I know I'm not the only one.

[Kristen]

It's always possible in any sort of book like this that the author lies to make the story "better", but it's also entirely possible that he was telling the truth as it happened. There are some sick people out there.

[Melissa]

This happened when he was a child. He is telling it how he remembers it. It is possible he remembers things differently than they actually happened, but his brother did corroborate many of his stories.

[Amanda]

Steven wrote: "Melissa wrote: "This happened when he was a child. He is telling it how he remembers it. It is possible he remembers things differently than they actually happened, but his brother did corroborat..."

they probs felt guilty for what happened so they said it didnt. if you want to make sure it was true foster kids leave a paper trail.

[Jessica]

Steven wrote: "Does anyone else feel that David Pelzer Might have stretched the truth when writing this book? I am not going to take a leap of faith and say that he was completely lying, but I did get the impress..."
He wrote this story from the memories of his adolescent mind, and we all know when we were younger we took everything worse than it was, so it could just be his memory, he just might have to make the book more heart yanking, or this story is actually 100% truthful in the words. Only David Pelzer and his mother will know the full extent of the abuse he endured.

[Jessica]

Steven wrote: "Melissa wrote: "This happened when he was a child. He is telling it how he remembers it. It is possible he remembers things differently than they actually happened, but his brother did corroborat..."
In the story Pelzer's mother did a lot of the abuse when no one was looking. Like when she made him eat the feces out of a diaper, everyone else was outside and not paying attention. So it's fully possible that his brother doesn't believe a lot of this because he never saw it happened or noticed much abuse when living in the house hold.

[[deleted user]]

Steven wrote: "Does anyone else feel that David Pelzer Might have stretched the truth when writing this book? I am not going to take a leap of faith and say that he was completely lying, but I did get the impress..."

Yes, I think he probably was "stretching the truth". But who cares? I wish he'd stretched the truth a lot more, because then it might have actually been an interesting book (rather than the lifeless, boring turd it is).

[Mary]

Melissa wrote: "This happened when he was a child. He is telling it how he remembers it. It is possible he remembers things differently than they actually happened, but his brother did corroborate many of his st..."

Exactly.

[Erik]

I do some work with young children that come from abusive homes, and I have found that there are parents out there with their own mental illnesses that will allow them to behave in very disturbing ways. My mother herself tells me stories about her own abuse as a child, and it seems to be right up there with some of what is described in this book. While he could be embellishing some of the stories, or not remembering them just right, it doesn't take away from the reality that theses types of situations are actually taking place around us, at least it doesn't not for me.

[Teresa]

It most definitely has the ring of truth. One of the reasons abusive parents get away with it so long is people find a hard time believing these sorts of things actually happen. The other reason is the violence is often targeted on one "scapegoat" child and the worst abuse is inflicted without any witnesses. Also he was removed from the home once he began to show the signs of malnutrition, healed broken bones that had no medical attention and the poison from being forced to drink soap and breath in harmful chemicals. His subsequent behavior in foster homes is clinically accurate in regards to children who have suffered abuse.

[Gabriella]

Children are tortured, abused, neglected and even killed on a daily basis. Foster care, impoverished cities and the kids next door. It's reality and even if David Pelzer might have exaggerated, I'm sure it's true for some child even if they didn't make it to tell their story!

[Helene]

Gabriella wrote: "Children are tortured, abused, neglected and even killed on a daily basis. Foster care, impoverished cities and the kids next door. It's reality and even if David Pelzer might have exaggerated, I'..."

Steven wrote: "Does anyone else feel that David Pelzer Might have stretched the truth when writing this book? I am not going to take a leap of faith and say that he was completely lying, but I did get the impress..."

[Helene]

I think that when you come from a very abusive home, you don't easily forget the things that happened to you, no matter how young you were at the time. I think there are things you block out completely but most things you remember clearly.

Sometimes you try to bury what you went through in tightly sealed boxes, but I don't believe you ever forget what it felt like when you eventually talk about it, no matter how young you were.

I know of people that have been abused who now abuse their own children. Others often break down at some stage in their life because the lids of their sealed boxes start opening.

You can have a serious break down and eventually get the help you need, commit suicide as a few people I know have done because they could never get over it, or you could live in depression your entire life because of it.

Abused people don't speak about it and nor do their siblings, especially if it's only one or two children that were abused in the family. The ones that are not abused often try to protect their parents because it is an embarrassment for the world to know about it.

Some only have the courage to write about it after their death of their parents.

I agree with Gabriella. It is so common, not only between parents and children but between adult couples as well.

Abused people don't talk about it unless for some reason you tell them about your own abuse.

I am glad he had the courage to write about it and use his real name. I hope he has worked through it with professionals and is living his life feeling worthy of being here.

[Helene]

Helene wrote: "Gabriella wrote: "Children are tortured, abused, neglected and even killed on a daily basis. Foster care, impoverished cities and the kids next door. It's reality and even if David Pelzer might ha..."


Gabriella I have no idea how my pic landed on your comment. I can't seem to remove it. Can you? All I did was upload my pic on my profile. So sorry about that.

[Siyamthanda Skota]

I can't even believe that we are entertaining this skepticims. *shaking one's head*

[Melanie]

Steven wrote: "Teresa wrote: "It most definitely has the ring of truth. One of the reasons abusive parents get away with it so long is people find a hard time believing these sorts of things actually happen. Th..."

Good point!

[Heidi]

And if y'all remember from the book, he mentioned that the mom would put her other children against him. Especially the youngest brother who would always go along with the mom. If his other siblings denied it, it must be because of that :/

[Ash]

Heidi wrote: "And if y'all remember from the book, he mentioned that the mom would put her other children against him. Especially the youngest brother who would always go along with the mom. If his other sibling..."

that's true

[JJ]

Ok i understand the many things i have read about "stretching the truth" but honestly does it really matter? The fact of the matter is...this kid was, even with partial imagination, abused!!! No one will ever know how bad it really was but him. Despite the possibility of him making it seem a lot worse than it really happened, I don't care! Something obviously did happen and that is enough for me to believe it is just not right! Psychologically, he might have made a bunch of things up, from the effects of the occurrences, which it's hard to sit here and blame him for. Some people find it real hard to move past a traumatic event, just one, now that we are talking constant, multiple events...ya shit starts getting to your head people. Just like the effects of lucid dreaming. I'm pretty sure that even if his mother was not as abusive in reality as he made it seem, for someone to write a book about something this bad in their childhood, I'm sure she wasn't the best of mothers. just saying.

[Nayelly]

Steven wrote: "Melissa wrote: "This happened when he was a child. He is telling it how he remembers it. It is possible he remembers things differently than they actually happened, but his brother did corroborat..."

As he does say his brothers did not go through the same situations as he did. They were lucky. Why would the brother want to agree with the story and be judged as is his mother.

[Ash]

JJ wrote: "Ok i understand the many things i have read about "stretching the truth" but honestly does it really matter? The fact of the matter is...this kid was, even with partial imagination, abused!!! No on..."

I dont think he was "Stretching the truth" because there were some pictures online of some scars and bruises and one of his brothers still remembers what his mother did to him

[JJ]

Ember_is_unique: I was just saying stretching the truth BC of what most of the discussions and/or ppl's comments on here state that...

[Zahara]

In my English class a few other students and I created a blog on the next two books in the series. If you`re interested, please check it out! I would appreciate any feedback.

http://291888.blogspot.com/