The Foundling
The True Story of a Kidnapping, a Family Secret, and My Search for the Real Me
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4.5 • 51 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
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.
Customer Reviews
Powerful
A story well worth reading. Be prepared though, not only is this story moving - it is also deeply disturbing on many levels. If you are moving so quickly through your adult life that you have not taken time lately to stop and express thanksgiving, read this story and you will find plenty of reasons to do just that. I never had to wonder who I was or search for an identity like the author has. Just experiencing his journey through the book was an eye-opening revelation.
Be aware - just reading the first few pages might not be enough. Set some time aside! Once I started, I had to read the whole book through. It's that compelling.
Paul Fronczak - Undeterred Seeker of Truth!
What a story! ...but it's NOT a story, it's somebody's ACTUAL LIFE STORY as he discovered his TRUE origins unfold a half century later.
I was riveted by not only Paul Fronczak's tenacity in not giving up, but also the selfless assistance he got fron criminal investigators, and more so the various volunteers specializing in DNA and ancestrry.
This book, more than anything proves to the reader that the truth may be out there, but it's not always easy to find, and it can at times be downright tragic.
God bless the two families that assisted the abandoned baby, first the foster parents (Eckerts) and then the adoptive parents (Fronczaks). It sounds like they were truly guardian angels when the infant needed one most!