Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
Help Yourself
by
Dave Pelzer
As nearly four million readers have learned from his three previous books, Dave Pelzer doesn't believe in feeling sorry for himself. Abused mercilessly by his mother as a child, Dave has taken everything that happened to him and turned it into something positive so that he can help others. Now happily married and with a child of his own, he celebrates the twin pillars of s...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
September 1st 2001
by Plume
(first published 2000)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
931)
Dave Pelzer has an amazing story. His previous books,"A Child Called It," "The Lost Boy," and "A Man Called Dave" tell of his severe abuse at the hands of his Mom. The stories he tells in those books are almost unbelievable. This book is a self help book based on the things he learned to overcome that abuse. He has several good points and also has some I disagree with. I highly recommend his previous books and then you can decide if you would like to read this one. Keep in mind he discusses a fe...more
Dave Pelzer has written several books talking about his life and the troubles he had to go through as a child. The book that I chose to read was a non-fiction book called “Help Yourself Finding Hope, Courage, and Happiness. The book wasn’t as interesting in my opinion to the other book I read by him called “A Child Called It,” however this book was inspiring and taught me a lot about dealing with your troubles and overcoming the past.
I think Dave Pelzer’s purpose in writing, “Help Yourself Find...more
I think Dave Pelzer’s purpose in writing, “Help Yourself Find...more
Despite not liking most of all of this book and especially the opinions and views of Dave Pelzer, I would have to give him credit where credit is due. Dave Pelzer is not the type of man to sit around and let the world happen to him, he happens to the world.
I'm not a fan of, 'self-help', books and my choice in buying such a book titled, "Help Yourself", seems more of an exercise in affirming what I already figured. If you're looking for help, ultimately it is up to you. There are times in our lif...more
I'm not a fan of, 'self-help', books and my choice in buying such a book titled, "Help Yourself", seems more of an exercise in affirming what I already figured. If you're looking for help, ultimately it is up to you. There are times in our lif...more
Do you want to be more than a passive victim? Do memories of hurtful experiences have too much power over you? The horrific examples from the author's own childhood establish that he is an authority on how to 'help yourself'. I found the book memorable - not because the ideas were new - but because the author's credibility, based one his own experiences, make it difficult to ignore his good advice.
I'm not a big self-help book person, at least that's my impression from reading part of this book (I couldn't finish it--only 70ish pages through I quit). I'm sure it's helpful to someone! I enjoyed his autobiographical books, but of his 3 (I think) self-help books, this is the only one I've started reading. Maybe due to my negative response to the speech he gave for our human services company.
I think this book is really good - not read his other books but there are extracts throughout this that relate to what has happened to him how he coped then and how he overcame - powerful and thought provoking, made me wonder how someone can overcome such horrific abuse and still be so positive and have made a success of life - inspiring
It is difficult to imagine the abuse the author suffered at the hands of his adoptive mother, but extremely encouraging that he has had a successful life in spite of it. Although a little preachy at times, I found the book inspiring.
Sep 07, 2010
Kholsu
marked it as to-read
i really need to read this
the reviews seem (you either like it or you dont) in my case its positive and up my ally, i think this could be my answer for few things am facing at present.
am so keen to get my hands on a copy :)
the reviews seem (you either like it or you dont) in my case its positive and up my ally, i think this could be my answer for few things am facing at present.
am so keen to get my hands on a copy :)
Amazing man...truly resilient. He should have his picture next to the word in the dictionary and ever since reading this book every
time I hear the word Resilient I think of Dave.
time I hear the word Resilient I think of Dave.
So far I really like this book. I've enjoyed reading most every book by him. I'm only a third of the way through and so far I love it; I would highly recommend all of his books.
After reading all of his other books, this one was not quite as helpful, but still a great book to show ways of finding courage and happiness.
Simply the truth told simply from someone who rose above all odds. It helps me gain perspective and stop whining.
excellent book, especially for those people trying to find a better way to live life and interact with people.
Better than all the other books by this author that describe.. stuff, because this is actually helpful.
I think it is a very good read. Glad to see someone in this situation actually is trying to help others.
A book everyone should read. I enjoyed it very much and learned a lot about myself.
He was a very inspiritional reading and it really opened my eyes to better myself.
This was ok . It discussed ways that he dealt with his past and present life.
This was the last self help book I have read or will ever need or want to read. After reading this book years ago this book help me realize we all have our own trials to go through; some are done to us and others we create ourselves. Each day do something for yourslef and something for others. Each of these need not be shared with anyone but often will give you a boost and share commonality with our world and just may provide you with inner peace.
Amazing how he has come through...
This book for those who want guidance in dealing with a painful past. Even though Dave writes about his experiences, his journey in overcoming the despair, sadness and cruelty shows the things that he did to come out of his painful past. I liked his frank acknowledgement of his past and how he chose to rise above it. A recommended read :)
Jun 07, 2008
Debbie
added it
I love self help books and this is a good one. Simple to the point words of wisdom, to help you move past the hurt, the guilt, the blaming of yourself. A book that helps you get on the road to letting go and learning to live and love again.
Couldn't finish it; too repetitive. I'm sure it has a good message but it seemed lost on me, at least after the third or fourth iteration. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I wasn't getting it from this book so I'm surrendering now...
Mar 04, 2009
Stephanie
added it
I heard him speak once and was totally inspired to move on from the broken relationships in my life. His book isn't quite as captivating as he was in person, but still I find it helpful in validating my right to respect in a relationship.
This book absolutely changed my life. I highlighted passages, took notes, the whole nine yards. It was the kick in the a$$ I needed to get my life on track.
This is Dave Pelzer's self help book. A good read for anyone. He shares a lot of advice that is useful for any situation.
Really inspiring stuff. Has opened my eyes to new perspectives and has provided a much needed kick up the ass.!
my mom thought i needed a self help book. my downward spiral continued so i'm not sure it helped all that much.
This was a sad book, but the guy really pulled himself up and got on with life. It was admirable.
A good refresher for those who are healthy and a great gift to those who are working to be.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
An author best known for his 1995 memoir of childhood abuse, A Child Called It.
At the age of 12, Dave was removed from an abusive home and placed in a series of foster homes. In 1979, he joined the Air Force and later became an author of memoirs and self-improvement books.
More about Dave Pelzer...
At the age of 12, Dave was removed from an abusive home and placed in a series of foster homes. In 1979, he joined the Air Force and later became an author of memoirs and self-improvement books.
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
Nov 25, 2012 05:29am