Where the Money Was: The Memoirs of a Bank Robber

I stumbled upon this book in the library, and thought it looked pretty interesting, so I checked it out. Little did I realize how interesting it would be. This book details the life of Willie Sutton, bank robber extraordinare, a man who held the #1 most wanted spot for over two years. I expected him to be a thuggish man, but boy was I wrong. It turns out he was quite a gentleman and intellectual, who had some kind of compulsion to rob banks. He never fired a gun, never physically harmed anyone, and managed to steal so much money from the government that they made him their most wanted man. When they caught him and sent him to prison, he spent his time reading Kierkegaard, Kant, Victor Hugo, etc. He then escapes from a maximum security prison which no one has escaped from in it's 100+ year existence, and works in a nursing home while trying to lay low, because he wanted to help people. He gets caught again, escapes again from a maximum security prison, makes the Most Wanted list, and is finally caught when he is in his 50's. He ends up with three life sentences. He decided he was too old to escape from prison again, so instead he spent a few years reading all the law books he could get his hands on, appealed all of his court decision, and had all of them overturned on technicalities that he had come across while reading. He spent the last 10-15 years of his life peacefully, as a law abiding citicen. Quite an interesting story to say the least. When asked by a reporter why he robbed banks, he supposedly said "Because that's where the money is." Hence the title of the book. I did a little research on Sutton after I read the book, thinking that perhaps he had just tried to make himself look good. It turns out that he spent his post-jail life lecturing on prison reform and helping banks increase the level of their security. Mr. Sutton is perhaps the only class act robber I have read of this side of Robin Hood. Overall grade: A

Excellent fast paced read. Will keep you interested all the time. A real journey thru a bank robber's life. Must Read!

This book was a great read.I remember hearing about Willie Sutton when I was a child.I have also read I,Willie Sutton which was written in 1953.This is by far the better book.Willie kept the code until the latter years of his life.After reading both books I saw the truth in this publication.Highly recommended.

This book makes you feel like you are side-by-side with Willie thru the planning, bank robberies, getaways, and even prison breaks. It is written in down-to-earth language and makes you feel like Willie is your buddy, and you are sitting there listening to him tell his story. Willie makes you feel like it was okay to rob the banks, and you find yourself rooting for him. It was amazing how his mind worked, so methodically planning breaking INTO the banks, and the same mindset is what helped him break OUT of prison."HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"

Where the Money Was by Willie Suton was an excellent book. It takes you through his crimes, escapes, and prison time. I would recomend it to anyone.