I bought this book several years ago when I'd discovered a rash of plagiarists in several of the writing classes I was teaching at the local community college. From my own personal experience in my undergrad days, I understood that, sometimes, we don't have the time or the motivation to sufficiently prepare for class. However, I also understood as a student that I needed to learn what I was being taught. It's hard to fake intelligence either in school or later in life.

As an instructor, while I knew that some students cheated, I couldn't understand why. Moreover, I really couldn't understand why they would lie about it when I did catch them. Downloading an entire essay off the internet and slapping one's name on it didn't seem like cheating? REALLY? So I wanted to understand the mindset of the cheater and, as I was one day browsing through the bargain bin of a chain bookstore, I saw this book and decided to pick it up.

What irritated me right off the bat was the author's lack of apology. I got the feeling that he'd adopted the personality of Alfred E. Neuman ("What, Me Worry?") and was essentially flipping off the academic community, but was that just so he could sell a few books? Did the cocky persona make other potential cheaters think his book was worth the money? As I began reading the book, I thought, "No way. This can't really be about cheating. It's a joke, right?" But it's not. It's absolutely sincere, in the same way that all those sites that will write your paper for you for a few dollars are sincere. And what really got under my skin was the author's insistence that "I don't need to know this stuff for real life."

Well...he obviously learned to write somehow, somewhere (which is the stuff I teach). He is doing a disservice to students everywhere by telling them they "don't need to know this stuff." Even if a subject is something a student won't use directly, learning to analyze, think critically, manage one's time, and even simply engaging in the act of TRYING is far better than shirking off one's obligations.

Unfortunately, this book didn't give me what I wanted (an understanding of why people cheat--but I would have settled for feeling a little empathy). Instead, it made me believe (along with other things I read at the time) that chronic cheaters go through their lives that way, believing that they are somehow better and smarter than the rest of us who don't take the lazy way through life.

I'm not a book burner, or else this book would have been kindling for my fireplace this fall when the weather turns cooler. Needless to say, I couldn't finish it. I'm still trying to get the bad taste out of my mouth. Save your money and your brain cells for reading something of real value, something that will teach you skills you can actually use throughout your life. ( )