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Edward Zanni #1
How I Paid for College: A Tale of Sex, Theft, Friendship and Musical Theatre
Columnist and first-time novelist Marc Acito has been called the "gay Dave Barry." But don't expect to find riffs on bad traffic, pirate-speak, and all-writer rock bands in Acito's debut, How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater. As stated in the title, this book finds humor and adventure mainly in those topics that would most appeal to a stereotypically gay audience: musicals, piano bars, and sex, sex, sex.
Did I mention the sex? By the end of the book, the teenage characters are so liberated that they'd probably find an evening at Studio 54 slightly mundane. All kinds of interesting scenarios arise when Ed Zanni, a bisexual high-school drama club star from suburban New Jersey, is denied tuition to Julliard by his well-to-do father and wicked step mother. Fortunately his close friends, Paula (ample of body, unlucky in love), Kelly (Ed's cheerleader girlfriend), Doug (his football player love interest), Natie (a nerd with a gift for white-collar crime) and Ziba, (a regal, Middle Eastern beauty), are very willing to engage in fraud, forgery, and blackmail to help him pay for drama school. Ah, high school.
Despite the naughty bits, How I Paid for College is actually rather sweet. Set in high school as it is, Acito's book is somewhat reminiscent of young adult fiction. Yes, there's a lot more homoerotica than the Sweet Valley High series could have prepared readers for, but still it reminds one of those early days--full of tragedy and disappointment--and yet safely nestled in a time of life before real tragedy and disappointment usually set in. It's easy to forget this is a book for adults... until the three-ways commence. And a fast-moving, light-hearted story with three-ways? Well, entertainment-wise, readers could do a lot worse. --Leah Weathersby
277 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
62 people are currently reading
4248 people want to read
About the author
Marc Acito
6 books78 followersFor those who do not know me, I'm very famous. My debut novel, How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship and Musical Theater won the Oregon Book Awards' Ken Kesey Award for the Novel although I sometimes leave out the Oregon part to make it sound more important. It was also selected as a Top Ten Teen Pick by the American Library Association, though it still has not achieved my ultimate goal of being banned by irate fundamentalists. The New York Times chose College as an Editors Choice, it's been optioned for film by Columbia Pictures and is translated into five languages I can't read, though I can now say "cunnilingus" in Norwegian.
FUN FACT #1: My name is also an anagram for "A Comic Art," or "A Comic Rat," depending on how you feel about me.
I was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, on January 11, 1966, attended by Three Wise Guys. The couple who raised me deny it, but I suspect I might be the secret love child of Liza Minnelli and Peter Allen, which explains my effervescent personality and fondness for prescription medication.
FUN FACT #2: I am actually the second cousin once removed of Sandra Dee. As in "Look at me I'm..."
I grew up in Westfield, New Jersey, the small-town star of high school and summer camp musicals. Y'know, the guy who wore Capezio dance shoes and leg warmers to school. In my defense, it was the 1980s.
FUN FACT #3: In the ninth grade, I won the American Legion Good Citizenship Award. It's been downhill ever since.
Like my hero Edward Zanni, I, too, dreamed of going to acting school, though I didn't turn to a life of crime to pay for it. In my case, it was the prestigious music theater program at Carnegie-Mellon University, the oldest BFA acting program in the country. (I changed it to Juilliard in How I Paid for College because no one wants to read a book about a kid whose dream is to go to Pittsburgh.) That dream turned to a nightmare, however, when I was kicked out due to artistic differences: I thought I could act but the faculty didn't. But that's okay, because it eventually gave me the idea for my second book, Attack of the Theater People, which comes out April 15th, the 96th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.
FUN FACT #4: I cried when Leonardo DiCaprio froze to death.
I moved to New York, where I tried to find myself and instead found a blue-eyed charmer with the unlikely name of Floyd. Our first date was the Halloween parade in Greenwich Village, followed two days later by what turned out to be Liberace's final performance. Floyd and I have been together ever since. He's now the society columnist for Just Out, Oregon's gay newspaper, and a very loud tour guide at the Portland Art Museum.
FUN FACT #5: Floyd and I both have the same middle name, which is Evan.
I subsequently transferred to Colorado College, where I graduated in 1990 and went on to study singing in Europe on a Watson Fellowship. Upon my return, I clawed my way to the middle singing comic character roles with companies such as Seattle Opera, Opera Ireland and the Colorado Opera Festival. Despite being lauded for a "booming voice and rubber face," I decided instead to become a writer so I could work at home in bed, like hookers and Winston Churchill.
FUN FACT #6: I have had 36 jobs in my life, and almost as many hair-dos. Neither the jobs nor the hair-dos worked out very well.
I began my writing career with my syndicated humor column, "The Gospel According to Marc," which earned me poverty wages at nineteen alternative newspapers nationwide, as well as the sobriquet "the gay Dave Barry."
FUN FACT #7: When I met Dave Barry, he looked me in the eye and said, "Let's just get one thing clear: I'm the gay Dave Barry."
I still freelance, most notably as a commentator for National Public Radio's All Things Considered
FUN FACT #1: My name is also an anagram for "A Comic Art," or "A Comic Rat," depending on how you feel about me.
I was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, on January 11, 1966, attended by Three Wise Guys. The couple who raised me deny it, but I suspect I might be the secret love child of Liza Minnelli and Peter Allen, which explains my effervescent personality and fondness for prescription medication.
FUN FACT #2: I am actually the second cousin once removed of Sandra Dee. As in "Look at me I'm..."
I grew up in Westfield, New Jersey, the small-town star of high school and summer camp musicals. Y'know, the guy who wore Capezio dance shoes and leg warmers to school. In my defense, it was the 1980s.
FUN FACT #3: In the ninth grade, I won the American Legion Good Citizenship Award. It's been downhill ever since.
Like my hero Edward Zanni, I, too, dreamed of going to acting school, though I didn't turn to a life of crime to pay for it. In my case, it was the prestigious music theater program at Carnegie-Mellon University, the oldest BFA acting program in the country. (I changed it to Juilliard in How I Paid for College because no one wants to read a book about a kid whose dream is to go to Pittsburgh.) That dream turned to a nightmare, however, when I was kicked out due to artistic differences: I thought I could act but the faculty didn't. But that's okay, because it eventually gave me the idea for my second book, Attack of the Theater People, which comes out April 15th, the 96th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.
FUN FACT #4: I cried when Leonardo DiCaprio froze to death.
I moved to New York, where I tried to find myself and instead found a blue-eyed charmer with the unlikely name of Floyd. Our first date was the Halloween parade in Greenwich Village, followed two days later by what turned out to be Liberace's final performance. Floyd and I have been together ever since. He's now the society columnist for Just Out, Oregon's gay newspaper, and a very loud tour guide at the Portland Art Museum.
FUN FACT #5: Floyd and I both have the same middle name, which is Evan.
I subsequently transferred to Colorado College, where I graduated in 1990 and went on to study singing in Europe on a Watson Fellowship. Upon my return, I clawed my way to the middle singing comic character roles with companies such as Seattle Opera, Opera Ireland and the Colorado Opera Festival. Despite being lauded for a "booming voice and rubber face," I decided instead to become a writer so I could work at home in bed, like hookers and Winston Churchill.
FUN FACT #6: I have had 36 jobs in my life, and almost as many hair-dos. Neither the jobs nor the hair-dos worked out very well.
I began my writing career with my syndicated humor column, "The Gospel According to Marc," which earned me poverty wages at nineteen alternative newspapers nationwide, as well as the sobriquet "the gay Dave Barry."
