Scan barcode
pacifickat's review
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm not sure how to write a review of this book yet, but I'll probably update this later with some thoughts. For now, suffice it to say that the audiobook read by Thomas Mann and RJ Cyler is brilliantly done. I laughed out loud quite a lot, and Mann perfectly captured the voice and intonation of an awkward teenage boy.
Not sure this book would be published now with certain language and stereotypes being present in the storytelling, but to me it came off as believably 'of a time' and true to what teenage boys might have said and thought circa 2012.
Also, concerning this book being a target for school and library bans, I recommend reading this article explaining the offending passages as well as a defense by the author regarding their inclusion in the story:
https://deadline.com/2023/07/jesse-andrews-me-and-earl-and-the-dying-girl-book-ban-florida-1235440379/
*UPDATE:* I finally have more to say about this book and why I liked it a lot more than I probably should have. This is a book about art and the human experience as told (messily) by a teenage boy with a foul mouth and a lot of (relatable) awkward internal monologuing. I was surprised how poignantly it capture the unbridgeable gap between artistic expression (human expression, really) and reality can be, and the frustration and existential pain this causes the main character as he attempts to understand and relate to his own interior landscape and the truth of what is happening to Rachel. The impossibility of it is profound in the end. Greg is also more vulnerable than he seems, and by paying attention to what he's NOT saying, between the jokes and meandering storytelling, one can learn a lot. In the end, art has limits as to what it can achieve, and is almost always more about the person who made it than anything else. It is, in essence, as narcissistic and self-involved as the teenager narrating this story. Does the story 'fridge' the girl to move the male character's story arc along? Yes. Does it know it's doing it and talk about how arrogant and stupid that is? Also, yes. I will end this horrifying long review with three quotes from the book:
1. "[We had made a film about a thing, death, that we knew nothing about. Maybe Earl sort of knew something, but I knew nothing about it. Plus we had made a film about a girl who we really hadn't gotten to know. Actually, we hadn't made the film about her at all. She was just dying, there, and we had gone and made a film about ourselves. We had taken this girl and used her really to make a film about ourselves, and it just seemed so stupid and wrong that I couldn't stop crying. Rachel the Film is not at all about Rachel. It's about how little we know about Rachel. We were so ridiculously arrogant to try to make a film about her."
2. "[...] I hated myself for this, I was realizing how to make the movie I should have made, that it had to be something that stored as much of Rachel as possible, that ideally we would have had a camera on her for her whole life, and one inside her head, and it made me so bitter and fucking angry that this was impossible, and she was just going to be lost."
3. "It's not a good film. OK? Actually, it sucks. Because [...] we had pretty good intentions, but that doesn't mean we made a good film. OK? Because it's not about her at all. It's just this embarrassing thing that shows that we don't eve understand anything about her. [...] Just because something is weird and hard to understand doesn't mean it's creative. That's - that's the whole problem. If you want to pretend like something is good, even when it's not, that's when you use stupid words like 'creative'. Our classmates hated it. [...] If it was good, they would have liked it. They would have understood it. And if it was good, maybe it would have helped."
Is this book perfect? No. Is it OK to not create clear meaning and purpose out of what looks and feels like chaotic nonsense? Yes. Grappling with nonbeing while being a living, breathing, conscious person can feel baffling. The actual experience can ultimately be impossible to express, to actually capture, hold, and share. The beauty of this book is that it admits to that truth, that in trying to say something meaningful, we end up saying nothing sensical at all. And, paradoxically (impossibly, frustratingly, unintentionally?) perhaps the very opposite is sometimes true as well.
Not sure this book would be published now with certain language and stereotypes being present in the storytelling, but to me it came off as believably 'of a time' and true to what teenage boys might have said and thought circa 2012.
Also, concerning this book being a target for school and library bans, I recommend reading this article explaining the offending passages as well as a defense by the author regarding their inclusion in the story:
https://deadline.com/2023/07/jesse-andrews-me-and-earl-and-the-dying-girl-book-ban-florida-1235440379/
*UPDATE:* I finally have more to say about this book and why I liked it a lot more than I probably should have. This is a book about art and the human experience as told (messily) by a teenage boy with a foul mouth and a lot of (relatable) awkward internal monologuing. I was surprised how poignantly it capture the unbridgeable gap between artistic expression (human expression, really) and reality can be, and the frustration and existential pain this causes the main character as he attempts to understand and relate to his own interior landscape and the truth of what is happening to Rachel. The impossibility of it is profound in the end. Greg is also more vulnerable than he seems, and by paying attention to what he's NOT saying, between the jokes and meandering storytelling, one can learn a lot. In the end, art has limits as to what it can achieve, and is almost always more about the person who made it than anything else. It is, in essence, as narcissistic and self-involved as the teenager narrating this story.
