Take a photo of a barcode or cover
78 reviews for:
The Foundling: The True Story of a Kidnapping, a Family Secret, and My Search for the Real Me
Paul Joseph Fronczak
3.61 AVERAGE
78 reviews for:
The Foundling: The True Story of a Kidnapping, a Family Secret, and My Search for the Real Me
Paul Joseph Fronczak
3.61 AVERAGE
It started as a 5 stars but after half way through it dragged and became too long and detailed.
emotional
slow-paced
A great story, but the author sometimes repeats himself too often and gets more dramatic than is really necessary.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Mid-last week, I saw an ad on CNN for an upcoming documentary -- to be aired tomorrow/Sunday night (Sept. 26th) -- called "The Lost Sons." As I watched, I realized the storyline sounded very familiar. A while back, I'd read a story/review of a fascinating-sounding book called "The Foundling," and bought a paperback copy when I saw it in the bookstore (albeit it had been languishing in my "to be read" pile ever since then). I went to my bookshelves and pulled it out. Sure enough, same guy, same story.
I always like to read the book before I see the movie, if possible -- but I was in the middle of another book, and I wanted to finish it before I started yet another one. I finished that book yesterday/Friday morning, and picked up "The Foundling" later that afternoon. Could I get through the 347 pages in the 48+ hours or so before the documentary aired on Sunday (tomorrow) night??
I decided to give it a shot -- and fortunately, I found it to be a fast and captivating read. I finished it tonight -- about 30 hours after I opened it. :)
"The Foundling: The True Story of a Kidnapping, a Family Secret, and My Search for the Real Me" is the jaw-dropping true story of Paul Joseph Fronczak. When he was 10 years old, Paul was snooping in the crawl space of his family's Chicago home for hidden Christmas presents when he stumbled on some boxes of old letters and newspaper clippings that changed his life forever. The clippings told Paul that he'd been kidnapped (!) from the hospital on the day he was born (in April 1964) by an unidentified woman in a nurse's uniform.
Two years later, a little boy, approximately two years of age, was abandoned in a stroller in front of a department store in Newark, New Jersey. Blood tests were inconclusive -- no DNA testing back then! -- but the heartbroken Fronczaks immediately identified the boy as their missing son, legally adopted him and took him home to Chicago. The story of Paul's abduction and abandonment two years later was never referred to, even after the boy's discovery in the crawl space. But Paul couldn't help but notice that he looked nothing like his parents or younger brother, or that he seemed to have little in common with them either.
As an adult, Paul bounced around the country from job to job and relationship to relationship. Then, in 2012, he became the father of a baby girl. Questions from the baby's doctors about his family's medical history prompted Paul to take a DNA test and begin investigating the truth of his origins: Was he really Paul Joseph Fronczak, the kidnapped baby? If not, then who was he? And if he wasn't Paul Fronczak, what had happened to the real Paul?
This was an absolutely fascinating story, with many elements that have always intrigued me: it's a true crime/mystery/detective story that delves into issues of genealogy and adoption, and raises interesting questions about how we define family and identity.
The story ends in late 2015 (the book was published in 2017). I believe (I hope?) the documentary will fill us in on what's happened in the years since then.
A solid 4 stars. If I had one criticism of this book, it would be that there's a very large cast of characters, and it was sometimes confusing to remember who was related to who and how. A family tree or "cast of characters" list might have been helpful -- although, to be fair, it also might have spoiled some of the surprises.
I always like to read the book before I see the movie, if possible -- but I was in the middle of another book, and I wanted to finish it before I started yet another one. I finished that book yesterday/Friday morning, and picked up "The Foundling" later that afternoon. Could I get through the 347 pages in the 48+ hours or so before the documentary aired on Sunday (tomorrow) night??
I decided to give it a shot -- and fortunately, I found it to be a fast and captivating read. I finished it tonight -- about 30 hours after I opened it. :)
"The Foundling: The True Story of a Kidnapping, a Family Secret, and My Search for the Real Me" is the jaw-dropping true story of Paul Joseph Fronczak. When he was 10 years old, Paul was snooping in the crawl space of his family's Chicago home for hidden Christmas presents when he stumbled on some boxes of old letters and newspaper clippings that changed his life forever. The clippings told Paul that he'd been kidnapped (!) from the hospital on the day he was born (in April 1964) by an unidentified woman in a nurse's uniform.
Two years later, a little boy, approximately two years of age, was abandoned in a stroller in front of a department store in Newark, New Jersey. Blood tests were inconclusive -- no DNA testing back then! -- but the heartbroken Fronczaks immediately identified the boy as their missing son, legally adopted him and took him home to Chicago. The story of Paul's abduction and abandonment two years later was never referred to, even after the boy's discovery in the crawl space. But Paul couldn't help but notice that he looked nothing like his parents or younger brother, or that he seemed to have little in common with them either.
As an adult, Paul bounced around the country from job to job and relationship to relationship. Then, in 2012, he became the father of a baby girl. Questions from the baby's doctors about his family's medical history prompted Paul to take a DNA test and begin investigating the truth of his origins: Was he really Paul Joseph Fronczak, the kidnapped baby? If not, then who was he? And if he wasn't Paul Fronczak, what had happened to the real Paul?
This was an absolutely fascinating story, with many elements that have always intrigued me: it's a true crime/mystery/detective story that delves into issues of genealogy and adoption, and raises interesting questions about how we define family and identity.
The story ends in late 2015 (the book was published in 2017). I believe (I hope?) the documentary will fill us in on what's happened in the years since then.
A solid 4 stars. If I had one criticism of this book, it would be that there's a very large cast of characters, and it was sometimes confusing to remember who was related to who and how. A family tree or "cast of characters" list might have been helpful -- although, to be fair, it also might have spoiled some of the surprises.
A very intriguing story that proves that reality is more intriguing than fiction. This book kept me reading just to find out what happened next. I judge a book on its ability to keep me from putting the book down. This book succeeded. I would highly recommend it.
I enjoyed the story told but I listened to it instead of reading it and I think that was a mistake. Genealogy is hard to comprehend without a chart or family tree in front of you. I am involved in genealogy for my family and I still get confused if I have to go back more than two or three generations. A good portion of this book is a family tree poured over and explored extensively. Maybe the written book has a family tree graphic for the reader to go back to often for reference. But you didn't have those reference points while listening to the book and that left me lost and confused many times over. Still, I did enjoy the story. Maybe because I am into genealogy. More because it's two mysteries that the author works hard to solve. I would have given it 3 1/2 stars if I could.
Interesting story but half way in he gets deep into the genealogy and family names. Lost interest
A wild and fascinating story of a “foundling” from the 60s trying to solve the mystery of his life in the modern era. Awesome for anyone interested in genealogy and/or dark family secrets.
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
slow-paced