A True Story
One Child's Courage to Survive
Dave Pelzer was born in 1960 and grew up in a middle-class suburb of San Francisco. His dad was a firefighter whose work kept him away for days at a time. His mother was a homemaker and an alcoholic who started abusing Dave when he was four years old.
While his mother cared for the rest of the family, Dave was starved, beaten, burned, and referred to as "the boy" and eventually, "it." His mother made him eat his brother's feces, drink ammonia, and would hold his arm over a gas stove. Dave internalized his mother's hatred and believed he was unworthy of love.
No one stopped his mother. In the Pelzer household, dad worked, and mom raised the boys. Dave says his father was the perfect passive observer. For Dave, survival became a matter of out-witting his mother.
Review on Oprah Winfrey's website.
Who Can You Trust?
You are in a baddd situation; people in your life are oblivious...
Please refrain from cursing, it will be deleted.
10/2009: I would like to thank each and every one of you for your comments here on this forum. May you find peace in your life ~clouda9
Who would you turn to?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byNo one, hope SOMEBODY would just know and speak out for me!
markie says:
all i wated was a book to scim hrough and make a good grade on my book talk for english i piced up the book and was unble to put it down!! its an amazing book and a huge eye opener to spoiled brats who think they have it hard!!!!
Posted November 05, 2009
leslie says:
as a child.when its happening to you..it feels there is no one to turn to.most kids that r abused dont have many friends...family is either involved or have closed eyes...u write down ur thoughts...build up strength and call the police or go to the hospital..they will take you away..not saying it will be better...but u will be gone from there..turn 17 and live on ur own...
Posted October 20, 2009
morgan says:
i am a 7th grader and got almost my whole grade to read this book! it took me only 3 hours to read this book and i was brought to tears and anger. i amend dave for his strong courage and im not going to say he was an ispiration because he was but he thinks of himself as just another person thats survived this type of thing. :)
Posted October 05, 2009
Naomi says:
im reading this book bc i can relate and theres really no1 i can turn 2 without my mom probably ending up in jail or on the news...
Posted September 27, 2009
Faith ! says:
The book was amzing ! i couldnt put itt down ! my emotions were stirred uhp like nothing else mattered ! i loved itt !
Posted September 09, 2009
Don't even try messin' with me!
LoKackl says:
I would like to think I'd hope for somebody to help. Experience and observations tells me otherwise. The problem is, taking a tough stance, which usually involves adversarial attitudes only makes matters worse. Jails and estranged relations tell the tale.
Posted November 12, 2009
markie says:
i have jesus christ in my heart and i would do and wil turn to him for everytihng!!!!
Posted November 05, 2009
alla says:
i would turn to jesus christ!!!!!!! because he died for me so i live and trust in him!!!!!!
Posted November 02, 2009
olaya says:
i will trust me and my self and i
Posted October 25, 2009
tamara says:
i wouldnt trust neither because in the book the father left andwasnt there the mom kept beating him so i would only trust god my savior.....
Posted October 25, 2009
Rate This Book
A Gripping Excerpt!
The Gas Chamber - Book Excerpt
Why would somebody do this to another?
"After a few more minutes, I thought I would cough up my insides. I knew that Mother wasn't going to give in and open the door. To survive her new game, I had to use my head. Laying on the tiled floor I stretched my body, and using my foot, I slide the bucket to the door. I did this for two reasons: I wanted the bucket as far away from me as possible, and in case Mother opened the door, I wanted her to get a snoot full of her own medicine. I curled up in the opposite corner of the bathroom, with my cleaning rag over my mouth, nose and eyes. Before covering my face, I wet the rag in the toilet. I didn't dare turn on the water in the sink for fear of Mother hearing it. Breathing through the cloth, I watched the mist inch its way closer and closer to the floor. I felt as if I were locked in a gas chamber. Then I thought about the small heating vent on the floor by my feet. I knew it turned on and off every few minutes. I put my face next to the vent and sucked in all the air my lungs would hold. In about half an hour, Mother opened the door and told me to empty the bucket into the drain in the garage before I smelled up her house. Downstairs I coughed up blood for over an hour. Of all Mother's punishments, I hated the gas chamber game the most....."
Shout Out to your peers at Teen Central...totally real, totally anonymous, totally yours!
A Wonderful Video Review
The Author's Website
Don't miss it!
Dave Pelzer: Dave now uses what he has learned from his tragic past to help others. He has written four international best sellers and his most recent book, Help Yourself, has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize
- Phone: (760) 321-4452, contact is Amy Jones
- Fax: (760) 321-6842
- Mailing Address: PO Box 1846, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
Tune Into Dave's Show
Straight talk from the author!
Discover more on the VoiceAmerica Radio Network. Below are Podcasts from past shows.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byMore Books by Dave Pelzer
What's the Buzz About Dave Pelzer?
- A Child Called 'It' - Dave Pelzer - darkling-grrl's name
- I have conflicting feelings about this book. It is Dave's autobiography, a man who was brutally abus...
- sisoshu Reading Blog #3
- A Child Called ?It? is by Dave Pelzer witnessing about his child hood. He was a child neglected...
- Read Arizona » Blog Archive » A Man Named Dave by Dave Pelzer
- Dave Pelzer reveals all of his deep emotions throughout this book. He shares with his readers the st...
- Ms. Brems' Book Blog: A Child Called "IT" by: Dave Pelzer
- Author: Dave Pelzer Pages: 184. Rating: ***** Recommendation: This book is great. It helps remind yo...
Dave Pelzer on Wikipedia
Dave James Pelzer (born December 29, 1960)"California Birth Index", www.ancestry.com : "David J Pelzer, b 29 Dec 1960, San Francisco County, mother's maiden name Christa" is an American author, best known for his memoir of childhood abuse, A Child Called "It".
Pelzer is the son of San Francisco fireman, Stephen Joseph Pelzer (1923 - 1980), who was of Austrian and Irish descent, and Catherine Roerva Christen Pelzer (1929 - 1992)..
Pelzer was born in Daly City, California, to Stephen Pelzer and Catherine Roerva Pelzer (née Christen) and was the second of five boys. Pelzer wrote in his book that as a child he was continually abused, mistreated, and beaten by his mother, who thought of it as a game. The book documents how his mother starved him, forced him to drink ammonia, stabbed him in the stomach and forced him to eat his own vomit. His teachers stepped in on March 5, 1973 and 12-year-old Pelzer was placed in foster care. In 1979, he joined the Air Force and later became an author. The fourth boy, Richard B. Pelzer, has also written about his own abuse.
It's Never Too Late To Have A Happy Childhood
1987
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If you are a teen...Shout Out to your peers at Teen Central...totally real, totally anonymous, totally yours!
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- lasertek lasertek Nov 11, 2009 @ 6:47 pm
- It's unfortunate that so many of us have to go through an unhappy childhood. I've been blessed with a loving family that's why I do not know how abused children surpass the unlikable experiences. I will definitely read this book to understand the pains and struggles that Dave Pelzer underwent and know how he has managed to become what he is now.
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