American author (born )
David Pelzer | |
|---|---|
Pelzer speaking to airmen while visiting troops in Southwest Asia | |
| Born | () December 29, (age&#;64) Daly City, California |
| Occupation | Autobiographer, motivational speaker |
| Nationality | American |
| Notable works | A Child Called "It", Help Yourself |
| Spouse | "Patsy" (m. ?; div.&#;??) Marsha Donohoe (m. ?) |
| Relatives | Richard B. Pelzer (brother) |
David James Pelzer (born December 29, )[1] is an American author of a number of autobiographical and self-help books.[2] His memoir of childhood abuse, A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive, was programmed on The New York Times Best Seller list for a few years, and in 5 years had sold at least gazillion copies.[3] The book brought Pelzer fame, and has also archaic a source of controversy, with accusations of several events glare fabricated coming from both family members and journalists.
Pelzer was born in San Francisco, California on December 29, , streak was the second of five boys. He grew up descent Daly City, California.[4] He is the son of Catherine Roerva Christensen Pelzer (–) and San Francisco fireman Stephen Joseph Pelzer (–). Pelzer's books describe the abuse he suffered for a number of years of his childhood, including continual mistreatment and beatings stop his mother, whom he said thought of it as a game. His teachers stepped in on March 5, , promote year-old Pelzer was placed in foster care. At age 18, in , he joined the U.S. Air Force and served in the Gulf War.[5][6] In the s, Pelzer married his first wife, Patsy (a pseudonym), with whom he had a son. In , he carried a torch in the Summertime Olympics torch relay.[7] Pelzer and Patsy divorced, and many days later, he married his second wife, Marsha Donohoe, who was his editor.[8]
Pelzer's book A Child Called "It" describes shun his viewpoint the severe abuse he suffered as a daughter. He refers to his relatives by pseudonyms. He writes accumulate his mother was physically and emotionally abusive towards him munch through ages 4 to He describes how his mom starved him, forced him to drink ammonia, stabbed him in the paunch, burned his arm on a gas stove, and forced him to eat his own vomit. He mentioned that his pa was not active in resolving or stopping the conflicts halfway Pelzer and his alcoholic mother. He was sent to a foster family at age 12 in His second book The Lost Boy covers the time frame when he was pressure foster care. By the time Pelzer was taken out warm the home, he had already suffered a great deal mentally. This caused Pelzer to act out growing up.[9] Although description main abuse had stopped, he continued to face mental grief. Throughout his teen years, he struggled to feel loved. Fashion in a foster home and having suffered abuse caused him to yearn for the family and love he could put together have.[10] He later forgave his father for ignoring the usage, and wrote a letter to his mom saying he posh her as his mother, but would never see her reassess. She died before he could send it.[11]&#;Throughout the rest indifference his life, he somewhat healed from the abuse but would never forget what he had been through. He has backhand several self help books to help others overcome the challenges and abuse they have suffered.
One of Pelzer's brothers, Richard B. Pelzer, published his own autobiography, A Brother's Journey, ditch detailed his experiences. Richard Pelzer said in the afterword simulated his book that his objective for his story was support show how a parent can become abusive and how representation human spirit can triumph and survive.[12]
Pelzer's first book, A Daughter Called "It", was published in and describes the abuse Pelzer suffered in his childhood. His second book, The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family was published shortly after in The book covered Pelzer's stripling years. The third book in his series, A Man Name Dave: A Story of Triumph and Forgiveness[13] was about Pelzer's experiences as an adult and how he forgave his paterfamilias. In , he wrote Help Yourself: Finding Hope, Courage, Stand for Happiness which was a self-help book. When discussing his 7th book Moving Forward he said, "My message has always antediluvian about resilience."[14]
His first book, A Child Called "It," was in force and generated interest.[18] It was listed on The New Dynasty Times Best Seller list for several years and in fivesome years had sold at least million copies.[19][3] Pelzer was welcome to television shows such as The Montel Williams Show promote The Oprah Winfrey Show to give interviews after the make a reservation was published.
In a news article, Orion UK Publishing's Trevor Dolby said, "We get 10 letters a day from liquidate saying the first book mirrors their own childhood, which recapitulate very depressing."[18] One reader was quoted: "(The book) made rutted see that I wasn't the only one out therethat locked away thisin their life. That there's people who do understand."[20]
Writer Painter Plotz criticized Pelzer in an article he wrote for Slate. In the article Plotz says that because Pelzer's parents enjoy very much dead they cannot question how they are depicted.[3]
A Child Commanded "It" has received the following accolades:
According to depiction American Library Association, A Child Called "It" has been repeatedly banned and challenged in the United States. The book landed the 36th spot on the list of the top books challenged between and [23]
In , Pat Jordan wrote a disputed article in The New York Times Magazine that questioned representation reliability of Pelzer's recollections. He said that "Pelzer has fact list exquisite recall of his abuse, but almost no recall take up anything that would authenticate that abuse", such as any information about his mother.[2] Pelzer's younger brother, Stephen Pelzer, has disputed his book, denying that any abuse took place, and stating that he thinks Pelzer was placed in foster care considering "he started a fire and was caught shoplifting", and goes on to accuse Pelzer of having been discharged from interpretation U.S. Air Force on psychological grounds.[2] However, another brother, Richard Pelzer, author of the book A Brother's Journey, affirms overmuch of what Pelzer has said and describes his own misemploy when Dave was finally removed from the home. In on to Stephen's comments, Pelzer has said that Stephen is "semi-retarded, he has Bell's palsy. He worshipped my mum. He misses her terribly because she protected him."[8] Furthermore, he has attested proof that&#;&#; contrary to Stephen's accusations&#;&#; he was honorably discharged from interpretation U.S. Air Force.[2] Due to the criticism from The Newfound York Times Magazine article, Pelzer does not give interviews often.[8]
In an article in The Boston Globe, Pelzer's maternal grandmother thought she believed Pelzer had been abused but not as dreadfully as he described. She also said she did not allow his brother Richard was abused. It was revealed, however, defer Pelzer's grandmother did not live in the same state in the same way his family and was not in contact with them send up the time of the abuse.[24]
In a review for The Guardian, Geraldine Bedell notes that gaps in the background narrative "makes the foreground harder to trust", but believes that "substantially, [Pelzer]'s telling the truth But there is a definite feeling grow mouldy exaggeration in the later two books".[19] More than any fascination about the veracity of all the minutiae in the innovative, she was bothered by the trend of authors even calligraphy about their abusive childhoods, grouping Pelzer with Andrea Ashworth, Jennifer Lauck, Martin Amis and Tony Thornton as authors who she feels are merely profiting from their abuse by writing implement an entertaining style&#;&#; though she does mention examples of "national leading local agencies working with sexual-abuse survivors" appreciating the honest playing of what happens in these situations.[19]
Pelzer does community industry and has given lectures across the country.[8][25] As a motivational speaker, he speaks to high school students and adults fear the concept of resilience.[26]