"The funniest book you'll ever read about death." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
A New York Times bestseller and the basis for a major motion picture, Jesse Andrews's hilarious, uncompromising, and heartbreaking debut is perfect for fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Fault in Our Stars.
Greg Gaines is the master of high school self-preservation. His strategy? To be so middle-of-the-road and friendly to every clique that he remains essentially invisible. He spends most of his time making mediocre, shot-for-shot parodies of classic movies with his "best friend" Earl (a term Greg uses very loosely).
Greg's carefully crafted invisibility is shattered when his mother forces him to befriend Rachel, a classmate who has just been diagnosed with leukemia.
What follows becomes increasingly complicated, as Greg and Earl decide to make a film for Rachel. It is a journey through the "moronic" world of high school, the frustrations of creative failure, and the reality of a life-changing illness—all told with Greg's biting wit and trademark honesty.
Why readers love Me and Earl and the Dying Girl:
A Truly Unique Voice: Told through a mix of traditional narrative, screenplay scripts, and Greg's self-deprecating lists.
Honest & Unsentimental: A coming-of-age story that avoids "cancer book" clichés in favor of raw, dark humor and genuine emotion.
Celebrated Adaptation: The basis for the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize–winning film.
"It is mineral-water episodic, raw, and very funny." — The New Statesman
"One of the funniest, truest voices I've ever read." — The Guardian
Praise
**STARRED REVIEW**Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“A frequently hysterical confessional...Debut novelist Andrews succeeds brilliantly in painting a portrait of a kid whose responses to emotional duress are entirely believable and sympathetic, however fiercely he professes his essential crappiness as a human being. Though this novel begs inevitable thematic comparisons to John Green's The Fault in Our Stars (2011), it stands on its own in inventiveness, humor and heart.”
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**STARRED REVIEW**Booklist, starred review
“One need only look at the chapter titles (“Let’s Just Get This Embarrassing Chapter Out of the Way”) to know that this is one funny book.”
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"Mr. Andrews' often hilarious teen dialogue is utterly convincing, and his characters are compelling. Greg's random sense of humor, terrible self-esteem and general lack of self-awareness all ring true. Like many YA authors, Mr. Andrews blends humor and pathos with true skill, but he steers clear of tricky resolutions and overt life lessons, favoring incremental understanding and growth."Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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“It is sure to be popular with many boys, including reluctant readers, and will not require much selling on the part of the librarian."VOYA
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