What do you think?
Rate this book
Bank Notes: The True Story of the Boonie Hat Bandit
Bank Robber Extraordinaire
The True Story of the Boonie Hat Bandit
St. Louis, Missouri, is gripped by a rapid series of twelve bank robberies that leave local and federal authorities completely baffled. Dubbed the 'Boonie Hat Bandit' by the fascinated public, this infamous criminal methodically robs banks in broad daylight leaving no clues, causing everyone to wonder, Who is this man? Law enforcement is scrambling, and the robberies make national news.
In September 2008, the gentleman bandit is apprehended and the stunned world finds out his shocking identity: Donald Keith Giammanco, a quiet, middle-class, single father of twin daughters. The big mystery remains: How and why would he enter a life of crime? In spite of repeated requests to tell his story, Keith Giammanco refuses to give any insight into his motivations for years---not, that is, until now.
Written by the woman he falls in love with while in prison, Bank Notes delves into the thoughts and motivations of a notorious bank robber who is anything but the typical criminal, and the disastrous results of his robbery spree.
Scroll up and grab a copy today.344 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 4, 2015
3 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 14, 2016
BANK NOTES — The Mission Behind the Book — Addresses Prison Policy Reform
Reviewing — Bank Notes:
Bank Notes came into being several years before the actual publication when Keith Giammanco made the extremely unwise decision to steal what he wanted from others without thought about that loss. That decision has been worried to pieces in the media and on reviews. Giammanco doesn't defend his decision, although he does softly excuse it because of his perceived needs at the time. The catalyst decision is no longer an issue because the courts have decided a punishment plan and as the book says, Giammanco is serving a lengthy sentence in a Missouri Penitentiary. The expansion of that sentence through further charges locally after the federal charges had been answered are the subject of controversy throughout the book. Does the second prosecution violate double jeopardy conviction? I am not a legal expert; not conversant in the manipulations available to prosecutors which may not meet fairness measures, but aren't illegal. It is a head scratcher as to the necessity of the second prosecution after the Federal courts had handed out a lengthy sentence. While the crime was despicable, it was non-violent and there had not been previous criminal issues.
The book 'gently' discusses the prison environment from inmate society to administration. This book is not about the inmate society except for the parts where Keith and Caroline are at various times at risk. There seemed to be more times when Caroline's safety was more at risk from administration than inmates.
There is a mission involved in the story of Bank Notes. At first reading, one might think the mission is to get Keith out of prison, together with family and on with life. I'm sure this is one of the missions of the team, but exposing the sloppy and corrupt prison system is a greater mission. The conditions of the last encounter where Keith is moved to a different facility, but he and Caroline are denied visitation priveleges would seem to have personal motivations..."punish these people for getting together and speaking out" with a goal of separating them. As an observer/friend, i see this petty decision as having the opposite effect. Their connection is not infatuation, but more mature and solid. Being physically separated only brings them closer and more dedicated to the mission of reform.
Bank Notes end85gavelhas been criticized as being too sympathetic with Keith Giammanco's actions. To that I say, "So what." He admits he made extremely stupid choices and accepts the punishment meted out, even that which seems quite unfair. He's used the time to make life better for others in the inmate community by helping with education. Part of the reform mission involves giving inmates different tools to use when they are back in society...tools that can help them become contributing members of the outside community where they have family who need them.
One thing about Missouri -- it isn't very good at being sneaky, invisible crooked. Those things happen right up front where they can possibly be addressed and see some rehabilitation such as that we might desire for prisoners. As the Giammanco family takes a stand about the flaws in the prison system, their intent isn't to embarrass individuals, but to have a system that builds rehabilitation rather than mirroring criminality.
