Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Revised Edition)

By: Jesse Andrews

Narrated by: Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, full cast

The book that inspired the hit film!

Up until senior year, Greg has maintained total social invisibility. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time - when not playing video games and avoiding Earl's terrifying brothers - making movies, their own versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics. Greg would be the first one to tell you his movies are f*@$ing terrible, but he and Earl don't make them for other people. Until Rachel.

Rachel has leukemia, and Greg's mom gets the genius idea that Greg should befriend her. Against his better judgment, and despite his extreme awkwardness, he does. When Rachel decides to stop treatment, Greg and Earl must abandon invisibility and make a stand. It's a hilarious, outrageous, and truthful look at death and high school by a prodigiously talented debut author.

This audiobook is read by the stars of the movie adaptation, Thomas Mann and RJ Cyler, as well as Keith Szarabajka, Hillary Huber, Kirby Heyborne, Abigail Revasch, and Adenrele Ojo.

©2013 Jesse Andrews (P)2015 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Narrator Thomas Mann is flawless as insecure high school senior Greg Gaines." (AudioFile)

Love this book

This book is something I jumped in looking for something funny and I got something with lots of emotions I would recommend this book to anyone up for a great story

I listened with my daughter

we both enjoyed the performance and story very much. we laughed out loud many times plus had a meaningful discussion. best of both worlds

Laugh out loud moments despite the tough issues!

There were some real laugh out loud moments in the book and I could easily relate to Greg, the main character. Greg is one of those guys in high school that is well liked, but never really fits into a particular group of friends. It is through Greg’s interactions with Rachel, the dying girl, and Earl that Greg suddenly realizes the importance of friendship.

Unfortunately, this is where I start to lose interest in the book. Now don’t get me wrong, the storyline and characters are very well developed. It is the vulgar content and language in the novel that really turned me off. I will concede that this is a young adult novel and there are young adults who act and speak with great crudeness. I, however, found it to be a bit over the top and it actually lessened my enjoyment of an otherwise fantastic book.

What I learned

I've actually seen the movie before reading this book and before then I had no clue that such a novel existed. I've learned some from the story of "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" and/ or had some perspective. It wasn't cliche and it didn't try hard not to be either. I think we can all relate to Greg Gains story because like most lives, it doesn't have a over romantic, unbelievable, unrealistic ending or in the beginning and middle. Overall, it was great and I enjoyed it more than the movie.

Cute Story

This is not your typical dying girl story. You will get a brief feel-good cry... but you will spend most of the time smiling and laughing. 5 stars

Don’t see the controversy

I read this book as a mom in her 40’s that is going through books that school districts are attempting to ban. While I’m far from my high school years and not a book I typically would choose to read, I did enjoy it and the story line.

Having a son that is an introvert and is not very social, it helped me understand him more and maybe things he’s going through.

Different from other YA books

Would you listen to Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Revised Edition) again? Why?

Probably not. I liked it a lot, but I didn't love it. It's not the type of book that I would typically listen to again.

What other book might you compare Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Revised Edition) to and why?

I suppose a lot of people would compare it to The Fault in Our Stars because one of the main characters has cancer, but that is where the similarities end. There is no romance or great adventures. There aren't really any memories made or lessons learned.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but the narration in this book is fantastic. A full cast is a great and different experience.

Any additional comments?

It is pretty different from the movie. The movie is happier.

Random!

Very good book. I especially if you have a young man (high school senior boy) in your life. Insightful. Kinda weird. I liked it a lot.

Excellent teen book

I read this book with my 14-year-old daughter and it struck home with her and with me. It’s written in a sarcastic, simple way from the eyes of a teenager. As the parent, I could’ve used less swearing , but this is how kids talk. It explores the messages of hope, death, social inequality, and teenage awkwardness,.

The conundrum of listening to this book

Greg is one of the most obnoxious narrators ever. That said, this book wouldn't be Me and Earl and the Dying Girl without him. It's quite the conundrum.