Having been a teacher for many years, I was curious about this book simply because of the title. I wondered about The Shadow Scholar: How I Made a Living Helping College Kids Cheat.
Dave Tomar cannot be described as having lived a clean or healthy lifestyle. He partied during college as much as he could with limited means. The college he went to was the only one in his state which he could afford. When he needed to get his car out of tow, he had no way of coming up with the ninety dollars he needed for the fine. A friend offered him ninety dollars to do a term paper for her, and his business was born.
Dave claims he only showed up for class to take exams, and he somehow managed to pass every course without doing his homework. He resented the fact that he wasn't getting his money's worth out of his education. However, once he started writing essays, term papers and even master's theses or doctoral dissortations, he discovered that he was getting the education he wanted by doing other people's homework.
The author dreads the future of America given his knowledge of the entitlement mentality of today's young people. He lays out the seamy underbelly of higher education, both the students and the administration.
This book doesn't make for pretty reading, but you will learn an insider's view of college and university mentality.
Kathi Linz
