A Brother's Journey

November 15, 2004
In this gripping, deeply troubling memoir, a follow-up to his brother David's bestselling A Child Called It
, Pelzer reveals the unyielding suffering he says he experienced at the hands of his depraved mother growing up in the 1970s. Once David, the elder of the two, was removed from the household, the author, by this account, became the target of their mother's alcohol-induced rage. As Pelzer details his outward struggle to survive—learning to fall asleep with his eyes open, for example—and his internal efforts to understand and rise above his circumstances, he assaults readers with the graphic facts, told in surprisingly matter-of-fact language, about being beaten bloody for falling asleep when he was supposed to be awake, and being forbidden to bathe and forced to eat scraps from a dog bowl. Family members (including Pelzer's father), neighbors and teachers were aware of the abuse but did nothing to help, and Pelzer credits outsiders, especially his friend Ben, with finally "allowing" him to see himself more clearly. By looking back at—and then releasing—the image of the skinny, red-haired boy who wanted nothing more than his mother's love, Pelzer discovers his true spirit, which he shares courageously and selflessly here in the hope of healing himself, as well as raising awareness of and preventing child abuse. Agent, Jim Schiavone. (Jan. 5)

Forecast:
Print ads and a radio satellite tour to 25 markets will draw in readers who were riveted by 1995's
A Child Called It (interestingly, though, Pelzer doesn't comment on
It, which came under scrutiny because of allegations that its account was embellished).

September 15, 2004
What could be worse than the abuse recounted by Dave Pelzer in A Child Called "It"? Ask his brother what happened after Dave was finally removed from the household.

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2004
Is Pelzer piggybacking on the success of his older brother Dave's story of being abused, " A Child Called It" (1995)? Maybe, but Richard certainly has his own tragic tale. Most of his grim recollections are from the time after Dave was removed from the household by social services, leaving Richard, then 8, as the focus for their alcoholic mother's rage. He remained so until, at age 15, he took his first tentative steps toward breaking his mother's psychological hold. Pelzer spares no detail here, and though he certainly takes his mother to task, he writes with an amazing lack of bitterness toward his other brothers, who sometimes participated in his anguish, and toward the social services agency that left him traumatized and alone. As devastating as his story is, it's little more than a catalog of abuse, and the disappointing ending leaves readers in the dark about how he actually turned his life around. But the fact that he did manage to do that, despite the odds, makes his story worth reading, especially by those who know his brother's book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)

January 15, 2005
Born into a family of boys raised by a single mother, Pelzer recounts horrendous incidents of physical and emotional abuse that he suffered during childhood and adolescence. The mother is described as a sadistic alcoholic who scapegoats the author after his brother, David, was removed from the home. David told his story in the trilogy made up of "A Child Called It", "The Lost Boy", and "A Man Named Dave". This book clearly reveals the dynamics of a deeply dysfunctional family and the unholy alliances that often develop in such a unit. The author expresses understandable anger at his mother and others who failed to rescue him despite obvious manifestations of his plight. However, he provides little insight into what caused the mother's unspeakably cruel behavior and the father's shadowy existence, ending rather abruptly during his teenage years. There is little reflection on how the abuse affected his later life, perhaps suggestive of a planned sequel. The result is a graphic and gut-wrenching account of private evil rather than an inspiring story of suffering and resilience like Antwone Fisher's "Finding Fish". Recommended only for comprehensive self-help collections. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 9/15/04.] -Antoinette Brinkman, Evansville, IN

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.