FUN FACT #7: When I met Dave Barry, he looked me in the eye and said, "Let's just get one thing clear: I'm the gay Dave Barry."
I still freelance, most notably as a commentator for National Public Radio's All Things Considered
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 476 reviews
February 10, 2017
4,5 stars!
HILARIOUS!
FUN!
Have you seen Project X? No, this book doesn't have a lot of in common with a movie Project X.
Except maybe an average age of the MCs.
Except maybe how I feel reading it!
This book cracked me up. I WAS ENTERTAINED!
Marc Acito made me laugh and his book left a smile on my face after I finished it.
It was a totally right choice. A perfect choice!
HILARIOUS!
FUN!
Have you seen Project X? No, this book doesn't have a lot of in common with a movie Project X.
Except maybe an average age of the MCs.
Except maybe how I feel reading it!
This book cracked me up. I WAS ENTERTAINED!
Marc Acito made me laugh and his book left a smile on my face after I finished it.
It was a totally right choice. A perfect choice!
July 16, 2019
It's 1983 (though you really can't tell except for how Reagan's in office) and Edward Zanni's on top of the world. It's the summer before his senior year, he's been accepted to Juilliard, and life just couldn't be better, but everything screeches to a halt when Edward's father tells him he's not paying for his son to go to acting school. So Edward and his friends pull together and make a plan. The title pretty much says it all: nerd power, capers, sexual experimentation, con artists, and cross-dressing.
I really enjoyed this once I got past the opening chapters. This book starts off with a flamboyant, completely over-the-top tone, and Paula and Edward aren't introduced so much as shoved at us, and Edward thinks he's straight -- I don't know WHERE he got that idea. This is a guy who sings, dances, loves musicals, name-drops Liza Minnelli, and compares himself to Bette Davis. I nearly gave up. But, around the fifth chapter, Edward admits he's attracted to men, and I decided there was hope for him yet and kept reading. I'm glad I did. Edward quickly becomes a real person. He's brave and lazy and likes boys, and girls too, and he's scared about his future, and in love with people he can't have. The nerd across the street -- Natie Nudelman, possibly my favorite character in the whole book -- plots ways to help Edward pay his tuition, and then there's the aforementioned capering. Their group of friends has the jock, the theatre people, the nerd, and the foreign girl, but they're not stereotypes and each contributes something unexpected to the group dynamic. This basically reads just like a young adult novel, but with more actual sex. I just wish Edward could have had more positive experiences with gay sex; the few encounters he did have were mostly a result of coercion, and that's just not sexy fun. Though, for the most part, this novel is.
Four stars -- good for people who like teenage sex comedies, nerd power, dressing up like nuns, (frustrated) gay lust, petty crime, blackmail, musical theatre, lesbians, and making your own family out of whoever's around. I'm already mentally standing in line for Acito's next novel.
I really enjoyed this once I got past the opening chapters. This book starts off with a flamboyant, completely over-the-top tone, and Paula and Edward aren't introduced so much as shoved at us, and Edward thinks he's straight -- I don't know WHERE he got that idea. This is a guy who sings, dances, loves musicals, name-drops Liza Minnelli, and compares himself to Bette Davis. I nearly gave up. But, around the fifth chapter, Edward admits he's attracted to men, and I decided there was hope for him yet and kept reading. I'm glad I did. Edward quickly becomes a real person. He's brave and lazy and likes boys, and girls too, and he's scared about his future, and in love with people he can't have. The nerd across the street -- Natie Nudelman, possibly my favorite character in the whole book -- plots ways to help Edward pay his tuition, and then there's the aforementioned capering. Their group of friends has the jock, the theatre people, the nerd, and the foreign girl, but they're not stereotypes and each contributes something unexpected to the group dynamic. This basically reads just like a young adult novel, but with more actual sex. I just wish Edward could have had more positive experiences with gay sex; the few encounters he did have were mostly a result of coercion, and that's just not sexy fun. Though, for the most part, this novel is.
Four stars -- good for people who like teenage sex comedies, nerd power, dressing up like nuns, (frustrated) gay lust, petty crime, blackmail, musical theatre, lesbians, and making your own family out of whoever's around. I'm already mentally standing in line for Acito's next novel.
January 11, 2009
This book started off pretty good and entertaining but then it went downhill and the plot and storyline got too unbelievable and out of control. I would have enjoyed just reading about the lives and antics of several "play people" high school students. I didn't need all the stuff about money laundering and blackmail.
I ended up kind of skimming the last 100 pages. I did enjoy a lot of the musical theater, pop culture references and it was a fluffy enough read for what I was in the mood for (I needed good bubble bath literature).
I ended up kind of skimming the last 100 pages. I did enjoy a lot of the musical theater, pop culture references and it was a fluffy enough read for what I was in the mood for (I needed good bubble bath literature).
January 24, 2009
Absolutely one of the funniest books I've read to date. Gordon Korman meets Ferris Bueller in a story where the characters get caught up in a hilarious and crazy-wacky scheme that totally snoballs out of control, beyond anything they can imagine.
It is the mid-80s, and all 17-year-old Edward wants is to enroll in the drama program at Julliard. But when his father remarries the most psycho of psycho step-mothers, Edward gets kicked out of the house and learns he can kiss his college plans goodbye. Unable to qualify for financial aid, Edward recruits his group of eccentric friends to help him get into the college of his choice. All they have to do is "borrow" the identity of a long-dead teen, skim some cash from evil-stepmother's secret bank account, and set up a phony scholarship that is so specific only Edward could meet the qualifications. What could go wrong? Absolutely everything!
p.s. Oh yeah...there's also dressing up as nuns, sneaking into a gay bar, and the theft of a 3-foot ceremic green Buddha.
It is the mid-80s, and all 17-year-old Edward wants is to enroll in the drama program at Julliard. But when his father remarries the most psycho of psycho step-mothers, Edward gets kicked out of the house and learns he can kiss his college plans goodbye. Unable to qualify for financial aid, Edward recruits his group of eccentric friends to help him get into the college of his choice. All they have to do is "borrow" the identity of a long-dead teen, skim some cash from evil-stepmother's secret bank account, and set up a phony scholarship that is so specific only Edward could meet the qualifications. What could go wrong? Absolutely everything!
p.s. Oh yeah...there's also dressing up as nuns, sneaking into a gay bar, and the theft of a 3-foot ceremic green Buddha.
