Rating: 
Summary: Frank Abagnale, Jr., conned me.
Review: He sure did. What starts off as an annoying, arrogant read quickly turns into the sort of real-life account that leaves you saying, "No way..." Abagnale conned his way into a pilot's uniform, a law practice, hospital rounds, and 6 months in a French prison, and he'll take you with him if you let him.My roommate recommended this to me for fun, but warned me that she had quit reading it after the first 20 pages. I almost didn't even get that far. Abagnale's narrative voice is one of the most immediately annoying I've ever read; he comes across in the initial chapters as a chauvinistic (women are "delicious foxes"--did ANYBODY ever sound so dull?), arrogant, self-pitying (despite his wavering between denials and awareness of this) jerk from a bored suburban home. Keep reading, though, and you won't be disappointed. What starts off as tentative bad-check-floating quickly becomes full-blown international larceny. More amusing, though, and more disturbing, are the ends to which Abagnale's capers force him. By the end of the story, feeling the heat, he abandons his pilot scam and ends up faking a Harvard Law degree and practicing law, and the pace picks up so quickly at this point that the last chapters rush by. Abagnale ends up in jail in France, and then in Sweden (and, apparently, there was a whole line-up of countries wanting to try him!), but the book's not over there; he's way too resourceful a con-artist to go quietly, and his post-arrest movements are even more exciting than anything before. It's a fast-paced, fun read. The prose is at times appallingly bad, with metaphors that are both overdone and mixed ("I wanted to be one of the bulls in this Georgia peach orchard"), and, as Abagnale goes on and on about how much he likes women and how often he likes them, you'll start to see in him the high-school kid who talks such big talk because he never walks the walk and thinks you won't like him unless he does. This book could have been punchier and better (and about 100 pages shorter) without those digressions. Still, by and large, I'd recommend it. I couldn't put it down for the last 150 pages, as it moves quickly and crazily, and Abagnale and his co-writer are careful to up the ante as the story progresses. All of which makes for a satisfying light read.
Rating: 
Summary: an incredible book!! Highly recommended!!
Review: I'll admit it. I never would have read this book if it was not for the movie that came out last year. I still haven't seen the movie but decided that perhaps the book would be interesting since it was written by the subject of the movie. I didn't learn until the end of the book (in a Q&A section with the author) that this was written in 1980. Abagnale has a very easy going style and it almost feels like he is right there next to you telling you this wild story of his youth. Catch Me If You Can is an interesting, exciting, fast paced novel that is a pure joy to read. I don't know if I can put it better than that. This was a book that I simply did not want to put down and I flew through the book. The plot of the memoir is the criminal career of Frank Abagnale (he has since paid his debt to society and now works to prevent exactly the sort of crime that he once committed). Frank Abagnale was a con man. He began his career at a young age (15) conning gas station attendants to give him cash when he pays with his father's credit card. The leads to Frank leaving home, moving to New York City and trying to begin an honest life. Unfortunately, Frank's one main vice is women, and to be with women he needs to have more money than a 16 year old high school dropout can earn. So he begins to con. Frank's primary method of conning was passing bad checks. However, he found that it is easier to make the con if he is a member of a well respected profession. Frank researches every role that he plays so that he will be as convincing as humanly possible without actually having to do that job. In some cases, he was able to con so well that he was paid for it and he didn't have to forge checks. The professions that Frank had impersonated were: Pilot, Doctor (he was paid to be on staff but not actually have to practice for nearly a year), Lawyer (he managed to pass the bar on his third try and worked as a laywer despite having no background in law), and a Professor (he taught two summer courses). The reason everything worked so well was that Frank is an extremely smart man and nobody expected this sort of con. As was expected (and as Frank expected), he was eventually caught (and escaped, and was caught again), and part of the book dealt with Frank's ride through the prison systems (France and Sweden play prominent roles). I can't say enough good things about this book. It was so interesting to read and I would recommend it to anybody.
Rating:
Summary: If you like the book you will love the movie
Review: This is one of the best book I ever read. I thought it got realy into his mind so you know how he thought and felt at that time in his life. I loved the movie it was one of the best movies I have ever seen. I thought the movie was a lot beter than the book.
Rating:
Summary: If you liked the movie, you will love the book!
Review: I really enjoyed the movie, but I did not believe any of it. How could a 16 year old pull off all these scams posing successfully as an airline pilot, lawyer, doctor, and FBI agent. Only in Hollywood! I had to read the book to uncover the truth. To my amazement, almost nothing in the movie was dramatized. Frank Abagnale did it all. And, this even includes the acrobatic escape from a commercial plane as it lands. The book depicts a far richer story than the movie. At the start, the family situation is more complex. The scams are more intricate. The career path is more extraordinary. The movie skipped over interesting jobs, including a stint as a college sociology teacher. Also amazing is that this teenager acquired far more knowledge about the meaning of every single digit on a personal check than any banker I know. And, I know, having been engaged in banking and finance for over two decades. Frank's character development make the whole story more likely. Frank was not your regular 16 year old dude. At 16, he could easily pass for a fit 25 year old. He was 6 feet tall, 170 pounds. He also acquired quite a real world education by hanging out with his Dad. His Dad exposed him to political, business, and social circles that teenagers do not know. Thus, Frank Abagnale, being a queen observer, learned quickly how adults behave among themselves. Frank was also strikingly handsome, and confident. So, the story includes many romantic interludes. This aspect of life is described most tastefully. There is nothing graphic here. And, it does not detract from the story. To the contrary, women were a key element in this scammer's education. They were often insiders to the professions he attempted to fake. There are a lot of close calls, where you feel Abagnale's cover is going to peel off for good. But, invariably he recovers elegantly from what appears like desperate situations. In the last part of the book things finally go south. But, it is still fascinating. You learn about the awful prison standards and jail terms in France and Italy. You also find out how Sweden treats their own incarcerated people so much better. In the Afterword & Q & A section, you are relieved that everything turned out well for this likable Robin hood like figure. He now leads a very successful life as a corporate consultant on fraud, happily married with kids. Hard to believe but true.
