Libro adaptado al cine, protagonizado por Steve McQueen, mi héroe de los '60s - '70s, con un parecido a Expreso de Medianoche y Alcatraz.

Henri Charrière recounts his life in prison. Several prisons actually. Even though Charrière's story proceeds that of Leonard Fry I read somewhere that Charrière's recounting of events was not entirely accurate. That same little detail Fry was pinned down to the chair for on Oprah Winfrey's show. I suppose this is a matter of importance for some, but for me, I just want to read their story. In all honestly there were times where Charrière definitely inflated himself.

Charrière breaks out of jail so many times from various island prison's that I was tasting salt water and coconut in my sleep. I had horrid dreams about trying to conceal my own "plan" (a metal tube hidden in the rectum which concealed money). I'm kidding... I did not have such crazy dreams, but I wouldn't have been surprised if I had.

The essence of this book is that Henri Charrière and his gang were good guys who sometimes behaved badly. They had morals and a code by which they lived but life did not deal them a good hand. I'm not sure what else to tell you about this book. It's an adventure with a gang of criminals - plain and simple. It was an entertaining read. Nothing which profoundly changed my life, but I did learn a great deal about French prisons in the 1930's.

Apparently, the publisher of Papillon, Robert Laffont talked Charrière into calling the book an autobiography. Poor Charrière just went along with that idea, so who am I to judge? We all have a great stories to tell. I was entertained by this book, I didn't have any crazy nightmares and I know what to do with a "plan" in the event I ever go to prison.