June 13, 2012
I love me a good gay catcher in the rye story anyday
August 10, 2021
i... have no fucking idea how to review this book, because oh my god, what was this fucking book?
let me backtrack for context. i picked this book up for one reason and one reason alone: my high school drama club had (presumably still has) a tradition where, on the opening night of every show, one person reads to the entire cast a segment about 80% of the way into this book about the theater experience. without context, when you're hopped up on adrenaline and anticipation and the knowledge that literal months of hard work are about to pay off, hearing this segment is fucking transcendental. it is a piece of writing that is going to live in my head forever. and so, on the opening night of my last high school play ever, searching for a way to ground myself as i felt high school theater slipping away, i thought: i've gotta read that fucking book.
and oh my god, was it a fucking book.
i feel like some kind of reprobate talking about how much i loved this, because this is one of the horniest books i've ever read and also every single character is a hysterically shitty person. at the same time, reading this feels exactly like watching ferris bueller's day off feels, if ferris bueller's day off was committed to one-upping itself every ten pages and throwing in another twist that could have given me whiplash/a concussion/a broken neck. i don't even know what it is about this book! the fact that the main character's narration is addictive and i did genuinely care about him despite the fact that he is, like, definitely going to hell? the fact that it's full of all kinds of theater references but also really honest-to-god gets theater on a level far below the surface? the fact that it makes me nostalgiac for a childhood in the 80s and/or new england that i definitely never had? the unexpected amount of bisexual rights marc acito delivered here? i have no fucking idea but i'm kind of obsessed with it!
that said, it was published in 2004 and you can... kind of tell. i can't in good conscience give it a full five stars, because every couple of pages there was a line that made me physically cringe and think, okay, yeah, you... shouldn't have written that. warnings for some weird transmisogynistic moments, some gross statements about addicts, some antiblackness that i think is supposed to satirize white prep schools but just comes off tasting really bad (also wasn't a fan of the brief plot point that was, if not blackface, then blackface-adjacent?), & some fatphobia (mostly internalized by the protagonist). this is also a good list of reasons i feel weird recommending it! along with, like i mentioned, the incredible horniness, because man, i'm no puritan (nor have i, to be fair, ever been an eighteen-year-old boy) but sometimes books that are incredibly horny are worse. (i'm not even talking about the sex scenes; i mean, like, every description of paula centering on her giant honkadonkers.)
that said. i also can't bear to give this below four stars, because oh my fucking god? oh my fucking god. the number of times i had to actually cover my mouth and/or eyes with my hand and take a breath before turning the page. it really did feel similar to the ferris bueller experience! like, you know the main characters kind of suck, but you're also having so much fun suspending your disbelief about how they're committing fuckin... tax fraud or something that you don't even care. and then there is, of course, The Theater Monologue, which absolutely doesn't lose any of its effect with context (this entire book is about the main character striving to chase his theater dreams; said segment slots into this PERFECTLY). i think my final opinion is that this book isn't without its flaws, but i am going to be thinking about it for a LONG long time.
let me backtrack for context. i picked this book up for one reason and one reason alone: my high school drama club had (presumably still has) a tradition where, on the opening night of every show, one person reads to the entire cast a segment about 80% of the way into this book about the theater experience. without context, when you're hopped up on adrenaline and anticipation and the knowledge that literal months of hard work are about to pay off, hearing this segment is fucking transcendental. it is a piece of writing that is going to live in my head forever. and so, on the opening night of my last high school play ever, searching for a way to ground myself as i felt high school theater slipping away, i thought: i've gotta read that fucking book.
and oh my god, was it a fucking book.
i feel like some kind of reprobate talking about how much i loved this, because this is one of the horniest books i've ever read and also every single character is a hysterically shitty person. at the same time, reading this feels exactly like watching ferris bueller's day off feels, if ferris bueller's day off was committed to one-upping itself every ten pages and throwing in another twist that could have given me whiplash/a concussion/a broken neck. i don't even know what it is about this book! the fact that the main character's narration is addictive and i did genuinely care about him despite the fact that he is, like, definitely going to hell? the fact that it's full of all kinds of theater references but also really honest-to-god gets theater on a level far below the surface? the fact that it makes me nostalgiac for a childhood in the 80s and/or new england that i definitely never had? the unexpected amount of bisexual rights marc acito delivered here? i have no fucking idea but i'm kind of obsessed with it!
that said, it was published in 2004 and you can... kind of tell. i can't in good conscience give it a full five stars, because every couple of pages there was a line that made me physically cringe and think, okay, yeah, you... shouldn't have written that. warnings for some weird transmisogynistic moments, some gross statements about addicts, some antiblackness that i think is supposed to satirize white prep schools but just comes off tasting really bad (also wasn't a fan of the brief plot point that was, if not blackface, then blackface-adjacent?), & some fatphobia (mostly internalized by the protagonist). this is also a good list of reasons i feel weird recommending it! along with, like i mentioned, the incredible horniness, because man, i'm no puritan (nor have i, to be fair, ever been an eighteen-year-old boy) but sometimes books that are incredibly horny are worse. (i'm not even talking about the sex scenes; i mean, like, every description of paula centering on her giant honkadonkers.)
that said. i also can't bear to give this below four stars, because oh my fucking god? oh my fucking god. the number of times i had to actually cover my mouth and/or eyes with my hand and take a breath before turning the page. it really did feel similar to the ferris bueller experience! like, you know the main characters kind of suck, but you're also having so much fun suspending your disbelief about how they're committing fuckin... tax fraud or something that you don't even care. and then there is, of course, The Theater Monologue, which absolutely doesn't lose any of its effect with context (this entire book is about the main character striving to chase his theater dreams; said segment slots into this PERFECTLY). i think my final opinion is that this book isn't without its flaws, but i am going to be thinking about it for a LONG long time.
November 2, 2022
A surprising book in its genre. If the premise is relatively classic, a coming of age story, the realism and the crudeness of some thoughts make the book stand out from others of the same genre. The main character is relatable and any young LGBTQ person will recognize themselves in some aspects of this teenage boy.
May 9, 2012
This novel gave me a nightmare about being forced to ride through the Napa hills in the lap of a closeted gay teenage boy driving a motorcycle as his mass of shiny black curls flowed in the breeze. He wouldn’t let me off the motorcycle. I wish I were kidding.
My overall impression of this novel is that it was both aimless and horrifying. There is not a scruple to be found amongst the main characters of this cynical, oversexed ode to theater life in 1983 suburban New Jersey.
Edward Zanni is a large Italian-American boy with an even larger singing voice, about to enter his last year of high school before moving on to Juilliard to pursue his musical theater dreams. His ample-in-every-way pal Paula precedes him and he is left to cobble together a social life from the remaining Musical Theater rabble. He scrounges up: his ex-cheerleader girlfriend Kelly (who he routinely dry humps in front of students and faculty alike), jock-turned-actor Doug whom he would also like to hump, ever-present tagalong Natie “Cheesehead” Nudelman, and terminally glamorous Persian transfer student Ziba. This cast of clowns makes a real mess of the book as they clumsily try to have sex with one another in varying configurations, regularly defile a ceramic Buddha (which serves as a motif for the chapter headings), and perform various theater-related tasks in between. Edward’s arts-oriented mother is MIA, having split to find herself years earlier and recently gone off the radar in South America, leaving him to contend with a business-focused father and drug-addled sister.
When Edward’s father abruptly remarries, to a gold-digging German photographer, Edward finds himself edged out of his home and sans one financier for his college education. Luckily his friendship with Natie the Cheesehead has really taken off, because it turns out that Natie is a devious mastermind who develops an evolving strategy to raise Edward’s tuition money via a mix of good old-fashioned hard work (to which Edward is ill-suited, of course) and felonious white-collar crime. The whole gang gets dragged into the hijinks, including Paula up at Juilliard, and things get crazier and crazier right up to the bizarre ending.
The story is not exactly bad, I did finish the whole thing after all, but it is definitely a lot of book. The writing is good but many of the things that are supposed to come off as funny just seem cruel, gross, or (worst of all) stupid. Edward is pretty hard to like despite his struggles with his sexuality, abandonment, self-worth, and even impotence. If he doesn’t want to have sex with a peer, he looks down on them. If he does want to have sex with a peer, they are nothing but an empty vessel for the fulfillment of his carnal desires. For all his nastiness he is rather cowardly. I could see this novel appealing to a certain kind of person who feels very outside: someone with a big personality, struggling with non-hetero-normative sexuality, who really loves the theater and is very self-absorbed. When Edward wasn’t ignoring his father he was making close-minded cracks at his expense, so I found his entitlement issues in regard to college tuition a little hard to take.
