I stole every nickel and blew it on fine threads, luxurious lodgings, fantastic foxes and other sensual goodies. I partied in every capital in Europe and basked on all the world's most famous beaches'. Frank W Abagnale, alias Frank Williams, Robert Conrad, Frank Adams and Ringo Monjo, was one of the most daring con men, forgers, imposters and escape artists in history. In his brief but notorious career, Abagnale donned a pilot's uniform and co-piloted a Pan Am jet, masqueraded as a member of hospital management, practiced law without a licence, passed himself off as a college sociology professor, and cashed over $2.5 million in forged checks all before he was twenty-one. Known by the police of twenty-six foreign countries and all fifty states as 'The Skywayman', Abagnale lived a sumptuous life on the run - until the law caught up with him. Now recognized as the nation's leading authority on financial foul play, Abagnale is a charming rogue whose hilarious, stranger-than-fiction international escapades and ingenious escapes - including one from an airoplane - make CATCH ME IF YOU CAN an irresistable tale of deceit.
This summary really just says it all. I really loved this. I don't really know what else to say. If I had to pick one word to describe this book it was be INTERESTING.
I was most intrigued by the ups and downs in this story. There were times when you really felt the fear and desperation that Frank Abagnale felt. There were times when I got the sense that Frank Abagnale took on a challenge simply just to see what he could get away with. There were times of surprising introspection such as when Frank realized the first time he scammed a single individual, not a bank or company that had insurance to compensate them. There is no denying that Frank Abagnale is a brilliant person to have pulled off so many elaborate schemes.
This story is just so incredible, almost unfathomable until you realized it actually happened. You just can't make this stuff up. What other real experience can you think of that has inspired a best selling book, movie, broadway play, and tv show?
I found this video last year with the real Frank Abagnale sharing his story.
