The Unexpected Guest, Michael Konik
The Unexpected Guest, Michael Konik
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
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The Unexpected Guest
How a Homeless Man from the Streets of L.A. Redefined Our Home

Author: Michael Konik

Narrator: George W. Sarris

Unabridged: 9 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/05/2020


Synopsis

For years, "Fisher King Mike" wandered the streets of LA, preaching to his people. On occasion, he’d share an open mic night with Michael Konik, who befriended the homeless man at a distance and offered a confused but sympathetic ear when the Fisher King lamented having to be so far away from his wife, Selena Gomez, and their several children. As the pair began to cautiously trust one another, confusion and distance gave way to friendship, and what came next astounded them both.

In this poignant memoir from bestselling author Michael Konik, “family” and “home” take on profound new meaning through one person’s care for a stranger. Konik offered extra food when his unlikely new friend came by, a pair of pants when it was clear he needed them, and wondered how much he, as a person, owed the troubled Fisher King.

When Konik and his wife offered Mike a place in their home, handy as he turned out to be with household projects, they were delighted with his transformation from Fisher King to Caretaker. Gone was the man who gave sermons about his estate next door to Kanye West, and the man drifting through life, wondering at his purpose and what was missing. What each never saw coming was their own transformation and the lessons they’d learn in what it meant to not only be good people, but be human.

About Michael Konik

"The dean of the world's gambling writers," Michael Konik is the author of six books, including the gaming classic The Man with the $100,000 Breasts. He's written for numerous publications, including The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, and Sports Illustrated. On television, Konik has competed in the World Series of Poker and the World Series of Blackjack, and he appears regularly as an expert commentator on FoxSports poker broadcasts. Visit the author at www.michaelkonik.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Sheonna

This book is for all the people who “think” they are “good people”. It’s about how a homeless man changed his life. In LA there is a huge homeless population. There are so many people it’s easy to not see them. They are as common as trees. But the truth are they are not trees they are people. Humans......more

Michael Konik frequently shared his poetry at an open mic night, where he had made the acquaintance “Fisher King Mike,” self-professed preacher to those living on the streets. When Mike appeared on Konik’s doorstep with a simple request to sleep on the porch, Konik and his wife Charmaine entered int......more

Goodreads review by Doug

Would be good without the pontification and self aggrandizement, did Konik adopt/use a homeless person so he could write a book? Based on the book I think so, pretty lame. He also walked his dog without a leash, basic incompetence, which was the cause of the dogs death but Konik is a great person an......more