The strongest part of the novel is probably the fact that Edward grows up a lot by the end of it. He is able to see the friends he has cast into various stereotypes as real people put on Earth to do something other than fill the stage of his life. He finally gets to know Kelly as a person with personality and talent rather than a stock “pretty girl” who fills out a pair of terrycloth shorts really well. The much-maligned Natie seems destined for things much greater (and perhaps more terrible) than any of the others. So it goes as well for Ziba, Doug, and to a lesser extent Paula.
This is not a bad book but it’s graphically sexual, holds nothing sacred, and is at times just plain mean. I usually read YA to avoid these kinds of attitudes. The fact that Chuck Palahniuk recommended the author for publication says a lot about the novel's sensibility, but I can’t agree with the claim that he is a “gay Dave Barry”.
My overall impression of this novel is that it was both aimless and horrifying. There is not a scruple to be found amongst the main characters of this cynical, oversexed ode to theater life in 1983 suburban New Jersey.
Edward Zanni is a large Italian-American boy with an even larger singing voice, about to enter his last year of high school before moving on to Juilliard to pursue his musical theater dreams. His ample-in-every-way pal Paula precedes him and he is left to cobble together a social life from the remaining Musical Theater rabble. He scrounges up: his ex-cheerleader girlfriend Kelly (who he routinely dry humps in front of students and faculty alike), jock-turned-actor Doug whom he would also like to hump, ever-present tagalong Natie “Cheesehead” Nudelman, and terminally glamorous Persian transfer student Ziba. This cast of clowns makes a real mess of the book as they clumsily try to have sex with one another in varying configurations, regularly defile a ceramic Buddha (which serves as a motif for the chapter headings), and perform various theater-related tasks in between. Edward’s arts-oriented mother is MIA, having split to find herself years earlier and recently gone off the radar in South America, leaving him to contend with a business-focused father and drug-addled sister.
When Edward’s father abruptly remarries, to a gold-digging German photographer, Edward finds himself edged out of his home and sans one financier for his college education. Luckily his friendship with Natie the Cheesehead has really taken off, because it turns out that Natie is a devious mastermind who develops an evolving strategy to raise Edward’s tuition money via a mix of good old-fashioned hard work (to which Edward is ill-suited, of course) and felonious white-collar crime. The whole gang gets dragged into the hijinks, including Paula up at Juilliard, and things get crazier and crazier right up to the bizarre ending.
The story is not exactly bad, I did finish the whole thing after all, but it is definitely a lot of book. The writing is good but many of the things that are supposed to come off as funny just seem cruel, gross, or (worst of all) stupid. Edward is pretty hard to like despite his struggles with his sexuality, abandonment, self-worth, and even impotence. If he doesn’t want to have sex with a peer, he looks down on them. If he does want to have sex with a peer, they are nothing but an empty vessel for the fulfillment of his carnal desires. For all his nastiness he is rather cowardly. I could see this novel appealing to a certain kind of person who feels very outside: someone with a big personality, struggling with non-hetero-normative sexuality, who really loves the theater and is very self-absorbed. When Edward wasn’t ignoring his father he was making close-minded cracks at his expense, so I found his entitlement issues in regard to college tuition a little hard to take.
The strongest part of the novel is probably the fact that Edward grows up a lot by the end of it. He is able to see the friends he has cast into various stereotypes as real people put on Earth to do something other than fill the stage of his life. He finally gets to know Kelly as a person with personality and talent rather than a stock “pretty girl” who fills out a pair of terrycloth shorts really well. The much-maligned Natie seems destined for things much greater (and perhaps more terrible) than any of the others. So it goes as well for Ziba, Doug, and to a lesser extent Paula.
This is not a bad book but it’s graphically sexual, holds nothing sacred, and is at times just plain mean. I usually read YA to avoid these kinds of attitudes. The fact that Chuck Palahniuk recommended the author for publication says a lot about the novel's sensibility, but I can’t agree with the claim that he is a “gay Dave Barry”.
September 4, 2011
UHH I really thought I would like this book because I like books about precocious teens and theatre and stuff, but this book was just like, insane. I felt like it was trying too hard to be edgy or whatever and just ended up being absurdly unrealistic. And Edward, the protagonist, was basically unlikeable. I get that he was supposed to be an insecure, self-absorbed teenager but like... damn was he ever. Also, this book was way long and slow-moving. Next time I want to read about self-aware theatre kids I will just re-read Will Grayson, Will Grayson I guess.
December 10, 2011
Hilarious!! Every theatre person needs to read these books because we have these friends!!
January 17, 2021
(Actual rating 3.5)
How I Paid For College by Marc Acito is a comedy/drama novel following the teenage life of Edward as he is trying to “earn” money to afford to go to college, while encountering many life experiences along the way.
The subtitle of this novel is A Tale of Sex, Theft, Friendship, and Musical Theatre, and this basically sums up the entire book. There’s plenty of sex and discussions about sexuality, there is an insanely obscure theft of a Buddha (dubbed “grand theft Buddha” at the end of the novel, which I found hilarious), friendship is a very heavy topic, and there are so many references to musical theatre. As a theatre fan, I appreciated this so much.
Regarding the actual story, it was nothing groundbreaking, and the writing certainly wasn’t Shakespeare, but that’s not what Acito was aiming to achieve. How I Paid For College is meant to be funny, light-hearted but simultaneously hard-hitting, and entertaining, rather than the next Pride and Prejudice. Recently, I have been reading more literary works, so I couldn’t help but think that the writing came across as a little juvenile, but I couldn’t do better, so who am I to judge?
Even though the writing and the story weren’t great, I absolutely adored all of the references to not only musical theatre, but also pop culture in general. There are countless references to Grease, Cats, Cabaret, The Wizard of Oz and many more musicals, and also amazing actresses like Liza Minelli and Betty Buckley, but there were also a few more minor references that I picked up on, like a small mention of Stephen King, and a reference to his novel Carrie. There was also (on the same page as the Carrie reference) a reference to Janet Leigh’s performance in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. I just loved how jam-packed this book was with references to the things I love.
Overall, this was an extremely funny novel that I wouldn’t typically pick up, but I ended up really enjoying it!
How I Paid For College by Marc Acito is a comedy/drama novel following the teenage life of Edward as he is trying to “earn” money to afford to go to college, while encountering many life experiences along the way.
The subtitle of this novel is A Tale of Sex, Theft, Friendship, and Musical Theatre, and this basically sums up the entire book. There’s plenty of sex and discussions about sexuality, there is an insanely obscure theft of a Buddha (dubbed “grand theft Buddha” at the end of the novel, which I found hilarious), friendship is a very heavy topic, and there are so many references to musical theatre. As a theatre fan, I appreciated this so much.
Regarding the actual story, it was nothing groundbreaking, and the writing certainly wasn’t Shakespeare, but that’s not what Acito was aiming to achieve. How I Paid For College is meant to be funny, light-hearted but simultaneously hard-hitting, and entertaining, rather than the next Pride and Prejudice. Recently, I have been reading more literary works, so I couldn’t help but think that the writing came across as a little juvenile, but I couldn’t do better, so who am I to judge?