Author, Caroline Giammanco, is a contributor to Ozarks Mystique, an Ozarks native and blogger at BoonieHatBandit.com. And a friend of mine who crochets, teaches and enjoys puppies. The cause around the need for reformation in the Missouri prison system is being addressed through efforts at End85.com. There are other efforts out there, I am sure, but this is the one with which I am most familiar. The group moving through End 85% Law addresses the issues of government money ('government' translation = you and me) distributed to states for increased incarceration. This has become another bureaucratic albatross, abandoned even by the ones who developed it. They now say "Error -- it costs too much." Missouri has yet to join other states in abolishing the 85% minimum sentences served before being eligible to meet with the parole board.
Reviewing — Bank Notes:
Bank Notes came into being several years before the actual publication when Keith Giammanco made the extremely unwise decision to steal what he wanted from others without thought about that loss. That decision has been worried to pieces in the media and on reviews. Giammanco doesn't defend his decision, although he does softly excuse it because of his perceived needs at the time. The catalyst decision is no longer an issue because the courts have decided a punishment plan and as the book says, Giammanco is serving a lengthy sentence in a Missouri Penitentiary. The expansion of that sentence through further charges locally after the federal charges had been answered are the subject of controversy throughout the book. Does the second prosecution violate double jeopardy conviction? I am not a legal expert; not conversant in the manipulations available to prosecutors which may not meet fairness measures, but aren't illegal. It is a head scratcher as to the necessity of the second prosecution after the Federal courts had handed out a lengthy sentence. While the crime was despicable, it was non-violent and there had not been previous criminal issues.
The book 'gently' discusses the prison environment from inmate society to administration. This book is not about the inmate society except for the parts where Keith and Caroline are at various times at risk. There seemed to be more times when Caroline's safety was more at risk from administration than inmates.
There is a mission involved in the story of Bank Notes. At first reading, one might think the mission is to get Keith out of prison, together with family and on with life. I'm sure this is one of the missions of the team, but exposing the sloppy and corrupt prison system is a greater mission. The conditions of the last encounter where Keith is moved to a different facility, but he and Caroline are denied visitation priveleges would seem to have personal motivations..."punish these people for getting together and speaking out" with a goal of separating them. As an observer/friend, i see this petty decision as having the opposite effect. Their connection is not infatuation, but more mature and solid. Being physically separated only brings them closer and more dedicated to the mission of reform.
Bank Notes end85gavelhas been criticized as being too sympathetic with Keith Giammanco's actions. To that I say, "So what." He admits he made extremely stupid choices and accepts the punishment meted out, even that which seems quite unfair. He's used the time to make life better for others in the inmate community by helping with education. Part of the reform mission involves giving inmates different tools to use when they are back in society...tools that can help them become contributing members of the outside community where they have family who need them.
One thing about Missouri -- it isn't very good at being sneaky, invisible crooked. Those things happen right up front where they can possibly be addressed and see some rehabilitation such as that we might desire for prisoners. As the Giammanco family takes a stand about the flaws in the prison system, their intent isn't to embarrass individuals, but to have a system that builds rehabilitation rather than mirroring criminality.
Author, Caroline Giammanco, is a contributor to Ozarks Mystique, an Ozarks native and blogger at BoonieHatBandit.com. And a friend of mine who crochets, teaches and enjoys puppies. The cause around the need for reformation in the Missouri prison system is being addressed through efforts at End85.com. There are other efforts out there, I am sure, but this is the one with which I am most familiar. The group moving through End 85% Law addresses the issues of government money ('government' translation = you and me) distributed to states for increased incarceration. This has become another bureaucratic albatross, abandoned even by the ones who developed it. They now say "Error -- it costs too much." Missouri has yet to join other states in abolishing the 85% minimum sentences served before being eligible to meet with the parole board.
January 6, 2017
There are a lot of good stories hidden in Caroline Giammanco’s Bank Notes: The True Story of the Boonie Hat Bandit, but readers will have to dig for them. This account of the brief criminal career of a Missouri bank robber and his much longer career as an inmate of the state’s prison system can’t quite decide whether it’s a memoir of how to (or not to) plan a life of crime or whether to be a call for reform of one state’s overcrowded, bumbling criminal justice system.
