Review of Confession of a pick - pocket

[Moddesser Elahi]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Confession of a pick - pocket" by Danilo Beslac.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Danilo Beslac has written this memoir in an attempt to vent the emotions of almost his lifetime. Confession of a Pick-pocket is an account of his confessions, but there is more to this. Danilo is also not simply a pick-pocket.

Danilo is 63-years-old and hails from Serbia. This memoir takes you through his life journey without following an orderly timeline. In the beginning, you see Danilo as a 39-years-old guy who picks pockets in Geneva. You would witness how he plays the game of cat and mouse with the Swiss police. After a while, you get to know about the hothead that Danilo was. He recalls an incident in detail — he was 20 at the time and had attacked a fellow with his father’s bayonet after a verbal conflict in his hometown. The description is gruesome, so the readers’ discretion would be advised.

Danilo had spent almost two decades of his life as a prisoner (once as a rape convict). He did most of his time in the UK and Switzerland prisons. You would get some insights into his life in those prisons – he had even attempted prison escape.

You would come across the Scottish serial killer Dennis Nilsen in this read. You would also see Sergei Mikhailov; he is Danilo’s godfather. He is a Russian businessman and leader of the Solntsevskaya Bratva criminal syndicate (as mentioned on Google). Danilo tells us how the media is defaming Sergei; he is not a criminal but just a humble businessman. Danilo had spent some quality time with Mike Tyson after getting out; he has also attached his photographs with him in this book.

I would never wish anyone to have a similar life story; it’s hard to imagine that someone had to spend decades of their lifetime walled in a limited space. However, I found this memoir interesting, and I moved from one page to another without pausing. Danilo is bold enough to talk about different aspects of his life. I got to know about his various characteristics – he could brutally hit someone with a sword-like weapon, but he is also a guy who cares about the documents inside the wallets that he pick-pockets. I was fascinated by his audacity; he vividly describes his pick-pocketing experiences, which may otherwise seem embarrassing to discuss. These details also involve him getting beaten up during the act.

The author mentions a striking moment of his life – once, when he was 15, he had pointed a gun at his father. Though, remarkably, he apologized to his father after 35 years; he was guilt-ridden all this time. The author is guilty of rape, but it is commendable that he admits that he had sinned.

I would mention a specific comment by the author which seems unjustified. He had been falsely implicated in one other rape case. Though, he tells us that he should not have been hanging around with girls half his age, one of whom had accused him of rape. But, later on, he was again involved in a relationship with a much younger girl.

Danilo has mentioned that this is a manuscript. However, this book needs an editor; there are lots of errors.

I would rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. There is a lot to know about the author here; the kind of life he has lived. He has interestingly covered his life events, but this book needs a round of editing. The author wants readers as young as 15 years old to read this book. He wants them to learn something from it, and they should not become the kind of rebel the author was. However, the readers should be aware that this book comprises profanity and gruesomeness also.

******
Confession of a pick - pocket
View: on Bookshelves

[Aisha Yakub]

Seems like a great book to learn from. I may prefer a memoir organiser chronologically, but I guess that's just a minor concern. Thank you for the review.

[Shalom Shaba]

I will definitely like to read this book. The life of the authors appears to be one that I can learn a lot from. Good review.

[Asiaa Szn]

This memoir is worth reading as I can see its morals. Nice review

[Vidhi Adhikari]

This seems like an autobiography completely different from the ones I've read before. The author had my attention from the title and your review has compelled now me to pick this book. Great work

[Honest-reviewer]

This book seems informative. I’m sure there’s a lot to learn from this book. Thanks for your insightful review.