The Pelzer family's secret life of fear and abuse was first revealed in Dave Pelzer's inspiring New York Times best seller, A Child Called "It", followed by The Lost Child and A Man Called Dave. Here, for the first time, Richard Pelzer tells the courageous and moving story of his abusive childhood. From tormenting his younger brother David to becoming himself the focus of his mother's wrath to his ultimate liberation, here is a horrifying glimpse at what existed behind closed doors in the Pelzer home. Equally important, Richard Pelzer's touching account is a testament to the strength of the human heart and its capacity to triumph over almost unimaginable trauma.
 Write a Review of A Brother's Journey
Donald, February 17, 2006
Reviewer: Donald
This Text Refers to the Hard Cover Edition:
A Child Called "It" moved the world to appreciate the extent that child abuse can take . . . and the need to do more to stop it. Over 2 million copies of that vivid memoir have been sold. In that story, Dave Pelzer described the role his brothers were forced to play in his abuse. Younger brother Richard was a particular problem as he would tell lies about Dave that led to more beatings by their mother. But Richard would also leave food for the starving Dave.
In A Brother's Journey, Richard tells his perspective both on what happened to Dave, his guilt for his role, and how the family functioned after Dave was taken away to a foster home.
In limited ways, Richard was selected by their mother to replace Dave as the butt of her alcoholic rages. Although his abuse was horrific, it failed to be as bad as Dave's. Thank God for that.
But the interesting part of this book is the insight it provides for psychologists, social workers and the families of abused children concerning the impact of abuse on the more favored children in the family. Most books about child abuse don't get into this aspect of family life, and I found the added perspectives to be very revealing and interesting.
Naturally, no one can read this book (or A Child Called "It") without wondering how a grandmother, a father, neighbors or the school could have permitted this to go on so long.
The lesson seems to be that if you suspect even the possibility of abuse, you'd better do something. What you see is probably less than 1% of the problem.
Professionals can learn from this book the importance of on-going observation and the need to build trust in those who are suspected of being abused. The abusers will have terrified the abused with all kinds of lies to keep them quiet . . . and not seek help.
One of the most fascinating parts of this book is Richard's description of how hard it was for him to realize that he could stop his mother physically.
You will be haunted by the two occasions when Dave reaches out to Richard and the family . . . and how those turned out.
If you are looking for a story to top A Child Called "It", you will be disappointed. If you want to better understand what you learned from A Child Called "It", I strongly recommend that you read this book.
Donald Mitchell
http://livebetterthanabillionaireon5dollars.blogspot.com/
- Published:
2005
- LearnOutLoud.com Product ID:
A006671
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