Even though the writing and the story weren’t great, I absolutely adored all of the references to not only musical theatre, but also pop culture in general. There are countless references to Grease, Cats, Cabaret, The Wizard of Oz and many more musicals, and also amazing actresses like Liza Minelli and Betty Buckley, but there were also a few more minor references that I picked up on, like a small mention of Stephen King, and a reference to his novel Carrie. There was also (on the same page as the Carrie reference) a reference to Janet Leigh’s performance in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. I just loved how jam-packed this book was with references to the things I love.
Overall, this was an extremely funny novel that I wouldn’t typically pick up, but I ended up really enjoying it!
May 5, 2020
Edward Zanni is a high school senior in suburban New Jersey in 1983, Edward and his friends are “Play People,” also known as theater kids. The summer before school starts, this band of friends embarks on an adventure of “CV”, also known as Creative Vandalism. At the start of the school year, Edward’s newly remarried dad drops the news that he won’t pay for Julliard, Edward’s dream, he’ll only pay for Edward to go to college for business. What’s a guy, along with his group of madcap friends to do?
Natie Nudelman, the group’s computer whiz kid with a broken moral compass comes up with a list. 1. Work. 2. Scholarships. 3. Theft. 4. Murder. OK, murder is a little extreme, but theft? Well, Edward does get a job, and through a little fun and lighthearted theft, fraud and money-laundering to create a scholarship, they should be able to get him to Julliard. And as a bonus, they might get back at his dad’s new wife. All the while they are scheming, there’s a lot of sexual tension in the group as openly bisexual Edward is having trouble pleasing his girlfriend Kelly because he can’t stop thinking about jock-turned Play Person Doug.
Books written about teens in the eighties basically ignored the LGBT community, so it’s nice to see a bisexual character whose sexuality isn’t the source of drama and heartache. Doug knows Edward has a crush on him and even though he doesn’t return the crush, he is kind of flattered. (Also, Edward isn’t the only LGBT character in the book....but no spoilers).
How I Paid for College is absolutely hilarious. The teenage characters are smarter and funnier and somehow cooler (even though they’re supposed to be big nerds) than I have ever been. There’s a lovely found family storyline, queer characters, crazy schemes, and an absolute loathing of the suburbs that teenage me could relate hard to. (”What have they got to be snobby about? Don’t they realize they live in New Jersey?” asks on character.) It’s a damn shame this hasn’t been made into a movie.
A little light fan casting
Edward: Noah Centineo
Paula: Beanie Feldstein
Kelly: Sabrina Carpenter
Natie: Gaten Matarazzo
Doug: Jake T. Austin
Ziba: Yara Shahidi
Al Zanni: Bobby Canavale
Dagmar: Renee Zellweger
Kelly's Mom: Judy Greer
Mr. Lucas: Tom Kavanagh
Natie Nudelman, the group’s computer whiz kid with a broken moral compass comes up with a list. 1. Work. 2. Scholarships. 3. Theft. 4. Murder. OK, murder is a little extreme, but theft? Well, Edward does get a job, and through a little fun and lighthearted theft, fraud and money-laundering to create a scholarship, they should be able to get him to Julliard. And as a bonus, they might get back at his dad’s new wife. All the while they are scheming, there’s a lot of sexual tension in the group as openly bisexual Edward is having trouble pleasing his girlfriend Kelly because he can’t stop thinking about jock-turned Play Person Doug.
Books written about teens in the eighties basically ignored the LGBT community, so it’s nice to see a bisexual character whose sexuality isn’t the source of drama and heartache. Doug knows Edward has a crush on him and even though he doesn’t return the crush, he is kind of flattered. (Also, Edward isn’t the only LGBT character in the book....but no spoilers).
How I Paid for College is absolutely hilarious. The teenage characters are smarter and funnier and somehow cooler (even though they’re supposed to be big nerds) than I have ever been. There’s a lovely found family storyline, queer characters, crazy schemes, and an absolute loathing of the suburbs that teenage me could relate hard to. (”What have they got to be snobby about? Don’t they realize they live in New Jersey?” asks on character.) It’s a damn shame this hasn’t been made into a movie.
A little light fan casting
Edward: Noah Centineo
Paula: Beanie Feldstein
Kelly: Sabrina Carpenter
Natie: Gaten Matarazzo
Doug: Jake T. Austin
Ziba: Yara Shahidi
Al Zanni: Bobby Canavale
Dagmar: Renee Zellweger
Kelly's Mom: Judy Greer
Mr. Lucas: Tom Kavanagh
September 4, 2014
Theater geeks of all ages will enjoy this coming-of-age novel. Even non-theater geeks like myself can enjoy it. It's the funniest book I can remember listening to in a long time. One word of warning advice to young people who read this book. Don't try these things at home (in real life). This is fiction with a happy ending. Real life doesn't always work out that way.
I've heard it said that great works of literature speak to each other. Toward the end of this book there is an example of "not-so-great literature" (i.e. this book) speaking about great literature. There's a lengthy discussion toward the end of the book about the book, "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man," by James Joyce. The scene is a class room of high school seniors who have just been given an assignment to write a paper about who they are now in the same spirit of James Joyce's "Portrait..." which they have just finished reading. The protagonist thinks to himself that he is so much like Stephen Dedalus (the main character in Joyce's "Portrait...").
Oh by the way, the book "How I Paid For College" has way too much sex in it for me to recommend to anybody else to read.
The following short review is from the 2007 Book Lover's Calendar:
First Time Out
Theater geeks of all ages will cotton to this madcap coming-of-age novel. Edward Zanni is accepted at prestigious performing arts school Julliard, but Dad (and wicked Stepmom) won’t pay. He initiates a scheme crazier than the plot of a musical comedy to pay the tuition. Acito won raves for his debut: “Witty...pitch-perfect” (The New York Times), “funny, fast, satisfying” (People), and “endearing” (Details).
HOW I PAID FOR COLLEGE, by Marc Acito (Broadway, 2005)
I've heard it said that great works of literature speak to each other. Toward the end of this book there is an example of "not-so-great literature" (i.e. this book) speaking about great literature. There's a lengthy discussion toward the end of the book about the book, "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man," by James Joyce. The scene is a class room of high school seniors who have just been given an assignment to write a paper about who they are now in the same spirit of James Joyce's "Portrait..." which they have just finished reading. The protagonist thinks to himself that he is so much like Stephen Dedalus (the main character in Joyce's "Portrait...").
Oh by the way, the book "How I Paid For College" has way too much sex in it for me to recommend to anybody else to read.
The following short review is from the 2007 Book Lover's Calendar:
First Time Out
Theater geeks of all ages will cotton to this madcap coming-of-age novel. Edward Zanni is accepted at prestigious performing arts school Julliard, but Dad (and wicked Stepmom) won’t pay. He initiates a scheme crazier than the plot of a musical comedy to pay the tuition. Acito won raves for his debut: “Witty...pitch-perfect” (The New York Times), “funny, fast, satisfying” (People), and “endearing” (Details).
HOW I PAID FOR COLLEGE, by Marc Acito (Broadway, 2005)
May 21, 2009
Edward Zanni seems to have it made: he rules the roost at his high school's drama department, has a very important audition for Juilliard coming soon and more potential lovers than seems right for a boy of his doughy physique. To cadge a line from Gypsy Lee, "everything's coming up roses" for young Ed. Until, in delightful Disney fashion, his yuppie father marries a Bavarian ice princess who makes Snow White's evil stepmother look like the poster-parent of foster care. Soon Edward is cut off financially and is left scrambling to find a way to pay for the ever-increasing tuition of America's preeminent drama school in a series of increasingly hilarious (if far-fetched) adventures.
