Read it...now! (Lost Boy, The - Dave Pelzer)

Member Name: Orangeb

Product:	Lost Boy, The - Dave Pelzer
Date:	14/10/01 (49 review reads)
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I decided to buy this book after reading a great mixture of opinions on dooyoo. Some people hated it, others thought it was brilliant, if that isn't too much of an insensitive way to put it as calling this book "brilliant" could be seen as being quite twisted.

The book is all about Dave Pelzer's terrible childhood in which he was badly abused by his mother. The things she did to him are unbelievable and sickening, not only did she beat him, but she also made him drink ammonia, stabbed him, tried to make him lie over a gas stove and made him eat faeces from his baby brother's nappy.
In addition to this torture, she also starved him. She would check that he hadn't stolen any food in the daytime at school by making him vomit when he got home.
Somehow though, this boy managed to cope with this shocking treatment. His amazing determination ensured that he withstood his beatings and starvation, the thing he wanted most in the world was to survive and show his mother how strong he was.

I don't know how he found the will power to continue living through those difficult years of abuse, he had no friends and his brothers and father were turned against him by his mother, but he did. He bore the pain and didn't give in.
The courage that boy had is absolutely amazing and extremely admirable, I know I wouldn't have been able to do what he did.

The book is written in quite graphic detail, particularly the accounts of what his mother did to him, but then again how could you ever forget having such things done to you? There is a lot about how he felt emotionally as well, not only can you imagine what he went through physically, but you learn how he felt and what went through his mind. You can see how his courage and determination shone through and kept him alive.
If you read the book, be prepared for the detailed description as it may well shock you if you are not expecting it.
The child's ab
use is told from his perspective and you learn a lot about what children go through and how a lot of them probably feel. Unfortunately though, many children are not as lucky as Dave, who was eventually rescued and taken away from his mother.

The amazing story of Dave's courage is told in this book and it is well worth reading, as a reader I think you can learn a lot from it. It certainly made me much more aware of child abuse and the consequences of it.
Although it is a sad story, in the end Dave triumphs through sheer determination and will power and as a reader you go through these emotions with him.

All I can say is read it, everybody can benefit and learn from some aspect of this book.

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