Before I bought this book I read several of the reviews here and I still had doubts about whether or not I could handle reading it.I did buy it a few days later at the local Super Stop & Shop for $8.95. I found this price to be good considering that it is $17.95 at Amazon and that does not include shipping and handling. It is also available at Barnesandnoble.com for $8.95 or you can download the e-book format for $9.95.


This book is one of those that once you start to read it you just can't put it down. I read it cover to cover in literally 3 hours. I read straight thru the first hundred pages on the night I bought it. I went to bed eager to get up and finish the remaining 84 pages which I did finish the next morning.

About the Book

Dave dedicates this book to his son who he says taught him the gift of Love and joy thru the eye's of a child, and to the teachers and staff of the elementary school who all finally summoned the courage to intervene and were responsible for his being rescued from the clutches of a heartless woman who he knew as Mother. They risked their careers to save this suffering child. Incidentally Dave was rescued March 5th 1973 almost 3 months before I was born at the end of May 1973.

This book is the first in a series of three books written by Dave Pelzer as they chronicle his life. This book chronicles his life from age 4 thru his rescue at age 12.


There are a total of 184 pages and 7 Chapters followed by the Epilogue and perspectives on child abuse by Dave and a few of those who knew of his case and one of the Teachers who helped rescue him, there is also a poem written by Cindy M Adams. The last few Pages are made up of Resources, and notes by Dave and about Daves Organization.

The Address for Questions or Comments is:
D-ESPRIT
P.O. Box 1846
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

A self addressed stamped envelope is required in order to receive a reply along with an advisory that not all correspondence will be answered because of the large volume of Mail received.

The Address for specific information on Dave's Programs is:
Write the address above or Call
Phone 760-321-4452
Fax 760-321-6842

or visit www.davepelzer.com


On to the Story

Chapter 1 - The Rescue
Dave's Day begins with him rushing to do the dishes so he can have the few leftover scraps of cereal that his brothers did not finish. When he arrives at late school it appears the faculty had already decided that this would be the day they would finally act. Daily visits to the nurse
were a part of his regular routine for more than a year giving the reader the impression that the faculty had been attempting to document the abuse this child was suffering.

He is frightened at first by the changes in behaviors of those who are planning his rescue and he becomes almost frantic when he is told by the principle Mr. Hansen that his mother will be called, being that it is Friday and he knows he will have to be home all weekend with no escape from her sick games and violent attacks.

When the officer arrives to assist in the rescue and takes Dave to the Police station Dave thinks he is being arrested. When Dave is told that he is free and that his mother will never hurt him again, a feeling of sadness is implied by the author along with the sense that he does not fully understand what is taking place.


Chapter 2 - Good Times

This Chapter outlines Dave's life before he became the object of his mothers attacks and you see the picture of a creative and intelligent woman who always had more than enough love to go around and all of the things she did seemed out of love and care for her family, this Chapter makes you wonder how things could have changed so drastically in such a small period of time.

This Chapter keeps haunting you throughout the rest of the book, you wish somehow this horrible woman will change back to the mother she once was. You hurt for Dave knowing that his memories of happy times are slowly torturing him while he wishes for the return of those happy times.

Chapter 3 - Bad Boy

The punishments start slowly in this chapter with the Games, as Dave describes them and escalate into full blown attacks, his arm is pulled out of socket and left untreated for hours , a bar of soap is jammed into his mouth, he is made to lay on top of the stove,he is stripped, beaten, kicked and punched by his mother Dave is almost completly removed from the family unit at this point.

His father still makes a few weak attempts to comfort and protect his son but his lack of strength is painfully evident. As far as I can tell he is still allowed to eat normally in this chapter. You get a hint of problems between the mother and father which may in part be contributing to the mothers behavior.

Chapter 4 - The fight for food
This Chapter is where it gets horrific, Dave is made to go without food for extended periods of time as many as 10 days at a time, he is forced to steal food from his classmates at school which leads to them hating him. At first Dave refers to his mothers "forgeting" to feed him. He is essentially turned into a chore boy who is banished to the basement of the house and beckoned to clean up after the family has finished dinner, he is rarley or never allowed to eat with the family, he is forced to steal food and dig through the trash for scraps his father makes a couple last ditch efforts to sneak him food but soon gives up when it becomes evident he is fighting a losing battle and as the arguing increases his will to help his son decreases. During a family vacation Dave's mother smeared feces on his face and forced him to eat it.

When his mother found out he had eaten anything he was forced to vomit and eat the vomit his father stood by and watched too weak to fight a losing battle. At times you almost feel worse for the father than for Dave because Dave has gained enough internal strength to cope, the father seems to have none. Imagine watching your child be tortured and doing Nothing to stop it. The guilt he must have had to live with. None of us I'm sure would ever allow our kids to be treated so horrible and stand by and do nothing. I can't even fathom it. He is literally almost killed when she forces him to drink dish soap, ammonia and bleach.

Chapter 5 - The Accident
In spite of what Dave titled this chapter this was no accident. He himself says there was no remorse in her eye's I don't want to give away too much because this is a short chapter but it is one that will haunt you. It is very difficult to read if you are very sensitive. He is holding on by a thread and his will to survive is fueled only by the desire to defeat his mother and not let her win. She treats him almost humanly for a breif period following the accident but soon returns to her torturous ways.

Chapter 6- While father is away
The misery of Summer Vacation sets in as the horrors of him home life keep getting worse. His father again attempts to ease the suffering a bit in a small way and makes a promise he could never keep. It appears that the father has finally decided to remove himself from the situation and his guilt is catching up with him. Too bad it is not strong enough to motivate him to take his son with him. Dave's mother, who by now is way far gone, tries to poison him with toxic fumes for being caught with a lunch he had gotten from a neighbor the real horror here is that she does this more than once.

Chapter 7- The Lords Prayer
By now Dave had little or no hope for survival, anger and resentment and pure hatred are building up he no longer has faith in God or a will to live. His life is a virtual black hole of misery, he began to hate himself and was tortured at school in addition to being tortured at home. Mercifully this book ends abruptly sparing us the gory details of Dave's last punishment as he says a silent prayer that she will kill him quickly.

The epilogue contains a bit about Dave's life now as he reflects on his past and the very fact that he is alive.

A few of my own personal feelings

This book disturbed me on many levels. Although I am aware of possible reasons she may have done these things I cannot condone her actions based upon these reasons. In the 60's and early 70's which is when these abuses took place, there were few or little support systems for parents especially those with troubled marriages and I suppose that frustrations just built up inside this woman and she took them out on Dave. Still I feel that she is ultimately responsible for her own actions.

Please If you know of a child who is being abused- get involved - most times you can call the authorities and remain anonymous.
Child Abuse Hotline

1-800-422-4453

I hope I have been helpful!


Recommended: Yes