A great beach read that doesn't really require much attention from its reader, this book reminded me of everything I loved about growing up in musical theatre. I mean, really, who doesn't enjoy singing showtunes in Greenwich Village piano bars or reminiscing about hiding youthful bawdy excesses from the willfully blind parental units? The front cover describes this as "a book for mature readers that reminds us what a blast immaturity can be" and this is a promise that it keeps, in both regards.
A great beach read that doesn't really require much attention from its reader, this book reminded me of everything I loved about growing up in musical theatre. I mean, really, who doesn't enjoy singing showtunes in Greenwich Village piano bars or reminiscing about hiding youthful bawdy excesses from the willfully blind parental units? The front cover describes this as "a book for mature readers that reminds us what a blast immaturity can be" and this is a promise that it keeps, in both regards.
February 24, 2009
Edward Zanni, seventeen, wants to study acting at Julliard. It’s been his plan for as long as he can remember. But, his dad throws a wrench in the works when he announces that he’s not going to pay for college unless Edward goes to business school. Thus begins Edward’s year of insanity as he scrambles to find a way to pay for Julliard. Throw in some crazy money-making schemes (Edward can’t seem to hold onto a real job for more than a few days) involving theft, money-laundering, a Catholic Vigilance Society scholarship, Frank Sinatra, blackmail, and the theft of a garden Buddha and you’ve got quite a story. Come on, you know you want to see how all of that plays out.
This alternately made me whoop with laughter and cringe when I thought about how parents might react to the frank and uncensored use of language, sexual situations, and blatant disregard for the law in a *teen* book. It makes for fantastic fiction, though. It looks like many libraries have addressed this concern by putting it in their adult collections. It’s definitely an adult book – but older teens will get a kick out of it.
This alternately made me whoop with laughter and cringe when I thought about how parents might react to the frank and uncensored use of language, sexual situations, and blatant disregard for the law in a *teen* book. It makes for fantastic fiction, though. It looks like many libraries have addressed this concern by putting it in their adult collections. It’s definitely an adult book – but older teens will get a kick out of it.
August 23, 2015
I don't care for this for a number of reasons I don't care to specify. Is that redundant? 0 of 10 stars
October 3, 2025
My friend had been telling me about this book for a long time and I finally got a chance to read it. It was light and entertaining and had a lot of elements that I like in a book: LGBTQ+, musical theater, revenge schemes (because why not?!?), humor, and nostalgia. Oh, and I can't forget about Frank Sinatra.
I enjoyed this story for the most part. There was definitely a lot going on throughout. I had to admire Edward's moxie. I also wanted to smack his dad for not supporting his career goals. I know theater is risky, but his dad was just being impossible. I loved Edward's zany group of friends, including Paula, Natie, and Ziba. Their scheming to help him pay for Juilliard was really ambitious. I don't think they could get away with that nowadays. (The story took place in 1983-84.) Aunt Glo was quite a character too!
Given that this was set in the early eighties, the language was reflective of that time. If you liked eighties teen movies, you'll appreciate this book. Some of the sex bits actually made me squeamish though, and this is coming from someone who enjoys a steamy scene in a novel. There was one part that could have been left out altogether and I would have been more than fine.
Overall, this was a fun read and I didn't know where things were going to go for the most part. I guessed at one part and was right, but I was completely surprised about everything else.
(Trigger warnings below)
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TW: Parental abandonment. Emotionally abusive stepmother. Physical violence. Slightly poisoning someone.
I enjoyed this story for the most part. There was definitely a lot going on throughout. I had to admire Edward's moxie. I also wanted to smack his dad for not supporting his career goals. I know theater is risky, but his dad was just being impossible. I loved Edward's zany group of friends, including Paula, Natie, and Ziba. Their scheming to help him pay for Juilliard was really ambitious. I don't think they could get away with that nowadays. (The story took place in 1983-84.) Aunt Glo was quite a character too!
Given that this was set in the early eighties, the language was reflective of that time. If you liked eighties teen movies, you'll appreciate this book. Some of the sex bits actually made me squeamish though, and this is coming from someone who enjoys a steamy scene in a novel. There was one part that could have been left out altogether and I would have been more than fine.
Overall, this was a fun read and I didn't know where things were going to go for the most part. I guessed at one part and was right, but I was completely surprised about everything else.
(Trigger warnings below)
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TW: Parental abandonment. Emotionally abusive stepmother. Physical violence. Slightly poisoning someone.
July 22, 2024
I remember reading this book when it first came out. The drama club at my high school kind passed it around. So I did have a vague fond memory of it.
However, returning to it 20 years later, what I didn't remember was all the xenophobia and mild racism, also the sexual assualt/blackmail... twice! was a little much. Could have done without that. It was far less enjoyable on reread and I should have left it as a fond memory. I didn't remember the plot resolution at all, as the plot kind of jumps the shark around the time of the DC field trip. Perhaps I DNF'd it back in high school and forgot that? I really couldn't say.
However, returning to it 20 years later, what I didn't remember was all the xenophobia and mild racism, also the sexual assualt/blackmail... twice! was a little much. Could have done without that. It was far less enjoyable on reread and I should have left it as a fond memory. I didn't remember the plot resolution at all, as the plot kind of jumps the shark around the time of the DC field trip. Perhaps I DNF'd it back in high school and forgot that? I really couldn't say.
July 12, 2019
Only made it through the first 2 chapters. Didn’t catch my attention so I stopped reading. No sense wasting my time when there are other books
December 29, 2024
a good romp; very funny and witty. like if david sedaris wrote a really long episode of will and grace
October 23, 2025
Funny, sexy, and quite endearing. A great story I couldn’t put down. This book didn’t take itself too seriously, making it such a pleasure to read. If you’re looking for something light hearted and fun, this is the one.
Read
August 3, 2009Everytime I heard about this book, it was about how funny it was, how crazy and original. And since it is also tagged as a Gay Young Adult novel, I was really interested in reading it, since usually Gay YA novels are always sad and, let us say, depressing. How I Paid for College, A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater is all but depressing. Edward Zanni's attitude towards life is to full face front it, rather than being depressed by the odds in his path. But, truth be told, this is not even a gay novel; the fact that Edward is bisexual (because he is bisexual, maybe with a more enhanced interest in men, but not an exclusive interest) it's not the main pushing factor of the novel.
Edward is at the end of his high school years and he has already planned all his future life: he will attend Julliard and he will be an actor. Lucky Edward comes from a middle class family, and even if his parents are divorced, he has not suffered much from that: he is living with his father, who sustains him in everything, and his estranged mother is traveling somewhere in the world, trying to find herself. Edward has a cheerleader type girlfriend, Kelly, and a one year older female best friend who is already enrolled to the Julliard; among his circle of friends, there is also a nerdy boy his age, the jock who Edward convinced to play the role of Danny Zucco in their high school drama class, and Ziba, the daughter of wealthy Persian refugee, who acts like a Jackie Onassis replica. The strange things of this bunch of friends is that they are not "ordinary", everyone of them is crazy on his own way, and the craziness is allowed since they haven't to worry for the day after: everyone of them is the son of the middle class environment where they live, going to college for them is to prolong the eternal game that is their life.
