false 138269 27 When this true-crime story first appeared in 1980, it made the <I>New York Times</I> 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. <p> 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. <I>--Lesley Reed</I> 985716 1980 Catch Me If You Can total:1665|5:381|4:680|3:492|2:101|1:11| 1665 6314 2224 279 5 1 false false Thu Nov 06 12:27:04 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 20 07:17:49 -0800 2008
A precocious child who devised clever modes of personal gain, Frank A. grew int...more...]]> 5 3 false false Wed May 14 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri May 16 11:56:14 -0700 2008 Fri May 16 12:08:22 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Jun 15 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 10 12:04:08 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 10 12:14:34 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Sun Jan 04 15:01:19 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 04 15:03:53 -0800 2009 of 17, he was successfully impersonating a PanAm pilot, deadheading around the country and using fake identification to cash NSF
checks. He was almost caught in N...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu May 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 01 09:15:33 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 01 09:48:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Apr 27 11:37:55 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 27 11:53:05 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Mar 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 19 20:11:46 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 19 20:26:58 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Sep 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 29 08:45:39 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 30 14:36:49 -0700 2009 1 Frank Abagnale, a precocious Con Man, who had accomplished more by the time he was 21 than most criminals will in their whole careers. This is the book that was made into the movie of the same name. Although, apparently there are some claims that this story is...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Jun 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 06 17:20:25 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 06 17:42:22 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 3 2 false false Tue Mar 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Mar 10 19:19:15 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 18 11:55:58 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Jul 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 04 16:17:48 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 04 16:17:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Sep 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 14 22:25:41 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 28 21:52:52 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri May 16 12:18:35 -0700 2008 Fri May 16 12:20:21 -0700 2008 I remember when he scammed people by writing his bank number on the deposit slips in the bank lobby - everyone who thought they were depositing to their own account found that their cash had be routed to his account.]]> 5 0 false true Mon Mar 23 10:30:31 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 16:47:26 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Mar 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 09 12:45:56 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 19 14:41:40 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Apr 12 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 15 11:56:29 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 15 11:58:53 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon Jun 08 20:51:50 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 08 20:57:49 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false true Sat Jan 31 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Dec 30 10:12:35 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 01 11:10:41 -0800 2009
It was a slow-go for me at first (I read 2 other books twice as thick as this one, at the same time i was reading this one), b...more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri Oct 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 27 15:18:22 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 31 11:45:15 -0700 2009 1
It was a really different feeling than I had from the movie. In the movie, I felt bad for poor Leonardo DiCapri...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Oct 15 17:48:08 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 15 17:52:30 -0700 2008 more...]]>