Catch Me If You Can
by Frank W. Abagnale, Stan Redding
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
rereleased 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.
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