When Edward's father remarries with an Austrian immigrate who is obviously looking for his money, for the first time Edward is faced with the reality of every ordinary teenager: his father will pay for tuition only if Edward will choose a "straight" (no pun intended) college. At first Edward tries to do the things as a normal teenager, working odd jobs to save for tuition, but 10.000 dollars is not an amount you can save in an year of afternoon job, above all since Edward seems unable to renounce to his hobbies and time with friends. And so the only other option his to steal the money from his father. Again, how they will do it is not the way of ordinary teenagers, but more a real life comedy played by rich kids.
From the sentimental point of view, Edward is also developing his sexuality. He is more drawn from the aesthetic of his possible lovers than from their gender: Edward loves Kelly since she is glamour, he has a crush on Doug since he is the perfect dream date, he is drawn by his English teacher since he represents the forbidden fruit, another way to rebel to his father. Maybe it's a generalization, but I think that Edward is gay since he loves the gay world more than the gays... he loves the glitter and glamour of that world, he loves the freedom he has to go up a table and sing a musical and being cheered and not sneered at.
Ab absurdo, if Edward and all his friends were more ordinary, the obvious solution to Edward's problem would have been simpler than expected... but if it was like that, there would have been this novel, and it would have been a shame, since it's, as expected, a funny and light read, and as I said, being not strictly connected to a gay teen experience, it has a wider breath.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0767918541/?...
Edward is at the end of his high school years and he has already planned all his future life: he will attend Julliard and he will be an actor. Lucky Edward comes from a middle class family, and even if his parents are divorced, he has not suffered much from that: he is living with his father, who sustains him in everything, and his estranged mother is traveling somewhere in the world, trying to find herself. Edward has a cheerleader type girlfriend, Kelly, and a one year older female best friend who is already enrolled to the Julliard; among his circle of friends, there is also a nerdy boy his age, the jock who Edward convinced to play the role of Danny Zucco in their high school drama class, and Ziba, the daughter of wealthy Persian refugee, who acts like a Jackie Onassis replica. The strange things of this bunch of friends is that they are not "ordinary", everyone of them is crazy on his own way, and the craziness is allowed since they haven't to worry for the day after: everyone of them is the son of the middle class environment where they live, going to college for them is to prolong the eternal game that is their life.
When Edward's father remarries with an Austrian immigrate who is obviously looking for his money, for the first time Edward is faced with the reality of every ordinary teenager: his father will pay for tuition only if Edward will choose a "straight" (no pun intended) college. At first Edward tries to do the things as a normal teenager, working odd jobs to save for tuition, but 10.000 dollars is not an amount you can save in an year of afternoon job, above all since Edward seems unable to renounce to his hobbies and time with friends. And so the only other option his to steal the money from his father. Again, how they will do it is not the way of ordinary teenagers, but more a real life comedy played by rich kids.
From the sentimental point of view, Edward is also developing his sexuality. He is more drawn from the aesthetic of his possible lovers than from their gender: Edward loves Kelly since she is glamour, he has a crush on Doug since he is the perfect dream date, he is drawn by his English teacher since he represents the forbidden fruit, another way to rebel to his father. Maybe it's a generalization, but I think that Edward is gay since he loves the gay world more than the gays... he loves the glitter and glamour of that world, he loves the freedom he has to go up a table and sing a musical and being cheered and not sneered at.
Ab absurdo, if Edward and all his friends were more ordinary, the obvious solution to Edward's problem would have been simpler than expected... but if it was like that, there would have been this novel, and it would have been a shame, since it's, as expected, a funny and light read, and as I said, being not strictly connected to a gay teen experience, it has a wider breath.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0767918541/?...
December 2, 2010
“I put on my new glasses to heighten the effect. The glasses have a sort of pinkish tint to them that bathes everything I see in a rosy glow, and I’m pleased with myself for buying something that doesn’t necessarily make me look good to the world (they are a little faggy, I guess) but which makes the world look good to me instead.” — Marc Acito, How I Paid For College
Let me say this from the get-go: if Philippa hadn’t handed me this book, I wouldn’t have ever picked it up; if she hadn’t then hovered to make sure I read the first couple of pages, it would have gone straight back on the shelf. But she did, and I read two pages and was laughing out loud in the middle of Waterstone’s. The cover, although attractive, wouldn’t appeal to me as a reader, and the title certainly wouldn’t. In fact, the title, and the subtitle “A tale of sex, theft, friendship and musical theatre” are the first things I’d change if I were the publisher. I don’t know what I would’ve picked instead, but I really don’t think it did the book any favours.
But when I started reading it, as I said, I was pleasantly surprised. The book is laugh-out-loud funny, which I don’t find often. When people say “this made me laugh”, they actually mean they found it amusing and smiled, or chuckled for a second. What I mean is I laughed out loud, in the bookstore, on the train, in the park, in my apartment. I tried to suppress myself in public but in private I was gleeful.
It’s well written, funny, and more than a little outrageous. Some of it is far-fetched (you probably would not enlist your friends to help you drug your stepmother and take naked pictures with her as blackmail, for instance), but the relationships between Edward and his friends was a good one, and even the scenes that feel improbable in real life, have a progression in the book that make it believable.
In the end, the only thing I wanted to strike out completely was the final chapter — not because it had anything outrageous in it but because it was entirely unnecessary, as it was there simply to tie up loose ends that didn’t need to be tied up. And that’s exactly what it felt like. In fact, if I tore out those pages and handed someone the book, I bet they would think the penultimate chapter is the final one.
It’s a light-hearted book, filled with sexual conquests and exploration, unlikely friendships and modern life, and it will be a book I revisit when I want a good laugh.
Let me say this from the get-go: if Philippa hadn’t handed me this book, I wouldn’t have ever picked it up; if she hadn’t then hovered to make sure I read the first couple of pages, it would have gone straight back on the shelf. But she did, and I read two pages and was laughing out loud in the middle of Waterstone’s. The cover, although attractive, wouldn’t appeal to me as a reader, and the title certainly wouldn’t. In fact, the title, and the subtitle “A tale of sex, theft, friendship and musical theatre” are the first things I’d change if I were the publisher. I don’t know what I would’ve picked instead, but I really don’t think it did the book any favours.
But when I started reading it, as I said, I was pleasantly surprised. The book is laugh-out-loud funny, which I don’t find often. When people say “this made me laugh”, they actually mean they found it amusing and smiled, or chuckled for a second. What I mean is I laughed out loud, in the bookstore, on the train, in the park, in my apartment. I tried to suppress myself in public but in private I was gleeful.
It’s well written, funny, and more than a little outrageous. Some of it is far-fetched (you probably would not enlist your friends to help you drug your stepmother and take naked pictures with her as blackmail, for instance), but the relationships between Edward and his friends was a good one, and even the scenes that feel improbable in real life, have a progression in the book that make it believable.
In the end, the only thing I wanted to strike out completely was the final chapter — not because it had anything outrageous in it but because it was entirely unnecessary, as it was there simply to tie up loose ends that didn’t need to be tied up. And that’s exactly what it felt like. In fact, if I tore out those pages and handed someone the book, I bet they would think the penultimate chapter is the final one.
It’s a light-hearted book, filled with sexual conquests and exploration, unlikely friendships and modern life, and it will be a book I revisit when I want a good laugh.
December 14, 2012
What a difference two decades make! This story set in 1983 of a young New Jersey man who aspires to attend Julliard and be an actor is very reminiscent of Boy Meets Boy but isn't so zany or madcap as the book set twenty years later. And yet it is a funny if a slightly more realistic tale of one boys coming of age in a bedroom community. This book is subtitled A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship and Musical Theater and manages to tell a charming & funny story of each. If the tale of a young man and his theater geek clique of friends scheming and pranking and raising money for college both inside and outside the law sounds like fun, by all means check this one out.
