Ivy Dreams, Hidden Scams: The T.M. Landry saga exposed

New York Times reporters Katie Benner and Erica L. Green detail how T.M. Landry College Preparatory Academy built a national reputation on fabricated transcripts and manufactured stories of triumph, converting Black trauma into a marketable narrative for elite college admissions. The book argues the scam thrived with media hype, admissions pressure, and a meritocracy fantasy, revealing how a private, unaccredited school exploited families and institutions while exposing broader inequities in access to higher education.