Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - Paperback

by Jesse Andrews (Author)

"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

Author Biography

Jesse Andrews is the New York Times bestselling author of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, The Haters, and Munmun. A graduate of Schenley High School and Harvard University, he is also an accomplished screenwriter; his adaptation of Me and Earl won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Known for his raw, honest, and hilariously unsentimental voice, Andrews captures the complexities of adolescence with a unique blend of dark humor and screenplay-style prose. He lives in Berkeley, California.