Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is American Jesse Andrews' 2012 debut smash hit. Released in March 2012 in hardcover and May 2013 in paperback, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl follows Greg Gaines as he begins to really bond with another kid named Earl, with whom he watches old Herzog and Coppola movies and makes their own movies. That is, until Greg's mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with a girl named Rachel. The trouble is: Rachel was diagnosed with leukemia. Greg doesn't want to want to hang out with her -- but he's got to obey his mom's orders. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl make a movie for her -- The Worst Film Ever Made -- and their lives change forever. A few of the book's core themes are insecurity, self-absorption, point-of-view, and compassion.
Upon release, the novel was met with critical acclaim. On book review aggregator Goodreads.com, it holds a respectable 3.6 stars out of 5; on Amazon.com, it holds 4 out of 5 stars. According to one Amazon review: "[Me and Earl and the Dying Girl] is refreshingly honest and told with an authentic voice."
A film adaption of the novel was released in 2015, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and starring Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke, and Jon Bernthal. Produced for $8 million, it made $9.1 million back at the box office. However, it was a bigger critical success, garnering an 81% critic score on movie review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Reads the sites critical synopsis: "Beautifully scripted and perfectly cast, Me & Earl & the Dying Girl is a coming-of-age movie with uncommon charm and insight." The film won't be remembered as a classic, but will be remembered as a solid adaption and good film.
