Saturday, June 18, 2011

THE MAN IN THE ROCKEFELLER SUIT : THE ASTONISHING RISE AND SPECTACULAR FALL OF A SERIAL IMPOSTER
by Mark Seal

How far could somebody with the name Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter accomplish himself in America? The only way would be to change yourself completely, become, say, a Rockeller (Clark) and make up all these brilliant stories so that everyone would just gravitate to you.
Over thirty years ago, a German seventeen-year-old left Bavaria and came to the United States posing as a foreign exchange student. His documents were dubious and would continue to be so. Along the way, he began changing both his name(s), professions and stories deceiving all who came across his path. Gerhartsreiter was quite a con man slipping in and out of identities like a chameleon. He would charm wealthy widows and promise them the world; work in the financial field trading bonds; had an art collection worth millions of dollars. His living arrangements were always bizarre: no furniture except lawn chairs in beautiful, expensive townhouses. He would brag about his collection of antique cars yet he drove an old broken-down jalopy without a driver's license.
For twelve years, he was married to a very successful business woman who believed everything he said even though she thought he was eccentric. (He had no Social Security number and no checking account.) Alas, his deception finally came to an end when he kidnapped their daughter (he and his wife were divorced by this time).
What a story and what an ingenious mind! How this man used people to get what he wanted and their gullibility worked to his advantage. "Rockefeller" lied his way from California, to Connecticut, New York and finally to Boston. There are so many ridiculous tales he told that if he tried any of this stuff, in today's world, nobody would believe him.
Gerhartsreiter would change information about his parents, constantly. One minute his father was an industrialist and his mother an archeologist. The next day, his parents died in a car crash. Or, his mother was an actress and they lived in Virginia.
He bragged about going to Yale at the age of fourteen; said that Lord Mountbatten was a cousin (this is when his name was Christopher Mountbatten); claimed to have produced movies and worked with Alfred Hitchcock; etc.
If you like true crime, you must read this book. The author interviewed two hundred people who would have had contact with the imposter.
There are numerous photographs so you can see what he looks like. In many of them, he is actually trying to disguise himself.
Very well-written and quite a page-turner. You won't be disappointed.
Highly recommended.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

TREASURES FROM THE ATTIC : THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF ANNE FRANK'S FAMILY
by Mirjam Pressler

In 2001, in the attic of a home in Basel, Switzerland, a treasure trove of over six thousand documents consisting of letters, photographs, poems, telegrams, drawings and postcards was discovered by Gertrude Elias, wife of Buddy. The historical significance was tremendous due to the fact that all of this correspondence had to do with the Frank family. Buddy Elias was Anne Frank's cousin. His mother, Helene or Leni, as she was known, was Otto Frank's sister.
The Frank family was very close-knit. There were four siblings: three brothers and one sister. They all enjoyed writing letters to each other and were quite good with composing poetry. Even as the family became separated and the children lived elsewhere, they all continued to correspond. Then, World War II began and the letter writing became one-sided. Whatever was sent to Amsterdam was not answered for two years. The Elias family had no idea that Otto Frank, his wife, Edith and their daughters, Anne and Margot were in hiding from the Nazis.
A year and a half later, when the war was over, Otto came to Switzerland for a three-week visit, alone. It was quite a reunion.
Treasures From the Attic is a fascinating read because you learn about the rest of Anne Frank's family that you never knew about. It actually starts with ancestors back in the 1700s (there is an extensive family tree in the back of the book), discusses their lives and how they influenced the generations to come.
When Otto Frank discovered Anne's diary in the Secret Annex and read it, he was stunned. He realized that he never really knew who his daughter was having always treated her like a child. Her diary revealed another side to her: maturity, intelligence, sensitivity and sympathy to all mankind. Otto decided to have the diary published to let the world see the gift that his daughter had.
There are many photographs of the entire family including Anne and Margot when they were young and when they became teenagers. When I look at the girls, I start tearing up. It was such a tragedy. Otto survived while Edith and her daughters were murdered in the concentration camps.
Being able to read the original letters, translated from German into English, you get a rich portrait of what shaped Anne Frank and you get to experience her warm, wonderful, tremendous family.
Recommended.