Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake
by Stan Redding, Frank W. Abagnale

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Book Reviews of Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake

Book Review: Frank W. Abagnale: One Captivating Story From Page One!
Summary: 5 Stars

Abagnale is anything but dull. Born with an IQ clearly higher than the average man, he always was focused on getting around the rules--first, with his dad's credit card. It is clear that the beginning stages of his life of crime started when he was able to successfully get away with small infractions such as these. Later, Abagnale would resort to check fraud, and due to the lax restrictions on checks, get away with it. An ample lesson to banks and security experts: always try to think of every possible scenario because someone will exploit the situation.

The fact that he was able to get onto airlines, without paying, and sit in the cockpit is a sign that there have been many loopholes in our national airline security for quite some time. Now, Abagnale is no terrorist, but as the book explains, this still does not excuse the airlines for allowing mistakes of this sort to go through. It shows the incompetence of our bureacracies and that little has been done since this book has come off the press.

Even more ironic, and perhaps most damning to professors in our "higher learning" institutions, is that he was able to be a professor and gain wide recognition from the students. This is an indication that our professors really don't have any special expertise and merely read and paraprase what they are told. This is a damaging book to all those in authority--it a sign that one single individual, with a mission, is able to exploit the weakneseses out of our collective incompetence and stupidity. Yet, of course there is a consequence for the individual who engangse in these acts.

The French apparently have lousy prison systems, a surprise considering their typical weak image. Perhaps that is just hypocritical of our "friends" the French. But, I knew that Sweden's prison system had to be pretty much like a hotel. Look at the country: considering that Sweden is one large welfare state, it made sense that it would extend to the prison suite, too.

There was a lot of thought placed into this book. When reading it, you can almost feel the FBI agents running to finally catch Abagnale. . . and when they do, it's quite ironic how they let him get away--yet again.

I am glad, however, that Abagnale is a productive member of our society and is providing security information to private companies and the federal government. It takes a person who had lived such a life to help us solve today's incredible crimes.

Michael Gordon

Summary of Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake

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

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