Although Caroline Giammanco is listed as the author, most of the book is written as a first-person memoir by Donald Keith Giammanco (who prefers to be known as Keith). Caroline explains in the book’s preface that she and Keith met in 2012 when she was interviewing inmate tutors for the classes she taught at Missouri’s South Central Correctional Center. Although Caroline has taken Keith’s last name, they were not married as of the time the book was published.
“Four teachers were looking for new tutors and I was the third to interview Keith that afternoon. The instant we saw each other, and immediately in the next hour, talking during the interview, we knew there was a connection between the two of us. We were like two old friends catching up after a long separation,” she writes.
“By the end of our time, I was certain Keith was the person I wanted to hire. He was bright, thoughtful, genuine and completely honest with me about why he was in prison without me asking. Most inmates do not want to talk about why they are there. Keith believed I had a right to know who was working in my classroom should I hire him. So impressed, I only half-jokingly asked him to do poorly in his remaining interview so I could hire him. He looked at me and said, ‘I can’t do that. It wouldn’t be ethical.’ I could respect that. What I didn’t know until later was he left my classroom thinking, I’m throwing my next interview. There’s only one classroom I want to work in. Keith proceeded to intentionally fail the math quiz portion of his next interview.”
After realizing that he is the “Boonie Hat Bandit” who robbed 12 banks in the St. Louis area in 2008, and confessing that she fell in love with him, Caroline turns most of the book over to Keith (as he prefers to be known). The person who emerges from this confessional narrative is so different from the charmer Caroline writes about in her preface, and later, near the end of the book, that I could only wonder, which (if any) is the real Keith Giammanco.
A middle-aged, apparently middle-class divorced father of twin daughters, Giammanco writes that he changed his occupation from failing stockbroker to bank robber to pay off the debts he incurred through his divorce, subsequent love affair, and free-wheeling lifestyle. But hey, he says, all he wanted to do was give his daughters the good life, including tuition at private high schools. As soon as he stole enough to pay off his debts, he intended to hang up the floppy-brimmed military-style “boonie hat” he used to conceal his features from security cameras and become a law-abiding citizen again.
(New reports indicate he stole more than $100,000 in the course of his 12 robberies. Near the end of the book, he states that all he needed was an additional $35,000 in order to end his crime spree.)
Giammanco’s internet research on how to rob banks unfortunately didn’t include what would happen if he got caught. Most of Bank Notes, in fact, deals with his battles with the legal system. He willingly confessed in federal court to his crimes, not realizing that the state of Missouri would then prosecute him for those same crimes, and sentence him to far lengthier terms than he received from the federal court system. This portion of the book has some fascinating elements, but those are dulled by Giammanco’s opaque style, and sometimes chapter-long rants against friends and family members he considers to have failed him.
Caroline Giammanco takes up the narrative again late in the book, and the story turns from Keith’s personal situation to the general state of criminal justice in Missouri. Its bloated prison system unfortunately mirrors that of too many other states, where fear of crime has led to exaggeratedly-long prison terms, grotesquely overcrowded prisons, and internal corruption – again, a potentially fascinating subject that I could only wish had been interwoven throughout the book to leaven Keith’s narrative.
Although Caroline Giammanco is listed as the author, most of the book is written as a first-person memoir by Donald Keith Giammanco (who prefers to be known as Keith). Caroline explains in the book’s preface that she and Keith met in 2012 when she was interviewing inmate tutors for the classes she taught at Missouri’s South Central Correctional Center. Although Caroline has taken Keith’s last name, they were not married as of the time the book was published.
“Four teachers were looking for new tutors and I was the third to interview Keith that afternoon. The instant we saw each other, and immediately in the next hour, talking during the interview, we knew there was a connection between the two of us. We were like two old friends catching up after a long separation,” she writes.
