2004, Broadway

This past May, my mother went to visit my sister in Paris. While she was there, my sister gave Mom a book to bring home to me. She said I'd love it.

I put it on the bookshelf and promptly forgot about it for four months. BAD sister.

But I picked it up a few days ago and began to read.

How I Paid For College takes place in the early 80's, in New Jersey. It's the story of Edward Zanni, a very smart and talented but irresponsible high school student who wants nothing more than to go to Juilliard and become a famous actor.

But when his rich father marries an evil Austrian stepmonster, it's decided that his father won't pay for his Juilliard tuition.

So Edward and his group of friends resort to anything possible - impersonating priests and nuns, embezzlement, blackmail, forgery - to raise Edward's tuition money.

Edward and his friends are what they call "play people" - so there's a lot of wacky clothing, spontaneous bursting into song, and sexual confusion along the way.

I loved this book, I thought it was fun and hilarious. Then again, I was a New Jersey teenager who performed in all the school musicals, I was president of the choir, and most of my male friends ended up being gay. So I can identify very well with these people.

But, even if you can't identify, I think most people would probably enjoy this book very much. It's definitely not the most profound novel in the world, but it's fun, trashy, and surprisingly heartfelt.


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