When I was a high school sophomore, I had to take a course on Eastern Civilization. It was difficult terrain, to say the least, learning about various Chinese dynasties and the intricacies of Asian and Southeast Asian life over thousands of years. The teacher required that each student select and review one of the many books from the school library that had some connection to the broader topic of Eastern Civilization.

I struggled to make my review coherent, let alone turn it in on time. Indeed, at ages 15 and 16, I found writing to be quite laborious (never suspecting that as an adult, years later, I would write 68 books). My classmate, Roger, whom I had known since the first grade, selected a different book. He confessed to me that he had not read the book. Instead, he wrote his report based on the book’s jacket flaps. I thought that was unfair, but I didn’t say anything.

When we got our grades back, I was dismayed. I received a C , and Roger received a B . In essence, he scored a full letter grade above me in taking the “Cliffs Notes” approach to turning in the assignment. Today, in a related observation, the........

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