“By the end of our time, I was certain Keith was the person I wanted to hire. He was bright, thoughtful, genuine and completely honest with me about why he was in prison without me asking. Most inmates do not want to talk about why they are there. Keith believed I had a right to know who was working in my classroom should I hire him. So impressed, I only half-jokingly asked him to do poorly in his remaining interview so I could hire him. He looked at me and said, ‘I can’t do that. It wouldn’t be ethical.’ I could respect that. What I didn’t know until later was he left my classroom thinking, I’m throwing my next interview. There’s only one classroom I want to work in. Keith proceeded to intentionally fail the math quiz portion of his next interview.”
After realizing that he is the “Boonie Hat Bandit” who robbed 12 banks in the St. Louis area in 2008, and confessing that she fell in love with him, Caroline turns most of the book over to Keith (as he prefers to be known). The person who emerges from this confessional narrative is so different from the charmer Caroline writes about in her preface, and later, near the end of the book, that I could only wonder, which (if any) is the real Keith Giammanco.
A middle-aged, apparently middle-class divorced father of twin daughters, Giammanco writes that he changed his occupation from failing stockbroker to bank robber to pay off the debts he incurred through his divorce, subsequent love affair, and free-wheeling lifestyle. But hey, he says, all he wanted to do was give his daughters the good life, including tuition at private high schools. As soon as he stole enough to pay off his debts, he intended to hang up the floppy-brimmed military-style “boonie hat” he used to conceal his features from security cameras and become a law-abiding citizen again.
(New reports indicate he stole more than $100,000 in the course of his 12 robberies. Near the end of the book, he states that all he needed was an additional $35,000 in order to end his crime spree.)
Giammanco’s internet research on how to rob banks unfortunately didn’t include what would happen if he got caught. Most of Bank Notes, in fact, deals with his battles with the legal system. He willingly confessed in federal court to his crimes, not realizing that the state of Missouri would then prosecute him for those same crimes, and sentence him to far lengthier terms than he received from the federal court system. This portion of the book has some fascinating elements, but those are dulled by Giammanco’s opaque style, and sometimes chapter-long rants against friends and family members he considers to have failed him.
Caroline Giammanco takes up the narrative again late in the book, and the story turns from Keith’s personal situation to the general state of criminal justice in Missouri. Its bloated prison system unfortunately mirrors that of too many other states, where fear of crime has led to exaggeratedly-long prison terms, grotesquely overcrowded prisons, and internal corruption – again, a potentially fascinating subject that I could only wish had been interwoven throughout the book to leaven Keith’s narrative.
January 7, 2017
What is Bank Notes? From the blurb, "bank robber extraordinaire"- it's a book for Mr. Giammanco to brag about his crimes. "Twelve bank robberies that leave local and federal authorities completely baffled"- it's a book that portrays every member of law enforcement as someone no more competent than Barney Fife. "Delves into the thoughts and motivations of a notorious bank robber"- there is a difference between explaining why you did something wrong and making excuses for why you did something wrong. In my opinion this book is the latter. I can not recommend this book to anyone.
One of the reviews at the beginning of the book said it was well researched, I beg to differ. The book claims Mr. Giammanco is a victim of Double Jeopardy. However yalelawjournal.org very clearly states dual sovereignty does not violate double jeopardy. There is a complicated process that determines if it violates due process, since Mr. Giammanco was convicted in both courts and his appeals have failed this is probably a case where it doesn't. The book gives the impression this is the first case of it's kind, I can assure you it isn't.
Bank Notes quote: "For people who believe, since they are law-abiding, this has no bearing on them, consider this scenario: what if a law is passed that takes away free speech or the right to bear arms?" Great way to get the reader riled up and on their side. Consider this scenario: you want to invite a big group of friends to assemble at your house to talk at 3am. Because it's a big group your speech is loud. Two of your constitutional rights are being trampled with noise ordinance laws. The right to bear arms? Try walking into a federal building with a gun.
