The Foundling

The True Story of a Kidnapping, a Family Secret, and My Search for the Real Me

By: Paul Joseph Fronczak, Alex Tresniowski, Paul Joseph Fronczak - introduction

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

This is the inspiring and “page-turning” (Booklist) true story of a man who discovered that he had been kidnapped as a baby—and how his quest to find out who he really is upturned the genealogy industry, his own family, and set in motion the second longest cold case in US history.

In 1964, a woman pretending to be a nurse kidnapped an infant boy named Paul Fronczak from a Chicago hospital.

Two years later, police found a boy abandoned outside a variety store in New Jersey. The FBI tracked down Dora Fronczak, the kidnapped infant’s mother, and she identified the abandoned boy as her son. The family spent the next fifty years believing they were whole again—but Paul was always unsure about his true identity.

Then, four years ago—spurred on by the birth of his first child, Emma Faith—Paul took a DNA test. The test revealed that he was definitely not Paul Fronczak. From that moment on, Paul has been on a tireless mission to find the man whose life he’s been living—and to discover who abandoned him, and why.

Poignant and inspiring, The Foundling is a story about a child lost and a faith found, about the permanence of families and the bloodlines that define you, and about the emotional toll of both losing your identity and rediscovering who you truly are.

Intellectually stimulating; a fascinating story!

One of the best books I've ever read. Captivating from the start, and you can't imagine the journey of twists and turns that the story will take. This book proves what they say: Truth is better than fiction. Highly recommended.

Absolutely amazing story - couldn't put it down

Any additional comments?

It's hard to believe this is a true story. So many high points and low points. The narrator is fabulous.....loved him in When The Air Hits Your Brain.

Occasional Reader

I simply loved this book and have also ordered the hardback book to go back over it again. I want to highlight some of the important lessons covered about DNA. I am also excited to be able to meet CeCe Moore at the Arkansas Genealogical Society's Fall Seminar this weekend. I hope there will be a second book or an update to tell the rest of the story whenever it unfolds. This book will help so many of us who are a part of the Adoption Triad - Adopted Adults, Birth Parents and Adoptive Parents. Thanks.

Sad and touching

It is unfortunate that maladjusted people mess up their children’s lives. The author has written compassionately about people who did not show him compassion. Speaks well of him.

Great Book!

I really liked this book. the only problem I have with any memoir/nonfiction is the author not being the narrator. Other than that this is a great read