My Story

This story has touched my heart and has giving me the faith that it is possible to overcome abuse. I have had many oppurtunities to read this book and was never able tocomplete it. I was able to have an audio book loaned to me and listened to the entire book and I was so uplifted by your strenghth and courage. Your ability to overcome and grow from your experiences has giving me another look at hope. Thank you so much. I am now looking forward to reading your other books and adding them to my libary.

I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Pelzer for a variety of reasons. First of all, with gut-wrenching honesty, he shares the secrets of his life to an innumerable amount of people. Abused people share this "don't ask, don't tell, and for heaven's sake don't feel" secret. Mr. Pelzer took his experience and overcame all of those barriers, which takes a great deal of strength and emotional maturity. Secondly, Mr. Pelzer has taken delicate issues and instead of turning his story into a platform for berating the system and people involved with the torture of his life, he has respectfully shed light on the flaws while also showing the beauty of the strengths. It takes a great amount of maturity and healing from one's past to simply not blame all of life's misfortunes on a "failed system." He takes responsibility for his adolescent acts, and also shows the depth of desire and hope that he felt and that others instilled in him. Despite everything he has endured, I never once felt he was simply out to "abuse" anyone for their treatment of him; in other words, he was never out to verbally attack those who tortured him, the system that failed at times, and the onlookers who gawked. He delicately and respectfully (although I'm not sure I could have done it!) addressed those to whom responsibility was due, and faced responsibility on his own. Dave, I'm not sure how you survived and lived to tell about it, but I will tell you that your story inspired me to follow my heart and fulfill my dreams of helping others who find themselves trapped in abusive situations. As a surviver of marital abuse, I can only hope I can offer a sliver of what you have given. Thank you.

I read all three books and found each one inspiring. Yes, they are very sad and I shed a lot of tears but Dave Pelzer is an amazing man who triumphed against the odds. I couldn't put these books down. Highly recommended!!!

I was very fortunate to be raised by two loving, protective parents and cannot IMAGINE what it must have been like to grow up in Dave's home-if you could even call it that. Prison or hell would be a more adequate definition. I could not put this book down and am so grateful to Dave for shedding light on the dreadful reality of child abuse. How someone could do that to an innocent child is simply mind boggling to me. This book is a must read-I have passed it along to several friends and they were equally moved by this tragic, yet triumphant story.

I've read all of Dave's books and each one reminds me of my childhood years. I was an abused child and reading these books brought bad memories of my past. Tears filled my eyes. For the first time ever males such as Dave are writing "their" story about abuse. Not for "MONEY" as some critics have mentioned. But to help people like me. People who have suffered silently through such a terrible childhood. Men need to stop suffering silently. It is not wrong to "tell your story" and I admire Dave for doing just that. I truly recommend any boy/man to read his book. It will move you and hope, heal some wounds!

These are 3 of the most powerful, emotional, intense books I've ever read. If you make it through them without shedding a tear you must have not read them right. I have such admiration for this person who had such a horrible youth and he still became an amazing adult. Read this book and then recommend it to all your friends.