Rating:
Summary: Catch this book if you can
Review: Frank W. Abagnale was an audacious New York teenager, who netted several million dollars and prison terms in several countries, from his unbelievable fraudulent lifestyle in the 1960's. Abagnale impersonated a lawyer, doctor, pilot, and a college professor, while traveling the world writing bad checks. This book was first published in the 1980's after Johnny Carson told Frank that he should write a book. The story became a movie last year and the book has been re-released. I recommend this book highly. True it is a bit dated and not particularly well written, but the stories will mesmerize you. I read it almost without stopping. There is a lot more and less to this story than the movie shows. The time in the French prison under inhumane conditions is a riveting read which never made it to the movie. After being captured in France, Abagnale was imprisoned in Perpignan for six months, without the benefit of a bed, clothing, or a toilet. Upon his release, he was extradited to Sweden, found guilty there and spent another six months in prison, albeit more like a country club. Then a Swedish judge finds a loophole in the law to allow Abagnale to return to face charges in the US, rather than spending the next 20 years in a succession of European courts and prisons. Criminals should learn to hideout in countries where they have committed no crimes, especially ones without extradition treaties with the US. The movie also took a lot of liberty with other events, mostly to build up the Tom Hanks character, but none of that really mattered. The real issue with the movie (and to a lesser extent, the book) was that it does not bring out Abagnale's motivation. Abagnale claims that he was suffering from raging hormones and pursued his travels and theft to meet exotic women. This is clearly one reason, but it is also clear that he enjoys the risk and the danger. At times, some of the risk-taking seems crazy, like attending a party in the same neighborhood of a previous victime and impersonating an FBI agent to take possession of a bad check. One almost thinks he wanted to get caught. Abagnale spends just the right amount of ink on his exploits. One doesnot need to know every nuance of banking in the 1960's, but the explanation of the unique "routing number" scam he developed is interesting.
Rating:
Summary: More thrilling than the movie.
Review: First I saw the movie and became interested in knowing more about it, they did a great job with the screenplay but the book is better by a long way. Abagnale was the best in the "Con Artist" scheme. I was petrified by the ability this guy had, and all the information they use to make his schemes work perfectly.
Rating:
Summary: Astounding!
Review: Saw (and bought) the movie then had to find out what was true and what were Hollywood embellishments... so I quickly ordered the book. I was absolutely amazed that the real story of Mr. Abagnale's "escapades" were even more cleaver and brazen than in the movie. To think that this kid was able to convince people that he was a pilot for a major airline, a pediatrician, a lawyer (who actually passed the BAR exam without ever taking even one course in law school!), and a college professor... not to mention the most prolific bum check artist that ever lived!!! You can read many reviews here that condemn Mr. Abagnale's actions and feel that he glamorizes theft and deception. But even young Abagnale had a sense of morality, albeit a bit skewed. He would not allow himself to swindle the common man or take money from anyone who could not afford the hit. Upon maturity (and after doing some hard time) he found that he could use his talents and knowledge to help educate and protect the very same companies and institutions from being defrauded by other would-be "Frank Abagnales". There is little doubt that his expertise in this area and his willingness to share his knowledge with them has saved these companies billions of dollars. So if you really think about it, the banks and corporations that he conned actually just paid into a scholarship fund for someone who, down the road, went to work for them! Alas, poor Pan Am paid the bulk of his tuition. This is a brilliant, brilliant book...I simply could not put it down. It is very well written and extremely entertaining. It is simply incredible that this is not a work of fiction... everything can be verified. The best book I have read in years.
Rating:
Summary: More thrilling than the movie.
Review: First I saw the movie and became interested in knowing more about it, they did a great job with the screenplay but the book is better by a long way. Abagnale was the best in the "Con Artist" scheme. I was petrified by the ability this guy had, and all the information they use to make his schemes work perfectly.
Rating:
Summary: An astounding book for an astounding man.
Review: This book was an excellent read. Keeping me entertained from the first page to the last. With an excellent ending that kept you wanting more. From the beginning of his petty check theft, and ending with him on the run from police all around the country, and the world, this book was impossible to put down, a real page turner. All in all i think it was definetly a good book to read.
Rating:
Summary: "Catch me if you can"
Review: This book was very very god! It seemed to be a biography/story, a type of book that I have never read before. Soe of the things in the book seem unbeilievable, but it is all non-fiction. The way the story was told also makes it easy to read, but there are alot of flashbacks from when he was oyunger to the present time the book is set.
(2) strong points of this book would be
1. The book was written well in a genre easy to read
2. It is fun to learn about the amazing things that Frank Aagnale, one of his names he had in his lifetime did. (2) weak points of "Catch me if you can"
1. To many flashbacks
2. It begins slow, but as you get further into the book, it becomes more and more exciting. I would recomend yuo buy this book, it is a awsome book, and it is written by the person himself, about his life story/biography.
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