I've read quite a bit about secret agents during WWII, but never about a forger. The work is incredible and Kaminsky was very interesting to read about although I didn't think the book was very well written. Some things just didn't make sense. In the beginning it starts off talking about what happened one day -- that day started out being in January but on the next page it was in February. There were enough blips to make me have to go back and take another look or just forget it and move on. But it was worth the effort to learn about Kaminsky and the art of the forger. After WW II Kaminsky went on to work for the Haganah, fighting to create the state of Israel, then also their rivals the Stern group, then the Algerian revolt for independence, and then many other revolts around the world. I appreciated learning about some of these that I knew very little about. The book tells you what happened to make him decide finally, after many years, to quit working as a forger, but it doesn't explain how or why it happened -- who was and who was not behind it. I felt it just left me hanging, wanting an explanation. ( )

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.

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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. ( )