David Pelzer's second book, "The Lost Boy", picks up where his first book, "A Child Called It" left off. This book details Pelzer's adolescent years, from age 12 to age 18, starting with his rescue from abuse in 1973, to his decision to join the U.S. Air Force in 1979.

Pelzer spent these years confused and frustrated, being bounced around from one foster home to another, and being forced to change schools every few months. Because of his abusive years as a child, Pelzer wanted two things more than anything else: to find a place he could call home, and to be accepted by his peers. His desire for acceptance caused him to get into trouble many times. Always searching for a friend, Pelzer allowed himself to be too vulnerable and too trusting of others. Some of his friends turned out to be genuine. But others took advantage of Pelzer, manipulating him into stealing and, in one instance, getting him involved in setting a fire at school. Pelzer didn't really start the fire, but he had developed such a bad reputation as a troublemaker that everyone believed it was he who started it.

I was hoping that there would be more information on the relationship between Pelzer and his mother, but there was very little covered in this book. He does meet up with his younger brother at one point and he also meets up with his estranged father, finding him slumped over in a tavern. Pelzer was unable to get any clear answers from his father about what happened in his family. His only advice to his son was to "get as far away as possible" from his childhood home.

In the epilogue section of this text, Pelzer talks about the importance of social workers and foster parents. He points out that, however flawed people may think the system is, it was this system that saved his life. The media rarely report about the good things that these people do. They only focus on the negatives, just like they do with most of their reporting.

Also, in the back of the book, there are some interesting sections written by a few of the important people during this time in David Pelzer's life. People like Dennis Topley, who was one of his high school teachers; Carl Miguel, his chief probation officer; Michael Marsh, his mentor; and Alice Turnbough, his final foster parent. Along with her husband, Harold Turnbough, they provided David Pelzer with the thing he wanted most of all: a family.

David Pelzer is a living testament to the importance of social workers and foster parents. These individuals should be thanked over and over again for the unselfish giving of their time and resources.



Be Sure to Click the Links Below to Read More Reviews of Other Books in This Series:

A Child Called “It”
A Man Named Dave




Recommended: Yes