Unlike the David Levithan book, this guy is essentially bi-sexual and is unable to make up his mind about other things as well. Neither fish nor fowl, this book isn't as consistently enjoyable as the Levithan book but still is a good worthwhile read and has some poignant moments that the more over the top comedy does not. If you enjoyed the Levithan book, then you might enjoy this one as well. And if you like this one you should certainly check out the Levithan book too.
Unlike the David Levithan book, this guy is essentially bi-sexual and is unable to make up his mind about other things as well. Neither fish nor fowl, this book isn't as consistently enjoyable as the Levithan book but still is a good worthwhile read and has some poignant moments that the more over the top comedy does not. If you enjoyed the Levithan book, then you might enjoy this one as well. And if you like this one you should certainly check out the Levithan book too.
March 18, 2018
I first read this book in June 2013, and I remember me always picking it up and how hard it was to put it down. I reckon I finished it in a week, which was the fastest I had ever read a book in a foreign language back then.
This year, 2018, I got the second volume, so I decided to reread the first one to refresh some character and plot details. And so I did, not without some anguish, since I was convinced I was not going to find the story as entertaining, catchy, and hilarious as six years ago. Turns out, I actually did not fully remember how entertaining, catchy, and hilarious this book really is:
Edward’s misfortunes allow him to show off his great problem-solving skills, and he is such a calm person, despite the fact that everything seems to go wrong for him, that one cannot help but feel he is a pretty good role model (minus the embezzlement, identity theft, forgery, blackmail, and trusting Nathan Nudelman). The quick pace of the novel, as well as the numerous cultural references from the theatre industry and the 80s made that I learned many things I did not know (always appreciated) and devoured this book (much recommended).
This year, 2018, I got the second volume, so I decided to reread the first one to refresh some character and plot details. And so I did, not without some anguish, since I was convinced I was not going to find the story as entertaining, catchy, and hilarious as six years ago. Turns out, I actually did not fully remember how entertaining, catchy, and hilarious this book really is:
Edward’s misfortunes allow him to show off his great problem-solving skills, and he is such a calm person, despite the fact that everything seems to go wrong for him, that one cannot help but feel he is a pretty good role model (minus the embezzlement, identity theft, forgery, blackmail, and trusting Nathan Nudelman). The quick pace of the novel, as well as the numerous cultural references from the theatre industry and the 80s made that I learned many things I did not know (always appreciated) and devoured this book (much recommended).
November 28, 2009
My sister half-read this book but was raving about how funny and awesome it was so I had to read it, too. Plus, the cover is lovely and eye-catching.
I liked the GLBTness of it and the humor. Wow, the comdey of this novel was perfect and the whole thing was paced well and just great! I liked how it took place in the '80s (and you could just tell that from page one, come one people) and the great knowledge of the theatre (musicals, plays, etc. you know).
But for some reason I couldn't concentrate on the book. It took me the whole month to read this book and that is really weird for me because I can usually finish a book or two with a week, week and a half. But not so for this one and I'm not sure why. It just didn't CLING to my brain like many oter books, or maybe I was just distracted with my life outside of reading because a lot has been going on lately, so I'm not sure what the case is. I just couldn't focus on the book for a long time and that was annoying. But I did finish it, finally, an dI was glad to have at last. But geez, it was a good book, but it wasn't GREAT!
But now it's time to move on to another one.
I liked the GLBTness of it and the humor. Wow, the comdey of this novel was perfect and the whole thing was paced well and just great! I liked how it took place in the '80s (and you could just tell that from page one, come one people) and the great knowledge of the theatre (musicals, plays, etc. you know).
But for some reason I couldn't concentrate on the book. It took me the whole month to read this book and that is really weird for me because I can usually finish a book or two with a week, week and a half. But not so for this one and I'm not sure why. It just didn't CLING to my brain like many oter books, or maybe I was just distracted with my life outside of reading because a lot has been going on lately, so I'm not sure what the case is. I just couldn't focus on the book for a long time and that was annoying. But I did finish it, finally, an dI was glad to have at last. But geez, it was a good book, but it wasn't GREAT!
But now it's time to move on to another one.
March 28, 2019
Shelving this as "realistic" felt like a definite stretch, but there you are. Although there was at least one paragraph that really, really resonated with me, overall, I think the problem I had with this book was that I found exactly none of the main characters particularly likeable, & I especially had trouble listening to the narrator going on about how much he just wasn't cut out to work. Why are all of his friends so invested in getting him into Juilliard that they'll even commit crime to do it when he won't even consider something like going to a less expensive school or, I don't know, getting an actual job? Also, going on about how awful of a human being your father is while simultaneously demanding that it's your god-given right to go to an insanely expensive college entirely on his dime is the last word in unattractive. The other thing worth a mention was the whole handling of the African-American characters, which left me with the worst that-was-contrived-unnecessary-&-stereotype-perpetuating taste in my mouth. I don't know, maybe this was just one of those young-adult books that really was meant *only* for young adults, & I'm just too old to appreciate it anymore.
April 10, 2009
Back in the December ice storm when we were taking refuge at todd and kevin's house I plucked this at random from Kevin's bookshelf and got sucked in to the offbeat story and hilarious cast of characters. It is basically a really funny story about an elaborate embezzlement plot carried out by a misfit high school senior and his crazy crew of friends to figure out how to pay for his first semester at Juliard that involves a lawn Buddha, embezzling funds previously embezzled by an evil step-mother, and the constant hi-jinx of a wonderful group of highly entertaining,fantastically dorky and exuberantly theatrical friends. I'm just getting started on the sequal, "Attack of the Theatre People." Great for a million laughs, a really quick read that lasted barely a week b/c I couldn't put it down!
July 29, 2011
A lovely, lovely thing. Hilarious, moving, innocent (kind of...actually, not really), raucously fun, hugely camp, and full of the kind of OTT, kooky characters which rarely work well in novels. But here, they get away with it because they're 17 years old. Not only that but they're 17-year-old fledgeling performers. And that is the way 17-year-old fledgeling performers behave.
Nowhere near as vanilla as High School Musical (although imagine if [an openly bi] Ryan were the main character, and Troy and Gabriella were actually DOING IT, and you'll be close) but not as fatuous as the 'Spawn of American Pie' genre.
Also, Acito pulls off a much-attempted, but rarely successful, feat: keeping his eye firmly on the screenplay prize at no detriment to the novel.
Nowhere near as vanilla as High School Musical (although imagine if [an openly bi] Ryan were the main character, and Troy and Gabriella were actually DOING IT, and you'll be close) but not as fatuous as the 'Spawn of American Pie' genre.
Also, Acito pulls off a much-attempted, but rarely successful, feat: keeping his eye firmly on the screenplay prize at no detriment to the novel.
September 23, 2009
I think that the subtitle really sums up this funny book, which may or may not be loosely based on the author's teen years. It is full of ridiculous things, a series of almost anecdotes tied together. Teens do not, as a rule, drug people and take sexually suggestive pictures in order to blackmail them to get money for Julliard. They do, of course, deal with sex. They also play silly pranks and deal with horrible parents and stepparents. There are so many serious and emotionally draining moments scattered throughout this story. Yet, we almost don't have time to really sit on them, allowing the next musical practice or crazy scheme or drunken party or fast food job to wash over us. Is that how we were at 18? Sure, why not?
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