Commentary about the cost of textbooks and how some are doing without. A notable excerpt: “I spent way too much on books the first semester freshman year,” says Alexander LaBant, a junior at American University. “Ever since then I’ve been more savvy and found ways around it. Sometimes I go on Amazon or Half.com and get used books. But mostly, I’m just not buying the books. Instead I find someone in class who’ll share, or I send around an e-mail asking who might want to get together, study and share their notes and books. It’s a scramble around finals week, but I’m doing all right.” - Peter Murray