Catch this if you can

Catch Me If You Can," the true story of the life of Frank Abagnale reaffirms the phrase, 'The book is always better than the movie.' \nWhile the movie may have thrown this crime story into the spotlight with big name stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, the real story rests neatly in the book. \nIn five years, Frank Abagnale passed 2.5 million dollars in fraudulent checks and became one of the FBI's most wanted criminals. Abagnale, who was wanted in 26 countries before his arrest, was a brilliantly smart and confident young man who became one of the world's most well-known and well-loved conmen. He posed as a Pan Am airline pilot hopping flights all around the world and was a pediatrician at a hospital in Georgia working the night shift supervising the floor. Abagnale went so far as to pose as a professor at Columbia University, teaching a class on sociology for a semester, and schemed his way into a job at a state attorney general's office as a lawyer. \nBut what makes this story so unique is it is actually true. Abagnale pulled off all of these scams before reaching his 21st birthday. Readers will be amazed at the level of detail and street smarts it took for this high school dropout to pull off one of the biggest fraudulent scams in the US. \nAs Abagnale tells his tale of deception and lies, he creates a story so big and so outlandish readers will think it is a work of fiction. But don't be deceived. This young scam artist was able to dupe authorities so well that even some of the FBI's best couldn't catch him in the act. \nWhile this story is funny as it is shocking, the motivation behind Abagnale's intricate schemes and plots push the story closer back to a reality that readers may be able to understand. Abagnale makes his case, claiming he needed the money, loved the attention he received from women and enjoyed the challenge, and it almost seems excusable.\nIronically, he now works for the very people he spent his life trying to avoid. Lecturing at the FBI in the Financial Crimes Unit and working as a secure document expert for the Financial Crimes Unit and for the Standard Register Company, Abagnale specializes in catching scam artists like him.\nThe book is an easy read and will capture readers with its bizarre twist of events and distorted look at making it big. With Abagnale's charm and magnetic personality, readers may find themselves on his side of the chase. This may be one of the few books in which it is difficult to view a criminal as a criminal.