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How I Paid for College

A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship, and Musical Theater

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About this listen

 From syndicated humor columnist Marc Acito comes a wildly inventive and hysterically funny novel that is equal parts Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Fame, Risky Business, Dead Poets Society, and The Catcher in the Rye.

It's 1983, and 17-year-old Edward Zanni wants to study acting at Juilliard, but his newly remarried father, who earns too much for Edward to claim scholarship money, refuses to pay. So, Edward enlists the aid of his creative theater pals to swindle the money from his father. Posing as nuns and priests, the troupe concocts embezzlement and money laundering schemes to get Edward his badly needed cash.

How I Paid for College is a hilarious coming-of-age story that rings true with anyone who's ever dared to dream big.

©2004 Marc Acito (P)2004 Recorded Books, LLC Coming of Age Genre Fiction Humorous Literature & Fiction Fiction Money Comedy Witty Funny

Critic reviews

"Acito nails his scenes one after another, from Edward's shifting (but always enthusiastic) sexuality to the silly messes he gets himself into. The result is a thumbs-up winner from a storyteller whose future looks as bright as that of his young hero." (Publishers Weekly)
"A witty high school romp....Acito's characters are a self-consciously eccentric crew, but their haphazard friendships and over-the-top scheming are thoroughly believable. The ease with which Acito has choreographed their crazy capers makes you hope there's lots more where all this came from." (The New York Times Book Review)
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Edward Zanni is a (1980s) high school student, all set on going to Juilliard to study theatre, enjoying school plays, dance classes, singing and English classes...when his (divorced but now with new girlfriend) dad announces he will only pay for a business degree. Disaster! How is Edward going to pay for college? Well, this book follows the absurd, larger than life ways that Edward and his friends attempt to raise the money. Along the way we have hijinks, sarcasm, humour, musicals, drama, frivolity, escapism, irreverence, novels, self-discovery, a wonderful circle of friends, a supportive English teacher....

I thoroughly enjoyed the story and found it very funny. It is larger than life, at times silly and ridiculous, at other times serious and full of strong emotions. The setting and characters are vividly conveyed. I very much enjoyed the wonderful performance by Jeff Woodman - this book is read and sung. The singing was great as I don't always recognise music described in books, and am not very good at "hearing" it from memory, or imagining it.

A marvellous sung and spoken rendition

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Adored this book so hoped the audio would live up to expectation. It exceeded it. Great voice work brought a new dimension to one of my fa ourote reads. Hoping we see the sequel get the same treatment!

Great Character Work

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One of the best books I’ve listened to. Fantastic narration (I will definitely look out for more by Jeff Woodman) and a story that made me laugh out loud.
It’s a shame book 2 ‘Attack of the Theatre People’ isn’t available.

Great story and fantastic narration

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