For the most part Bank Notes would have you believe they are fighting for everyone's constitutional rights. The states have the constitutional right to pass and enforce laws to protect their jurisdiction. How does the author feel about the states constitutional rights? "Some states hide behind the shroud of the 10th amendment which provides states' rights". Both the state of Missouri, because banks are privately owned and operated there, and the federal government, because the money in the banks is federally insured, have something to lose if a bank is robbed. Shouldn't they both be able to exercise their constitutional right to protect what is theirs? Bank Notes itself gives the best arguement for why they should. According to the author judges and attorneys do nothing unless it will benefit them personally. So why ask the state to give up their constitutional right and turn things over to corrupt judges and attorneys hoping they federal court will look out for their interests?
If you live in Missouri I implore you to look into House Bill 657 before thinking it is a good idea. The bill is looking to reduce the minimum required time served for some offenses. Who is the bill intended to help? Bank Notes "first time offenders of a fight or a robbery done out of desperation". If this bill passes and would help Giammanco, Missouri courts are going to be flooded with women who say, "Yes, your honor, I robbed the bank. I was desperate for these Louboutins!" Why was Giammanco "desperate"? Bank Notes: "I had to suppport the life style I built for the kids and myself."
Some of the most shocking and sickening comments in the book, are about the tellers. The people Giammanco clearly feels no empathy for. Bank Notes: "I never harmed anyone". When a teller said she almost peed her pants during a robbery, Bank Notes: "People nearly pee their pants in haunted houses at Halloween or during horror films, or even from laughing to hard". Enough said.
I honestly can not recommend this book to anyone, and quite the opposite. I BEG you not to buy this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
One of the reviews at the beginning of the book said it was well researched, I beg to differ. The book claims Mr. Giammanco is a victim of Double Jeopardy. However yalelawjournal.org very clearly states dual sovereignty does not violate double jeopardy. There is a complicated process that determines if it violates due process, since Mr. Giammanco was convicted in both courts and his appeals have failed this is probably a case where it doesn't. The book gives the impression this is the first case of it's kind, I can assure you it isn't.
Bank Notes quote: "For people who believe, since they are law-abiding, this has no bearing on them, consider this scenario: what if a law is passed that takes away free speech or the right to bear arms?" Great way to get the reader riled up and on their side. Consider this scenario: you want to invite a big group of friends to assemble at your house to talk at 3am. Because it's a big group your speech is loud. Two of your constitutional rights are being trampled with noise ordinance laws. The right to bear arms? Try walking into a federal building with a gun.
For the most part Bank Notes would have you believe they are fighting for everyone's constitutional rights. The states have the constitutional right to pass and enforce laws to protect their jurisdiction. How does the author feel about the states constitutional rights? "Some states hide behind the shroud of the 10th amendment which provides states' rights". Both the state of Missouri, because banks are privately owned and operated there, and the federal government, because the money in the banks is federally insured, have something to lose if a bank is robbed. Shouldn't they both be able to exercise their constitutional right to protect what is theirs? Bank Notes itself gives the best arguement for why they should. According to the author judges and attorneys do nothing unless it will benefit them personally. So why ask the state to give up their constitutional right and turn things over to corrupt judges and attorneys hoping they federal court will look out for their interests?
If you live in Missouri I implore you to look into House Bill 657 before thinking it is a good idea. The bill is looking to reduce the minimum required time served for some offenses. Who is the bill intended to help? Bank Notes "first time offenders of a fight or a robbery done out of desperation". If this bill passes and would help Giammanco, Missouri courts are going to be flooded with women who say, "Yes, your honor, I robbed the bank. I was desperate for these Louboutins!" Why was Giammanco "desperate"? Bank Notes: "I had to suppport the life style I built for the kids and myself."
Some of the most shocking and sickening comments in the book, are about the tellers. The people Giammanco clearly feels no empathy for. Bank Notes: "I never harmed anyone". When a teller said she almost peed her pants during a robbery, Bank Notes: "People nearly pee their pants in haunted houses at Halloween or during horror films, or even from laughing to hard". Enough said.
