"a cool, clever title in the subject line of the email" ;)

By Jasmine S.

Just by reading the title of Jesse Andrews book, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, you're probably thinking, "Yet another story about a child dying of cancer." Jesse Andrews communicates the problems throughout high school and the true meaning of friendship clearly.

Greg Gaines, the main character of the book, is a seventeen year-old, self-centered and uncaring teenage boy. His only friend is Earl. Greg and Earl make films together and they believe the actions they are taking are the only things to make it through the terror of high school. These two keep it low-key and float around from clique to clique. Being known to belong to one stereotype is their worst nightmare; they expect to get torn apart because all the different groups want to "murder" each other.

So, Greg's first day of senior year wasn't half as bad as he expected. People didn't hate him; by this, I mean, people actually talked to him. The first day was great until his mom stepped in. Now bring in a girl with cancer. Rachel Kushner, the "dying girl," has leukemia, and Greg was being forced to befriend her. His joy of school not sucking lasted about eight hours. Eight hours of not so bad school and actually having what seemed to him as friends. Being the insensitive child Greg is, he calls Rachel up and they hang out. Greg's perspective about  genuine friendship began to expand while hanging out with Rachel. She loved the films the two boys were creating. Earl gave her a few DVDs, containing the films that they had made, to watch. Those films seemed to be her sanity while she was in the hospital receiving chemotherapy.

Andrews, descriptive skills are what make this book so enjoyable. The title is just a hook, don't be fooled thinking it's some sappy and emotional story. I definitely cannot wait to expand my reading and read more of Andrew's books. His techniques and ways of portraying his characters are solid. Much like, The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green, Me and Earl and The Dying Girl, portrays love, tragedy, and humor all tied into one extraordinary book. After all the self-centeredness, cursing, and lessons involved throughout this book, it turned out to be amazing. This is the first book by Jesse Andrews I have read and the eye watering moments are well balanced with clever and innumerable laughs. You should go find some Jesse Andrews books. If you like tragedy and comedy, I can guarantee you will love his books, but especially this one,

Me and Earl and The Dying Girl, by Jesse Andrews,  Abrams, 2015, 308 pages