The Shadow Scholar
Dave Tomar
Bloomsbury USA
<p>Last fall, a writer using the pseudonym Ed Dante wrote an explosive article in <i>The Chronicle of Higher Education</i>, confessing to writing term papers for a living. Technically, they are "study guides," and the companies that sell them-there are quite a few-are completely legal and easily found with Google. For about $10-20 a page, Dante's former employers will give you a custom essay, written to your specifications. During Dante's career, he wrote made-to-order papers for everything from introductory college courses to Ph.D. dissertations. There was never a shortage of demand.<i> </i><i>The Shadow Scholar </i>is Dante's account of this dubious but all-too-relevant career. In stories embarrassing, absurd, hilarious, and ultimately sobering, he explores not merely his own misdeeds but the bureaucratic and cash-hungry colleges, lazy students, and even misguided parents who helped make it all possible.With unemployment pushing 10 percent and many college grads living with their...</p>