Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
By Jesse Andrews
Index
Book Summary
Who Challenged the Book and Why?
Outcome of the Challenge
The Role of Technology
School Leadership and Censorship
References
Summary
"Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics. Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel. Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives. And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight" (Goodreads).
Who Challenged and Why?
Most commonly challenged due to: - Profanity
- Sexually Explicit
- Degrading to Women
Who Challenged the book? - Many school districts
- Parents
- Advocacy Groups, like Moms for Liberty
(Titus, 2025)
Ranked #6 on ALA's Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2024
(ALA, 2025)
Outcome?
After the inital challenge, many school districts agreed to one of the following actions regarding the book:
- retaining the book within the library
- students of a certain grade or higher would be allowed to check out the book
- parents would be able to select which titles their student can and cannot read
- remain available for check out, but not allowed to be used as instructional material
(Unite Against Book Bans, 2024)
The Role of Technology
How does digital access (e-books, online libraries, AI, etc.) change the censorship conversation?
Before technology and access to digital resources, censorship used to be pulling library books off the shelves. Once the book was challenged or banned, the information in it would be censored by its removal from circulation. With technology, we have access to millions of e-books, databases, and online libraries. With this access, we are facing a new type of censorship. Many resources are blocked by a paywall or subscriptions, only allowing certain people to access the information available. This allows the quiet removal of resources from the general population of people, thus limiting access and essentially banning the material. In addition to this, AI systems can influence what information people see when they first research a topic. This can lead to the filtering of what material and content the user sees first. Technology can also allow for the access of previously banned materials. Just because something was removed from a library shelf, doesn't mean it cannot be accessed anywhere else. This allows previously banned material to be accessible, making censorship harder to enforce.
School Leaders
What role should school leaders play in addressing book bans and access issues?
School leaders, including administrators and librarians, play a critical role in ensuring all students have equal access to materials and books. The ASCD discusses the Critical Inclusion Framework that should be taken into consideration when a book or information is being challenged (Liou & Cutler, 2023). The framework is summarized below.
- Research School and Community Voices - School leaders should discuss expectations with both the parents and the students within the school. Many times when a book is banned, students feel as if the ban is censoring their identities.
- Read the Books - Many times when books are banned or challenged, the people in charge have not read the books themselves. School leaders need to make informed decisions about the books being challenged, therefore should read the books and have the background knowledge.
- Reinforce Formal Reviews and Legal Precedent - Every school should have a process in which they go through when a book is formally challenged. The process must align with the laws and constitutional rights.
- Reemphasize Relevancy - School leaders must discuss how the content within challenged books are relevant to the students, the content they are learning,as well as their interests and identity.
- Reaffirm Expectations for Inclusivity - School leaders are required to ensure that their school is an inclusive environment where every student feels welcome and safe. School leaders need to think about how the books that are challenged could make students feel unwelcome within the school community.
References
Goodreads. (n.d.-a). Me and Earl and the dying girl. Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13764595-me-and-earl- and-the-dying-girl Liou, D., & Cutler, K. (2023, February 1). A framework for resisting book bans. ASCD. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/a-framework- for-resisting-book-bans Me and Earl and the dying girl by Jesse Andrews Book Resume. Unite Against Book Bans. (2024, January 25). https://bookresumes.uniteagainstbookbans.org/wp-content/uploads/Andrews_MeAndEarlAnd_20240125.pdf Titus, R. (2025, August 5). Banned books 2025 – ME and Earl and the dying girl: A novel. Marshall Libraries. https://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/me-and-earl-and-the-dying-girl/ Top 10 most challenged books of 2024. American Library Association. (2025). https://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10
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Transcript
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
By Jesse Andrews
Index
Book Summary
Who Challenged the Book and Why?
Outcome of the Challenge
The Role of Technology
School Leadership and Censorship
References
Summary
"Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics. Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel. Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives. And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight" (Goodreads).
Who Challenged and Why?
Most commonly challenged due to:- Profanity
- Sexually Explicit
- Degrading to Women
Who Challenged the book?- Many school districts
- Parents
- Advocacy Groups, like Moms for Liberty
(Titus, 2025)
Ranked #6 on ALA's Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2024
(ALA, 2025)
Outcome?
After the inital challenge, many school districts agreed to one of the following actions regarding the book:
(Unite Against Book Bans, 2024)
The Role of Technology
How does digital access (e-books, online libraries, AI, etc.) change the censorship conversation?
Before technology and access to digital resources, censorship used to be pulling library books off the shelves. Once the book was challenged or banned, the information in it would be censored by its removal from circulation. With technology, we have access to millions of e-books, databases, and online libraries. With this access, we are facing a new type of censorship. Many resources are blocked by a paywall or subscriptions, only allowing certain people to access the information available. This allows the quiet removal of resources from the general population of people, thus limiting access and essentially banning the material. In addition to this, AI systems can influence what information people see when they first research a topic. This can lead to the filtering of what material and content the user sees first. Technology can also allow for the access of previously banned materials. Just because something was removed from a library shelf, doesn't mean it cannot be accessed anywhere else. This allows previously banned material to be accessible, making censorship harder to enforce.
School Leaders
What role should school leaders play in addressing book bans and access issues?
School leaders, including administrators and librarians, play a critical role in ensuring all students have equal access to materials and books. The ASCD discusses the Critical Inclusion Framework that should be taken into consideration when a book or information is being challenged (Liou & Cutler, 2023). The framework is summarized below.
References
Goodreads. (n.d.-a). Me and Earl and the dying girl. Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13764595-me-and-earl- and-the-dying-girl Liou, D., & Cutler, K. (2023, February 1). A framework for resisting book bans. ASCD. https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/a-framework- for-resisting-book-bans Me and Earl and the dying girl by Jesse Andrews Book Resume. Unite Against Book Bans. (2024, January 25). https://bookresumes.uniteagainstbookbans.org/wp-content/uploads/Andrews_MeAndEarlAnd_20240125.pdf Titus, R. (2025, August 5). Banned books 2025 – ME and Earl and the dying girl: A novel. Marshall Libraries. https://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/me-and-earl-and-the-dying-girl/ Top 10 most challenged books of 2024. American Library Association. (2025). https://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10