I honestly can not recommend this book to anyone, and quite the opposite. I BEG you not to buy this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
February 13, 2019
Caroline Giammanco’s Bank Notes: The True Story of the Boonie Hat Bandit is an eye-opening look in to how one man’s financial problems led to crime with serious lifelong implications. It is a sobering education on the criminal justice system. I learned a great deal in her descriptions of prison living. Although her main characters endure many hardships, they continue to have faith. Highly recommended, particularly for those interested in learning about the US prison environment, and how two people deal with adversity through hope and persistence.
September 8, 2020
This book will blow you out of your socks. The true account of a man who made a bad decision in life (OK a few) and got reamed unfairly.
This book will make the reader weep for justice to be done for Keith.
This book will make the reader weep for justice to be done for Keith.
July 29, 2019
Interesting story about a man who robbed twelve banks, his capture, and his incarceration.
June 21, 2016
I was living in the St. Louis metropolitan area when this story first broke. I followed the case from the first bank robbery to Keith's capture. As details about Keith and his possible motivations for what he did began to emerge, I found myself fascinated by the story that unfolded. The string of bank robberies occurred in 2008 at the beginning of the last recession. Keith wasn't some ruthless criminal; he was a single father of two teenage twin daughters. He had no criminal history. What circumstances would make an individual take such drastic measures? What would happen to his daughters? What sentence would he receive? How would he deal with the repercussions of his crime? I was so interested in the answers to those questions that I contacted Keith Giammanco and offered him money for the rights to his story. When I told my wife that I was thinking about writing a book about the Boonie Hat Bandit, she thought I was crazy.
As it turns out, Keith never responded, and I eventually found another story to write. My book Scapegoat tells the story of a wrongful conviction of a different sort. Wanting to get reviews and advance orders for my upcoming book before its release, I advertised in some different publications marketed towards the book industry. While reviewing my ad in one of those publications, I spotted a book with the title Bank Notes: The True Story of the Boonie Hat Bandit. I purchased the Kindle version that day (just $2.99).
Keith's ultimate sentence far outweighs the crime. He didn't use a weapon. He never threatened a teller. He was a first time offender. His lawyers wanted him to agree to a twenty-year sentence after he had already received a six-year sentence in the federal court system. The whole mess was so confusing that I can't tell you how many years he received. But I believe that it's at least twenty-five years. Child molesters get less time. Convicted murderers get less time.
While incarcerated, Keith meets Caroline, a teacher who teaches at the prison. They eventually form a relationship, and the story takes a turn. Along the way, Keith and Caroline cover numerous topics such as prison overcrowding, mass incarceration, mandatory sentencing, rehabilitation or the lack of it, the importance of hope, prison relationships between inmates and staff, and the warped politics behind many of these issues.
At no time does Keith blame others for the poor decisions that led to his incarceration. He takes full responsibility. He has paid greatly for those mistakes. His daughters have paid greatly. This book is an unflinching look at why we need reforms in the criminal justice system. Caroline is working tirelessly at getting legislation passed to reduce the time inmates must serve of their sentence – currently 85%. Some will say that she is doing this for selfish reasons. Some will argue that this book was written for financial gain and that Keith deserves his sentence and should not benefit in any way. I am on Keith's side in this battle. He has exposed the ugly truth.
As it turns out, Keith never responded, and I eventually found another story to write. My book Scapegoat tells the story of a wrongful conviction of a different sort. Wanting to get reviews and advance orders for my upcoming book before its release, I advertised in some different publications marketed towards the book industry. While reviewing my ad in one of those publications, I spotted a book with the title Bank Notes: The True Story of the Boonie Hat Bandit. I purchased the Kindle version that day (just $2.99).
Keith's ultimate sentence far outweighs the crime. He didn't use a weapon. He never threatened a teller. He was a first time offender. His lawyers wanted him to agree to a twenty-year sentence after he had already received a six-year sentence in the federal court system. The whole mess was so confusing that I can't tell you how many years he received. But I believe that it's at least twenty-five years. Child molesters get less time. Convicted murderers get less time.
While incarcerated, Keith meets Caroline, a teacher who teaches at the prison. They eventually form a relationship, and the story takes a turn. Along the way, Keith and Caroline cover numerous topics such as prison overcrowding, mass incarceration, mandatory sentencing, rehabilitation or the lack of it, the importance of hope, prison relationships between inmates and staff, and the warped politics behind many of these issues.
