A different view of WWII in this story of this forger's life than I'd read in the past. HIs daughter did a great job telling his story of his commitment to supporting peace and justice through his life. The endless need for his documents during the Holocaust, and then again in Algeria and even the Vietnam war made demands on his lifestyle many couldn't have permitted. Interesting that when his daughter was going to write his story he wondered about the statute of limitations for what he did. ( )

The author shares her father's story of his life as a forger of fake documents for Jews during World War II and, later, as a forger for the Algerian Independence Movement. The book is written from the elder Kaminsky's point of view which lends authenticity to the story. Of particular interest is Kaminsky's recounting of the equipment and methods he used to fashion the forged documents. ( )

Adolfo Kaminsky: A Forger’s Life by Sarah Kaminsky is a biography of her father, a French national and hero. Ms. Kaminsky, daughter of the book’s subject, is a writer and actor.

This is a book which reads like a worthy spy novel, but is based on a true story. Mr. Kaminsky is a forger who uses his skills to help those in need where his conscious would allow. (check out the author’s TED Talk about the book)

Adolfo Kaminsky helped save many lives by providing false identity papers to Jews and other people who were on the crosshairs of the Nazi killing machine. The forger mostly worked in occupied France and gotten his knowledge due to the inability of a Jewish boy to continue his education Paris past elementary school. Working as a clothes dyer and doing his own research in chemistry Mr. Kaminsky became an excellent forger by the time he was 17 years old.

If the book would have been fiction it would have gotten trashed as there are too many coincidences in it, but it’s not and the story is amazing. Mr. Kaminsky worked much without asking for pay and creating his own equipment. After the war, Mr. Kaminsky kept on working helping those he felt were oppressed to flee oppressive regimes.

This is a fascinating biography of a fascinating man who is as intriguing as he is principled (whether you agree with his choices or not). The book’s translation is easy to read and, I’d like to think, captures the author’s love and admiration for her father.

For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com ( )

An incredible life, but it's very much a list of feats performed rather than an engaging story.
It's a short easy read, so it isn't a big investment of your time. ( )

This is a very interesting memoir/biography written by the subject's daughter. Sarah Kaminsky learned slowly about her father's exploits during the Second World War. She knew that she had a step-sister and brother that were 30 years older than her. But for most of her early upbringing she had parents who had jobs and raised her and her brothers like an ordinary family in Paris. She asked her father if she could write about his life story as more details were made known to her. He agreed and this story was written and has been translated from the French into many languages. The author writes as if she were her father ( who is alive and in his nineties) as she was not happy with writing about him in the third person. Adolfo was trained as a dyer and learned about chemistry on his own. During the Second World War he joined the French Resistance and forged all kinds of identity papers. After the war, he did work as a photographer but helped many groups with forged papers- and never asked for money. The list is amazing. Adolfo Kaminsky forged documents for groups from all over the world- and did so until 1971. He sacrificed his own personal life in order to save many people with his work. The book is well written and if the reader wants to hear from the author- google "Sarah Kaminsky" and listen to her 2010 Ted talk in Paris about her father.The talk is , like the book, very inspirational. ( )