The Unexpected Guest: How a Homeless Man from the Streets of L.A. Redefined Our Home

In this stirring memoir, discover the timely story of a couple that takes in a homeless man and the life-altering effect the experience has on all three of them.

For years, Michael Bailey wandered the streets of L.A., preaching to his people. On occasion, he’d share an open mic night with Michael Konik, an L.A. based writer who befriended him from a distance. Konik offered a curious and sympathetic ear, particularly when Mike lamented having to be so far away from his wife (who he claimed was Selena Gomez). As the pair began to trust one another, confusion and distance gave way to true friendship, and what came next astounded them both.

In this poignant memoir from bestselling author Michael Konik, love takes on profound new dimensions in this story of friendship, family, and the meaning of home. Konik offered 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 Bailey-a question all of America faces, with a total of 552,830 people experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2018.

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 guest 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 about what it means not only to be good people, but to be human.