Dave Pelzer

Dave Pelzer

David James Pelzer (born December 29, 1960 in Daly City, California) is an author and advocate for children's rights.

Family

David Pelzer was the second oldest of five boys. His youngest brother Kevin was born when David was still a young boy. His father Stephen Joseph Pelzer died in 1980 in San Francisco County. His mother Catherine Roerva died in 1992. The fourth boy Richard B. Pelzer has also written about his own abuse.

The abuse

Pelzer is the author of a number of New York Times best-sellers chronicling the story of his alleged abuse at the hands of his alcoholic and emotionally unstable mother. He claims his mother violently abused and tortured him through means of beating, starving, gas inhalation and burning him, all with Dave having to fight to survive.

He says that his mother would play games, one that included the "gas chamber" where he was locked in a room and made inhale toxic gasses as well as the "tub" where he was made lie in a freezing bath for hours at a time. The worst starvation case is when his father left for a few days, David was not fed for nearly 7 days in a row.

During all of David's abuse his father watched on from the corner not doing a thing to stop it. When David asked for help, in particular on the time he was stabbed by his mother and his father just pleaded to David to get back to work before his mother heard them,which would just anger her. The one thing that kept David going thought was how his father would always say to him that he and David would one day escape "this hell hole" together. This was never to happen though as his father left the family after one too many drunken fights when David was 11.

According to Pelzer, he was rescued at the age of 12 on March 5th 1973 by his school nurse, Teacher, Julia, Bea and the principal, who Pelzer claims had noticed over a period of a few years that he stole food from other children at school to feed himself and noticed bruises and cuts that regularly appeared on him. He was removed from his home and sent to live in a series of foster homes, where he gradually overcame the trauma of his earlier years and later joined the Air Force before becoming an author.

At the age of 13 David was sent to a juvenile detention center for 100days after he was convicted of starting a fire at his new school, which he clams he only tried to put out after a fellow student and his first real friend convinced him to be a look out while the student burnt down the classroom, the classmate was not punnished. During his time in fostercare David also often stole candy bars and toys to impress local kids.

During the time David was abused it is believed that his brothers' were not harmed but actually treated like "normal" children. Davids mother had deluded and brainwashed his brothers to believe that David was a "bad boy" and deserved the punishments he received. It was not until after David was removed from the home that abuse from his mother was transferred to his other brothers in particular his brother Russell was singled out just as David once had been.

Pelzer's work has been the subject of considerable controversy, and the truthfulness of his stories has been questioned.

He now travels throughout the nation promoting his books and speaking out about abuse. His accomplishments have garnered commendations from several presidents. In 1994, he became the only American to win the "Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World" award.

He has been married twice and has one son, whom he named after his father.

Controversy

Numerous articles have raised questions about Pelzer's works, such as the Mail on Sunday ("Is He Making 'It' All Up?"), the New York Times Magazine ("Dysfunction for Dollars", by Pat Jordan, July 28, 2002), and the online magazine Slate ("Dave Pelzer - The Child Abuse Entrepreneur").

In "Dysfunction for Dollars," Pelzer's older brother is quoted as saying, "David wasn't ostracized from the family; he was very close to me and Robert. We were the Three Musketeers. But David had to be the center of attention. He was a hyper, spoiled brat." Adding to controversy, "...his grandmother, Ruth Cole remembers him as a 'disruptive kid, only interested in himself, with big ideas of grandeur.'"

Supporting Pelzer's story is schoolteacher Athena Konstan of Daly City, who wrote, "In my 31 years of teaching, David Pelzer was the most severely abused child I have ever known."

Works

Pelzer has written a number of books, some of which outline his experiences. Five of these were included in the New York Times bestseller list.

• A Child Called It (1995) ISBN 1-55874-366-9
• The Lost Boy (1997) ISBN 1-55874-515-7
• A Man Named Dave (1999) ISBN 0-452-28190-3
• Help Yourself (2001) ISBN 0-452-28276-4
• My Story (2002) ISBN 0-7528-5371-6, Compilation of "A Child Called It", "The Lost Boy" and "A Man Named Dave"
• The Privilege of Youth (2004) ISBN 0-525-94769-8
• Life's Lessons (2004) ISBN 0-00-714691-4
• Help Yourself for Teens (2005) ISBN 0-452-28652-2

Reviews

• San Francisco Chronicle, Jerry Carroll, July 30, 1998 "The Beaten Path: Author David Pelzer chronicles a nightmare childhood"

External links

• Dave Pelzer's Personal website
• An interview with Dave Pelzer