At no time does Keith blame others for the poor decisions that led to his incarceration. He takes full responsibility. He has paid greatly for those mistakes. His daughters have paid greatly. This book is an unflinching look at why we need reforms in the criminal justice system. Caroline is working tirelessly at getting legislation passed to reduce the time inmates must serve of their sentence – currently 85%. Some will say that she is doing this for selfish reasons. Some will argue that this book was written for financial gain and that Keith deserves his sentence and should not benefit in any way. I am on Keith's side in this battle. He has exposed the ugly truth.
January 18, 2017
This incredibly powerful account of how the most detrimental recession our country has faced since the great Depression pushes a middle-class, single father of twin teenage girls to make the leap from successful Independent Stock Trader to becoming one of the most notorious bank robbers in Missouri history is nothing short of gut wrenching. The musings of intelligent and articulate first-time offender Keith Giammanco, communicating through the pen of the woman who is able to see beyond society’s mark of Cain and falls in love with the man beneath the “boonie hat”, provides fascinating insight into not only the inter-workings of the correctional system, but the psychological and societal impacts this excessively corrupt prison industrial complex has on our nation as a whole.
Once upon a time, the average American citizen read memoirs like this for a rush of excitement, but always felt cozy in the confident thought that “this would never happen to me”. However, as we evolve more each day into a massive criminalized society - where so many laws are now on the books it is estimated the average citizen commits 2-4 prison-sentencable crimes a day - the US population is slowly waking up to the reality that Giammanco’s situation is not such a distant improbability for any of us. As the head of Joseph Stalin’s secret police famously stated, “Show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime.” Granted, not many people are capable of successfully robbing eleven banks and only landing in prison after a mishap during heist #12, but when homes across America’s heartland were being foreclosed on by the neighborhoodfull and millions of middle-class workers suddenly found themselves laid off and drowning in debt, I’m willing to bet the thought of robbing a bank crossed the minds of more than a few.
The shock—cultural and physical—that comes with the destruction of a cookie-cutter suburban life, the entry into a life of crime, and the off-world character of prison life is superbly portrayed in this book. While serving his sentence, Giammanco’s self-deprecation and incredible ability to maintain his perspective and sanity in light of a dehumanizing situation, coupled with his and Caroline’s objective viewpoints of the prison system’s inter-workings is nothing short of fascinating.
Even though he has some moral weaknesses, Giammanco himself admits he is far from perfect and accepts full responsibility for his actions, so you can’t help but root for this dedicated father who ends up with the extremely short end of a twisted stick.
This book is a "MUST READ" for anyone who professes to have a social conscience in the arena of U.S. prison reform.
Once upon a time, the average American citizen read memoirs like this for a rush of excitement, but always felt cozy in the confident thought that “this would never happen to me”. However, as we evolve more each day into a massive criminalized society - where so many laws are now on the books it is estimated the average citizen commits 2-4 prison-sentencable crimes a day - the US population is slowly waking up to the reality that Giammanco’s situation is not such a distant improbability for any of us. As the head of Joseph Stalin’s secret police famously stated, “Show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime.” Granted, not many people are capable of successfully robbing eleven banks and only landing in prison after a mishap during heist #12, but when homes across America’s heartland were being foreclosed on by the neighborhoodfull and millions of middle-class workers suddenly found themselves laid off and drowning in debt, I’m willing to bet the thought of robbing a bank crossed the minds of more than a few.
The shock—cultural and physical—that comes with the destruction of a cookie-cutter suburban life, the entry into a life of crime, and the off-world character of prison life is superbly portrayed in this book. While serving his sentence, Giammanco’s self-deprecation and incredible ability to maintain his perspective and sanity in light of a dehumanizing situation, coupled with his and Caroline’s objective viewpoints of the prison system’s inter-workings is nothing short of fascinating.