1. "[We had made a film about a thing, death, that we knew nothing about. Maybe Earl sort of knew something, but I knew nothing about it. Plus we had made a film about a girl who we really hadn't gotten to know. Actually, we hadn't made the film about her at all. She was just dying, there, and we had gone and made a film about ourselves. We had taken this girl and used her really to make a film about ourselves, and it just seemed so stupid and wrong that I couldn't stop crying. Rachel the Film is not at all about Rachel. It's about how little we know about Rachel. We were so ridiculously arrogant to try to make a film about her."
2. "[...] I hated myself for this, I was realizing how to make the movie I should have made, that it had to be something that stored as much of Rachel as possible, that ideally we would have had a camera on her for her whole life, and one inside her head, and it made me so bitter and fucking angry that this was impossible, and she was just going to be lost."
3. "It's not a good film. OK? Actually, it sucks. Because [...] we had pretty good intentions, but that doesn't mean we made a good film. OK? Because it's not about her at all. It's just this embarrassing thing that shows that we don't eve understand anything about her. [...] Just because something is weird and hard to understand doesn't mean it's creative. That's - that's the whole problem. If you want to pretend like something is good, even when it's not, that's when you use stupid words like 'creative'. Our classmates hated it. [...] If it was good, they would have liked it. They would have understood it. And if it was good, maybe it would have helped."
Is this book perfect? No. Is it OK to not create clear meaning and purpose out of what looks and feels like chaotic nonsense? Yes. Grappling with nonbeing while being a living, breathing, conscious person can feel baffling. The actual experience can ultimately be impossible to express, to actually capture, hold, and share. The beauty of this book is that it admits to that truth, that in trying to say something meaningful, we end up saying nothing sensical at all. And, paradoxically (impossibly, frustratingly, unintentionally?) perhaps the very opposite is sometimes true as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Drug use, and Racial slurs
Minor: Misogyny, Homophobia, and Fatphobia
rachelschloneger's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Child death and Cancer
ruthypoo2's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Cancer
koplomps's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
What a douche of a main character and a fucked up best friend. The way they talked about their fellow female students was disgusting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Sexism, Biphobia, Child death, Cursing, Violence, Racism, Bullying, and Sexual content
Moderate: Drug use, Abandonment, Body shaming, Body horror, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Racial slurs
Minor: Fatphobia and Toxic friendship
kshertz's review
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This is definitely an interesting perspective of a boy in high school struggling with self acceptance while a girl who likes him dies. I’d honestly have rather heard her perspective! There was some reverent great moments but overall didn’t live up to my expectations.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Child death, and Chronic illness
rhiannon814r's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
If you loved Holden Caulfield, you’ll love Greg Gaines and this is the book for you. I do not love Holden Caulfield.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Racial slurs, Cancer, and Terminal illness
sprucewillow's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Child death, Cancer, and Death
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Physical abuse, Drug use, and Biphobia
asteracea's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Cancer, Child death, and Homophobia
nisanre's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book was irreverent, ridiculous, and hilarious. The number of times I laughed out loud. More of a 4.25. Greg is an excellent narrator with a great, clear voice. A great filler book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death and Child death
briarsreviews's review
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is such a unique read with it's mix of story telling in typical paragraph format but also in screen-writing/script format.
This book hit hard. My Dad had the same kind of cancer "The Dying Girl" has and I honestly didn't realize this was going to be a book with cancer in it. Yeah, I should have known (what else was a teenager likely going to die from?), but boy... This one hit right in the heart.
Regardless, this is an interesting contemporary tale of friends making memories together. It's a tough read emotionally, and it's kind of "make the best of what you can" kind of story. There's incredible sarcasm and horrible humour, and also lots of introspection near the end of when death really hits you. You can tell this book is just about kids in a really crappy situation.
Don't expect a love story. This is just a book about kids being kids.
Three out of five stars.
This book hit hard. My Dad had the same kind of cancer "The Dying Girl" has and I honestly didn't realize this was going to be a book with cancer in it. Yeah, I should have known (what else was a teenager likely going to die from?), but boy... This one hit right in the heart.
Regardless, this is an interesting contemporary tale of friends making memories together. It's a tough read emotionally, and it's kind of "make the best of what you can" kind of story. There's incredible sarcasm and horrible humour, and also lots of introspection near the end of when death really hits you. You can tell this book is just about kids in a really crappy situation.
Don't expect a love story. This is just a book about kids being kids.
Three out of five stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cancer, and Death