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Summary: Catch this book if you can
Review: An amazing story told by an amazing man. Now, I do have some doubts about some of the stories. The guy is, after all, a con man. His story is quite remarkable and worthy of a read. I get the feeling the movie will not do the story justice; in the book, he never visits his father. The previews show Leo going there quite frequently. The real fake never did that to avoid being caught. The most amazing part of the story is his age; he started this all at 16. If you are even remotely interested in this story, pick up this book. Read it. Trust me.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, yet honest
Review: Honest - that's an ironic word to describe a book written by a con artist, but that's the first word that comes to mind when I read Frank's novel.It's entertaining, it's exciting, and yet, it's educational as well. I also found myself feeling sympathy for him as well, despite his being a criminal. This is a great book, and his obvious charm will definitely charmed every reader!
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Summary: Abagnale espouses tough love
Review: One can't help but be impressed by Frank Abagnale's resourcefulness at such a tender age. At the age of sixteen he manages to forge a pilot's license and "deadhead" his way around the country bouncing checks. He also passes himself off as an pediatrician, a college professor, and an assistant district attorney. The last is probably his most impressive exploit, as he passes the bar exam (on his third try) with only two years of high school.
After years of exploiting the gullibility of bank tellers and airline clerks, Abagnale is finally captured in France, where he spends six hellacious months in a Devil's Island of a prison. He is then transferred to a Swedish prison, a one hundred and eighty degrees difference, more like a college dorm than a prison. He could've spent the rest of his life being handed from one European penal system to another, some of them vying for brutality with France, but he is saved by a Swedish judge who extradites him to the U.S. Back home, he escapes from apprehension at the airport and from prison later, embarrassing the F.B.I. and his nemesis agent O'Reilly. But, by then, just about every law enforcement official in America is on the lookout for him. He is ultimately captured and does four years jail time, only to emerge once more smelling like a rose. After a few years bouncing around doing such scut work as managing a grocery store and a pizza joint, he convinces a bank manager to let him give a lecture to his employees on how to spot a "paperhanger." From there, he's referred to another bank and another and so on. These days he teaches at the F.B.I Academy.
There is a brief question and answer section at the end of the book in which Abagnale decries the leniency of our American penal system; surprisingly, he prefers the French method, which reminded me a lot of the dungeons in THE GULAG ARCHIPELAGO. Also, don't expect to see much of Agent O'Reilly. This is a first person account for the most part, with only an occasional reference to the F.B.I. agent's dogged determination.
Rating:
Summary: The Career of a Master Con.
Review: CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is the autobiography of master con man, Frank Abagnale. By the time he was 20, he had traveled all over the world; stolen millions of dollars; passed himself off as a Pan Am pilot, a pediatrician, a lawyer, and a sociology professor. Abagnale invented modern fraud and now he works at defunking it. This book was an excellent read. It was quick, entertaining, informative, and slightly fascinating. The author does seem like a chauvinistic pig at the beginning of the book, but keep in mind he was describing himself as he was: a sixteen year old boy who had no ethic and moral system to adhere. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and have been recommending it to many of my friends. It's one of the most intriguing autobiographies I've read in years.
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Summary: LOVE IT
Review: Absolutley consuming. This is what reading is about. Taking you somewhere fascinating and dangerous without having to do it yourself.
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Summary: My new record for fastest read....
Review: One day... and I am a slow reader with three small children and a demanding job. This was one of the most fun books I've read in years. No, it is not "high-brow" reading by any means. It is a fun fast-paced "ride". I would not have believed this story (with its twists and turns) had it not been true. If this was a work of fiction, I would have shot many holes in the "plot". But indeed it is all true and life is more interesting than fiction and by mere intelligence, naiveté, skill and - yes - extreme luck, Abagnale escaped the FBI - sometimes by minutes. He is a crook but you root for him. In an earlier review, a four-star review, the reviewer deducted a star because of the in the book the authur incessantly brags on his Don Juan-esque escapades. Well, I too was a bit bored with his bragging but only when I realized that "women" (he never used drugs, tobacco or alchohol - even though he was a late teenager posing as a late 20's - early 30's - pilot; teacher; doctor; Asisstant to DA) was his weakness. He was James Bond without the government assignments and the shaken (but not stirred) martini's. His addiction was women and thus he needed money for that addiction. I do believe, in fact, he relates his love for women to a Heroin junkie's need for Heroin. Anyhow, you root for this guy because he never cons individuals, never uses violence but in the end admits he was stupid and did not think of consequences. He did hurt people in other ways. This is my first review so sorry for the rambling. This is the one book that you look for that grabs your attention. I read 4, or so, books at a time and the reason why is to stumble on a book such as this. Enjoy
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Summary: A tragicomic tale of successful deceptions
Review: In an era when it is not unknown for a head of state to be judicially appointed rather than popularly elected, a highly entertaining tale of fraud, deceit, imposture, and usurpation seems highly appropriate. Unlike recent cameos of a winsome actress caught shoplifting or of a Hollywood "bagel-baby" producer caught forging the signature of a granite-jawed actor on a personal check, the reader of Catch Me if You Can is treated to snapshots of the protagonist - a high-school dropout - passing a southern state's bar examination and appointed an assistant attorney general, awarded a license to practice medicine in the state of Georgia, hired as a university professor of sociology in Utah, handed the controls of a 707, hiring coeds to model Pan Am uniforms throughout Europe. One close-up of the "doctor" at work will suffice: "This guy had a complaint about his foot. 'I'm a pediatrician. You want a podiatrist.' That one had mysterious pains in his stomach. 'I suggest you talk to your own doctor.' A brunette had an 'odd, tight feeling' around her upper chest. I examined the brunette. Her brassiere was too small." But the escape artist's "luck" also has a dark side: arrested and thrown into a dungeon in Perpignan, France; fed only bread, gruel, and water; never permitted to bathe, shave, or attend to other personal hygiene; harassed by sadistic guards; and left to rot for six months, he is finally extradited to humane Sweden suffering from severe malnutrition, vitamin deficiency, and double pneumonia. After recovering for six months, he is saved from extradition to Italy and then Spain, in whose barbaric prisons he faces certain death, by a compassionate judge who orders him deported to the U.S., whence, once he has served an additional four years' sentence, as an American citizen he cannot be extradited, and where he is ultimately rehabilitated and redeemed into a productive, married member of society who specializes in the detection and prevention of fraud.
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Summary: ROBIN HOOD LIVES!
Review: What he did may be illegal but it sure is fun to read. I am sure most readers will take a certain pleasure in how Abagnale managed to "con" millions of dollars from "institutional" America. His story of the Pan AM Flight Crew he organized and took to Europe is fascinating. While his charm played a major role in his ability to deceive so many people he also showed great creativity and intelligence in his understanding of the banking industry. His description of being jailed in France should be heeded by anyone looking to learn something from this book. The book has enough great scenes to insure that the upcoming movie should be a huge hit.
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Summary: I couldn't put it down.
Review: This is one of the most amazing books that I have ever read. I could literally not put it down until I was finished. It could have been 500 pgs. longer and still kept me on the edge of my seat.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: His story was amazing, and Mr. Abagnale was very clever throughout. His life was full of anxiety, but he did manage to fool his coworkers on many occasions. His stint as a surgeon was remarkable. It's a good read- glad a movie was finally made on it. I read the book twenty years ago.
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