Review: Catch me if you Can

Catch me if you Can—the true story of a real fake by Frank W. Abagnale

Genre: Non-fiction, memoir

Rating: 5

Summary (from goodreads): When this true-crime story first appeared in 1980, it made the New York Times bestseller list within weeks. Two decades later, it's being re-released in conjunction with a film version produced by DreamWorks. In the space of five years, Frank Abagnale passed $2.5 million in fraudulent checks in every state and 26 foreign countries. He did it by pioneering implausible and brazen scams, such as impersonating a Pan Am pilot (puddle jumping around the world in the cockpit, even taking over the controls). He also played the role of a pediatrician and faked his way into the position of temporary resident supervisor at a hospital in Georgia. Posing as a lawyer, he conned his way into a position in a state attorney general's office, and he taught a semester of college-level sociology with a purloined degree from Columbia University.

The kicker is, he was actually a teenage high school dropout. Now an authority on counterfeiting and secure documents, Abagnale tells of his years of impersonations, swindles, and felonies with humor and the kind of confidence that enabled him to pull off his poseur performances. "Modesty is not one of my virtues. At the time, virtue was not one of my virtues," he writes. In fact, he did it all for his overactive libido--he needed money and status to woo the girls. He also loved a challenge and the ego boost that came with playing important men. What's not disclosed in this highly engaging tale is that Abagnale was released from prison after five years on the condition that he help the government write fraud-prevention programs. So, if you're planning to pick up some tips from this highly detailed manifesto on paperhanging, be warned: this master has already foiled you. --Lesley Reed

Frank W. Abagnale tells his amazing story as a memoir after he gets out of prison and starts his new life. He was a genius, though a criminal. That’s why it took him so long to get caught (and stay caught).

I'm not going to summarize the story, because it takes away from the thrill of watching this man foil the world. Basically, Frank decides to leave his former life and "live it up." But of course he does it by forging checks and faking identities.

In today's modern technological world, his process wouldn't work. However, it was amazing to see Frank learn and use the system to his advantage.

I recommend this book to ages 14+ to anyone who wants a good non-fiction adventure. There is some sex but it's not explicit.

 

Read an excerpt here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/google_preview/375789

~Haleyknitz

Side note: I read this book in September of 2009. Why did it take me so long to review it? Because I wasn’t a book reviewer in early September of 2009 and I just never got around to it… So there you go.

The book is still worth reading, though.