Even though he has some moral weaknesses, Giammanco himself admits he is far from perfect and accepts full responsibility for his actions, so you can’t help but root for this dedicated father who ends up with the extremely short end of a twisted stick.
This book is a "MUST READ" for anyone who professes to have a social conscience in the arena of U.S. prison reform.
November 7, 2016
In Bank Notes: The True Story of the Bonnie Hat Bandit, Caroline Giammanco gives a detailed, precise, and often brutal account of a man’s journey through a corrupt judicial system, as well as the dismal state of correction facilities. Caught up in a financial quandary during the 2008 mortgage crisis and stock market crash, Keith Giammanco finds his respectable and upstanding life in financial turmoil. In a desperate attempt to hold onto his image and lifestyle he created for himself and his two daughters, he remedies his situation with nonviolent bank robberies.
Caroline documents Keith’s capture and subsequent dealings with less-than honest lawyers, judges, and corrections employees with extreme clarity and blunt truths, enough to make the reader shake his head at the injustice consuming our justice system. It will also have the reader shuddering at how lawyers and judges play with peoples’ lives. This is a case about crime, stigma, survival, redemption, growth, love, forgiveness, frustration and every emotion in between. This should be required reading for all law students and legislative members if the system is ever to be “corrected” and rights restored to all Americans. Caroline’s execution of a complicated story makes this a fast read and an enlightening one. She is to be commended for her bold move to expose a broken system.
Caroline documents Keith’s capture and subsequent dealings with less-than honest lawyers, judges, and corrections employees with extreme clarity and blunt truths, enough to make the reader shake his head at the injustice consuming our justice system. It will also have the reader shuddering at how lawyers and judges play with peoples’ lives. This is a case about crime, stigma, survival, redemption, growth, love, forgiveness, frustration and every emotion in between. This should be required reading for all law students and legislative members if the system is ever to be “corrected” and rights restored to all Americans. Caroline’s execution of a complicated story makes this a fast read and an enlightening one. She is to be commended for her bold move to expose a broken system.
October 9, 2016
A truly thought provoking, engaging, dynamic read. I couldn’t put it down. I admit I love true stories, but don’t read many where the main character is the criminal. Through, Bank Notes, The True Story of the Boonie Hat Bandit, a tale that took place only one hundred and fifty miles from where I live, the author compelled me to see circumstances through the eyes of the accused and revealed a world I knew little about. I kept turning the page and couldn’t put it down. My outrage at our justice system required me to realize it clearly needs improvement to accomplish what we, the taxpayers, intend. A story about a middle-class man caught in the middle, whose desperation drove him to a life of crime superbly written by the woman who fell in love with him “after the fact.”
December 22, 2016
How Keith Giammanco turned to crime in effort to finance a lifestyle is only part one of his life’s journey portrayed in Bank Notes - The True Story of the Boonie Hat Bandit. The second was serving time in an institution, which has evolved from rehabilitating convicts to a well oiled machine of corruption, deceit and cruelty. Third Caroline’s story as a prison teacher reveals why Ending 85% mandatory sentencing for first time offenders is critical today. Their stories are beyond the scope of mainstream America, but the truth is out now in Caroline’s book, The Boonie Hat Bandit.
November 13, 2015
Bank Notes: The True Story of the Boonie Hat Bandit
You can't get any better than a true bank robbing/true love story...and it does not have an ending!! Love prevails. I sure hope Keith gets out early so they can really have happiness before it is too late. To reform!
— CJ Loiacono
You can't get any better than a true bank robbing/true love story...and it does not have an ending!! Love prevails. I sure hope Keith gets out early so they can really have happiness before it is too late. To reform!
— CJ Loiacono
January 23, 2017
I would imagine this story would appeal more to Americans or people with an interest in the detention centres. A very well written true story with many facts and figures woven into the story. I was shocked by the system and what people have to endure over there.
January 21, 2017
A fascinating look into the mind and motivation of bank robber Keith Giammanco, and a look into his life subsequently.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews