This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games--games that left him nearly dead. He had to learn how to play his mother's games in order to survive because she no longer considered him a son, but a slave; and no longer a boy, but an "it."
Dave's bed was an o... (show more)
This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games--games that left him nearly dead. He had to learn how to play his mother's games in order to survive because she no longer considered him a son, but a slave; and no longer a boy, but an "it."
Dave's bed was an old army cot in the basement, and his clothes were torn and raunchy. When his mother allowed him the luxury of food, it was nothing more than spoiled scraps that even the dogs refused to eat. The outside world knew nothing of his living nightmare. He had nothing or no one to turn to, but his dreams kept him alive--dreams of someone taking care of him, loving him and calling him their son.
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This story is very horrifying and sad. It made me cry throughout the book, and I couldn't put it down. Makes you more appreciative toward life you'... (show more)
This story is very horrifying and sad. It made me cry throughout the book, and I couldn't put it down. Makes you more appreciative toward life you're taking granted for. (show less)
It's probably unfair for me to try to review this book without reading the rest of the trilogy, but as a stand-alone work, this book is confusing. ... (show more)
It's probably unfair for me to try to review this book without reading the rest of the trilogy, but as a stand-alone work, this book is confusing. The first chapter lets the reader know that the young boy in the story is eventually rescued from his abusive home, but then the rest of the book is page after page of abuse. It's like torture porn, inflicted upon a little boy. His mother stabs him and leaves him to clean his infected wound by himself, she forces him to submerge in an icy bathtub for hours while his brothers bring their friends over to mock the naked child, and she locks him repeatedly in a small bathroom with a bucket full of ammonia and bleach to gas him nearly to death. This kind of thing goes on and on until the book just stops. I picked up this book for a dollar in a used book store because the cover said that it's inspirational, and if I could view this as the first section of an ultimately redemptive story (which is how I believe it is meant to be read), I may agree, but I don't know what happens, really, to the boy after he leaves the home.
In my favorite Dilbert comic strip, the pointy-haired boss announces to his staff that he has brought them an inspirational speaker, a professional athlete whose life was ruined by drugs. In the next panel, a man drawn with wavy lines slurs a few words, and Alice has to remind her boss that it's only an inspirational story AFTER he stops using. This book feels like that comic strip to me - the whole story may well be inspirational, but it only gets inspirational AFTER this part is over. I may pick up the next two books out of guilt, but I wish they had been published as a single volume, or at least that I hadn't read this one without having easy access to the next two. (show less)
I read this book in one sitting. It's a thin book with a larger than usual font, so that was easy to do.
What was not easy to deal with was what happened in the book. It's odd, because this wasn't the best formatted book in my opinion; there were too many events not bound by chronological time, and other things that were repeated, but I think I can understand, it would be hard for the author to remember all the horrible things that happened to him in a chronological order. But the subject m... (show more)
I read this book in one sitting. It's a thin book with a larger than usual font, so that was easy to do.
What was not easy to deal with was what happened in the book. It's odd, because this wasn't the best formatted book in my opinion; there were too many events not bound by chronological time, and other things that were repeated, but I think I can understand, it would be hard for the author to remember all the horrible things that happened to him in a chronological order. But the subject matter was so visceral and emotional that I found myself standing very easily in David's shoes during all of the abuse, suffering right along with him. I had to remember to breathe after certain parts of the story.
I felt anger, extreme anger towards David's psychopathic mother, and even more anger towards his father, who was a grown man, and who should have protected his son. I would have bitten that woman's finger off (for those of you who has read this book, you'll understand when and why) and run away from home. At least as a homeless kid, the author would have gotten more food! I think David's hope that one day he would stop being an "bad boy" made him stay, plus he was brainwashed.
I'm just glad David got out, and grew up to be a good man. I was surprised at his choice of career though, but I would suppose the army would have been a piece of cake for him, having been treated as a prisoner of war and slave as a child.
This book did leave me with more questions than answers, and I suppose I will have to read the next two books to find out more. I'm puzzled there is so little information out there on the "third-worst child-abuse case in California history". Was David's mother even put in prison for this?? Why the heck did she do this? Especially after reading the beginning...was she bipolar? Manic?
I also found it more surprising that even with all the witnesses and the potentially clear evidence of abuse scarring David's body, that today, family members would deny that the abuse ever happened, and that David was just a troubled boy with delusions of grandeur. (show less)
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This story is very emotional. The author does a good job placing you in the story. I felt as though I was standing in the room watching the events unfold, trying to imagine how any human being could treat another like this. And how bystanders allowed the abuse to continue for so long.
I know as a ER nurse this is a common problem in todays society. I still can not understand how others can sit and do nothing about it until usually it is too late. Most cases I see in the ER are pediatri... (show more)
This story is very emotional. The author does a good job placing you in the story. I felt as though I was standing in the room watching the events unfold, trying to imagine how any human being could treat another like this. And how bystanders allowed the abuse to continue for so long.
I know as a ER nurse this is a common problem in todays society. I still can not understand how others can sit and do nothing about it until usually it is too late. Most cases I see in the ER are pediatric deaths as a result of long term abuse instead of the "suspicious" arm fracture from a fall on the playground.
This book left me with more questions than answers, but at the end I see there are two additional books that follow the sequel that I am looking forward to reading and hopefully they answer some questions. (show less)
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This book and true story are expectantly good, as long as you can withstand reading all the different and disgusting ways of torture and child abuse. We do not want to believe it, but it happens and you must realize it. The book is good and I do recommend it.
Emily Van Meter about 1 month agoThis book is too sad and dark for my taste. I know that there is a powerful story with a good moral in the end of the trilogy, but to fully understand what Pelzer is saying you have to meddle through hundreds of pages of abuse, torture, and pity. Don't read this book unless you can relate to it.
Johnny Nolan Koch about 1 month agoCindie Llies I think that you need to have your head examined if you think that this book should have or even COULD HAVE been told in an "uplifting way" or with any humor. This is a subject that no one should ever take lightly, and if you think that it would be easier for you to deal with without telling all of the gruesome facts then maybe you should have choose a different novel.
Facebook-användare 2 months agoBastard child?
towards the end, his mother says he's a bastard child, but it doesn't mention the fact anywhere else. was his mother just insulting him, or was he really illegitamate? Could that have been the reason she singled him out from his brothers? If not, why did she choose him as her target?
Emilie Ann Guerlain about 1 year agocindie llies: you are wrong! More people need to see how an abused child feels at that point in their lives! Then maybe people would think of the child more. Of course it is like a diary! It's what he went through not fake real life facts! Nothing more, nothing less! This kind of abuse could have changed him as a person for the worst. He is letting people know just because you had abuse as a child doesn't mean your life is over!
Matasha Dobbins 2 months agoChild abuse and our stance...
Where does our responsibility fall with children such as these? How do you protect them without infrindging on other's freedomgs? And, is it worth removing freedom other's freedom to protect children from this kind of life?
Kristina Van Kirk about 1 year agoone way to help fight child abuse
ofcouse, get to know a child, gain their trust. one of the things one of my teachers did was have us wright in a journal that was shared beween me and her. i didn't tell her the deep dark secrets but i did share things with her that were going on right then and then she would hand it back with some questions. that should have sent up a big red flag, but it did get the right people paying a little more attention. it was only a year later when everything came out in the open.
Rebecca Crum about 1 year agoThis book has been added to these lists:
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