jay Asher. She is the subject of his 2007 young adult fiction mystery novel '' Thirteen Reasons Why'', which was adopted by the ...

, a girl who dies by

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

. She reveals her thirteen reasons for her decision in a series of several audio tapes mailed to a classmate with instructions to pass them from one student to another, in the style of a chain letter. Through Hannah's recorded voice, her classmates learn the reasons why Hannah decides to take her own life. Besides Hannah, the reader also sees the story through the eyes of

Clay Jensen Clay Jason Jensen is a fictional character created by author Jay Asher. He is the protagonist in ''Thirteen Reasons Why'', a novel written for teenagers where a girl, Hannah Baker, commits suicide. Clay is also the main character in the Netflix tel ...

, one of the recipients of the tapes. * '' The Future of Us'' (2011), co-written with Carolyn Mackler *: This is the story of Josh and Emma, two teenagers who used to be best friends until a huge misunderstanding. In 1996, Josh helps Emma set up her internet, only to find Facebook - before it has been invented. There, they can see themselves 15 years in the future - status updates, information, friends, etc. Using Facebook, they are able to change their destinies. * ''What Light'' (2016) *: Sierra's family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon - it's an idyllic place for a girl to grow up, except that every year they have to pack up and move to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. And leaving one always means missing the other. Until this particular Christmas, when Sierra meets Caleb, and one life begins to eclipse the other.

Comics

* ''Piper'' (2017), a graphic novel co-written with Jessica Freeburg and illustrated by Jeff Stokely

Non-fiction

* ''Sunny Boy: More Than a Family Story'' (2017), memoirs

Adaptations

* ''

13 Reasons Why ''13 Reasons Why'' is an American teen drama television series developed for Netflix by Brian Yorkey and based on the 2007 novel ''Thirteen Reasons Why'' by author Jay Asher. The series revolves around high school student Clay Jensen (Dylan Mi ...

'' (2017-2020), series developed by

Brian Yorkey Brian Yorkey is an American playwright and lyricist. His works often explore dark and controversial subject matter such as mental illness, grief, the underbelly of suburbia, and ethics in both psychiatry and public education. Early life Yorkey w ...

, based on novel ''

References

External links

*
Official web site of ''Thirteen Reasons Why''
, featuring an interactive map of the town

Play review in Daily Herald
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Asher, Jay 1975 births 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American male writers American children's writers American humorists American male novelists American young adult novelists California Polytechnic State University alumni Cuesta College alumni Living people Jewish American novelists Violence against women in the United States 21st-century American Jews