Scan barcode
literarylattes's review against another edition
3.0
This book was quite an entertaining read. it lost me somewhere between the beginning and the end, though, because of its repetitiveness, Frank always conning this bank or cashing checks. it got extremely boring, for a good 50 pages or so. but the ending was completely worth it, and even better to know that some if not all this stuff actually happened in the hands of a high school drop out. it's outstanding how easy it was for someone to say that they're a doctor and have everyone around them believe it almost instantly. human beings are so trusting of one another, and i didnt event realize that until after reading this book.
crafalsk264's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
- This self-proclaimed “memoir/autobiography” was originally published in 1980. Since then, questions and controversy regarding the truthfulness of the crimes and trustworthiness of the author have continued to flourish. Beginning with a San Francisco Chronicle article in 1978 followed by one in the “Daily Oklahoman”, the veracity of Abagnone assertions of his life events was questioned. The reputation of his ghost writer, Stan Redding, was also questioned by his peers. From the start, these inconsistencies flavored the book for me. The events of Abagnone’s chronicle closely parallel the life of Ferdinand Waldo Demara often referred to as “The Great Imposter”. Demara was the subject of an autobiography in 1959 ghosted by Robert Mulligan and a screenplay (1961) of the same name. Many have accused Abagnone of cribbing, if not actually plagiarizing, from the Mulligan work. A quick Google search brings up a wealth of information on the veracity of the information reported by him as fact. It also details a number of companies and individuals who initially assisted Abagnone with various entrepreneurial ventures or that just took him in an act of kindness, later separated from him and expressed their caution to those he comes in contact with. Most of these relationships appeared to deteriorate in about two years. After entering an agreement with Goggle for a series of talks. The resulting recordings are now found on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEA&search_query=abagnale+frank) with the following disclaimer:
- Disclaimer: Google does not endorse or condone the content contained within this video, nor does it lay claim to the validity of the actions described herein. The following is presented unaltered as it was recorded on Nov 27, 2017, and remains on the Talks at Google YouTube channel for historical purposes.
- So although the book had entertaining moments, I disagree with the classification of “Nonfiction” and as “autobiography/memoir.” His getting this book published and eventually adapted to a screen play may have been his most successful con.
vintage_b's review against another edition
5.0
Who knew true crime could be funny? While reading this, it was not hard to see why Frank got away with so much. His wit, humor, and charisma serve him well. It has been some time since I have seen the movie adaptation of his memoir, but I remembered the gist of his crimes. Hearing it in first person voice from him though was amazing! It is not often one hears from the perpetrator directly, let alone gets an insight into their thoughts at the time. Not sure this story would be as interesting to me had it not been from Frank himself. Barrett does a wonderful job narrating the story and kept me quite engaged. Highly recommend it if you are looking for a quick read and a bit of a chuckle. While his crimes could not be duplicated today, I was fascinated with how much he was able to get away with, and how easy it seemed for him.
thekatiefu's review against another edition
5.0
Well the movie sure changed some details! The true story, told here by the perpetrator himself, however, is just as incredible.
serinde4books's review against another edition
2.0
I read this book because I was in between book club reads and I needed something quick to read. This turned out to be just that. I had seen the movie, so I knew the basic storyline. I have to say the movie glamorized it much more than the book did. It was a bit of a dry read, I mean the story itself was interesting. Like a I said a quick read, but not a literary masterpiece.
If you want to read my full review see my blog: http://adventuresofabibliophile.blogspot.com/
If you want to read my full review see my blog: http://adventuresofabibliophile.blogspot.com/