The Lost and the Found - by Kevin Fagan (Hardcover)

About the Book

"An award-winning journalist and Pulitzer Prize nominee who has covered homelessness for decades and spent extensive time on the streets for his reporting, Fagan experienced it himself as a young man and brings a deep understanding to the crisis. He introduces us to Rita and Tyson, telling the deeply moving story of two unhoused people rescued by their families with the help of Fagan's reporting, and their struggle to pull themselves out of homelessness and addiction, ending with both enormous tragedy and triumph. But [this book] is not just a story of individuals experiencing homelessness--it is also a compelling look at the link between homelessness and addiction, and [a] commentary on housing and equality"--

Book Synopsis

In the tradition of Stephanie Land and Matthew Desmond, a powerful and deeply reported narrative of homelessness, despair, and hope.

Kevin Fagan's The Lost and the Found, set in San Francisco--one of the wealthiest cities in America--takes an empathic, character-driven approach to exploring the human side of what's behind the homelessness epidemic.

An award-winning journalist and Pulitzer Prize nominee who has covered homelessness for decades and spent extensive time on the streets for his reporting, Fagan experienced it himself as a young man and brings a deep understanding to the crisis. He introduces us to Rita and Tyson, telling the deeply moving story of two unhoused people rescued by their families with the help of Fagan's reporting, and their struggle to pull themselves out of homelessness and addiction, ending with both enormous tragedy and triumph.

But The Lost and the Found is not just a story of individuals experiencing homelessness, it is also a compelling look at the link between homelessness and addiction, and an incisive commentary on housing and equality. Fagan shines a sharp light on this national calamity, and in sharing Rita and Tyson's stories, The Lost and the Found has the potential to change the way we see and help the homeless.

Review Quotes

"Offers a riveting, deeply compassionate look at their lives by following two longtime homeless denizens of the city."
--Heather Night, The New York Times

"Moves beyond predictable policy critique to offer a powerful reminder of the moral side of the crisis.... Fagan attempts to shake the reader out of a complacent state of mind... His book has the deft touch that can come only when the ego of the journalist ebbs into something far more substantial and convincing.... An earnest reminder of the moral side of the crisis: why it is still worth fighting for the basic dignity of all people, especially those who live and die in the teeth of the American contradiction."
--Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker

"For those who seek to understand how anyone could end up this way, and who might want to help in some way, this book provides an often difficult--but necessary--experience."
--Booklist

"Fagan traces the uniquely American slippery slope that leads to homelessness. A haunting proposal that the homelessness crisis is caused above all by a startling lack of compassion in American society."
--Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

"Fagan is a reporting legend in San Francisco, and this book shows why. An astonishing feat of immersive journalism and empathy, The Lost and the Found traces how two people ended up living on the city streets, addicted to drugs, separated from their families -- and how they ultimately fought to save themselves, with help from loved ones who never gave up searching. It will forever change the way readers think about homelessness."
--Jason Fagone, author of the bestselling The Woman Who Smashed Codes

"The American epidemic of homelessness and addiction cannot be understood or solved without knowing the stories of the people living on our streets. Kevin Fagan's The Lost and the Found is an unflinching examination of a human catastrophe and a heart-felt portrait of people we can readily recognize as our brothers and sisters. Against all odds, they cling to hope. You can't help but root for them in this piercing, masterful study of how the crisis began and how, with political will and moral conviction, we can end the suffering."
--Steve Lopez, bestselling author of The Soloist: A Lost Dream, An Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music

"The most authentic account of homelessness by the author who literally slept next to his subjects on the cold pavement of San Francisco. The book is riveting and painful, hopeful and depressing. Kevin Fagan captures the desperation of those on the street who simply want to survive and their attempts to overcome their addiction. I couldn't put the book down. It's a must read for anyone who wants to understand this vexing problem in our society. Kevin's humanity is breathtaking."
--Congresswoman Jackie Speier (ret), author of Undaunted

"Hundreds of books have been published on the homeless. Forget them--read The Lost and the Found. There's nothing out there like it. Kevin Fagan spent decades immersed in the lives of two people who many view as forgettable human wreckage on a sidewalk. The nightmare of America's tent cities is told through the stories of Rita and Tyson. The 'homeless' become human. Real people whose lives we care about. An ink-stained Kevin, notebook in hand, practices old-school shoeleather reporting: he listens. That's our job as journalists. Kevin really listens. Bro, you got great ears."
--Dale Maharidge, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning And Their Children After Them and American Doom Loop

"Fagan has been there - homeless at one time himself, now on the streets as a journalist - he is an astute chronicler of the misery and aspirations of our homeless neighbors. For anyone who wants more insight and understanding, a street level view, either to be more empathetic or to take action - The Lost and the Found is a primer. You can trust Fagan not to romanticize or politicize. He's straight up, savvy, and realistic."
--Philip Mangano, CEO, The American Round Table to Abolish Homelessness and former "Homelessness Czar" under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

"With compassion, an eye for detail, and an instinct for the human stories behind the statistics, Fagan gives voice to the often-anonymous individuals propelled on downward spirals that take them from suburbia and middle-class comforts to mean streets rife with panhandling, AIDS, fentanyl, disease, and death. Powerful, offering a humanizing and hopeful portrait of an abiding problem. A rare look at citizens often denied their dignity."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred)

About the Author

Kevin Fagan is a longtime, award-winning reporter, having spent over three decades at the San Francisco Chronicle. He won the Bill Workman Award from the San Francisco Press Club, the James Aronson Award for Social Justice in Journalism, and the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University. He has also been nominated several times for the Pulitzer Prize. During his career, he has covered homelessness, the 9/11 terror attacks, serial killers, California's wildfires, and much more. Follow him on X @KevinChron.