The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer

Title: The Lost Boy
Author: Dave Pelzer
Series: Dave Pelzer Trilogy #2
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Pages: 340 Pages
Genre: Non-fiction - Memoir
Overall Rating:

Synopsis (from the book cover):

As a child, Dave Pelzer never had a real home. Rescued from an alcoholic, abusive mother, his only possessions were the old torn clothes he carried in a paper bag; the only world he knew was one of isolation and fear. In The Lost Boy Dave Pelzer relives his life as a foster child, in and out of five different homes. There were those who felt that all foster kids were trouble - unworthy of love - and resented his presence, forcing him to suffer yet more shame. But through it all, Dave never stopped hoping and searching for the love of a real family.

First Sentence: Winter 1970,  Daly City, California - I'm alone, I'm hungry and I'm shivering in the dark.

My Review: As I strolled through this heartbreaking journey with Dave Pelzer, thoughts after thoughts keep going through my head. How did he learn to survive? How tiring it was to keep on guard all the time? How a person could completely lost the sense of security when the one who suppose to keep you secure kept on betraying you over and over and over again. Even though The Lost Boy was not as gruesome as its prequel, A Child Called “It”, the emotional agony and struggle that this boy had to face still manage to bring chill down to my spine.

In The Lost Boy, readers were introduced to the life of Dave Pelzer after he was rescued from the hell he called home. Despite being freed from his abusive, alcoholic mother, he still suffered from the after effect of all those emotional and physical abused that he received from her. He was unable to feel at peace at anytime and he also continued to live in fear because he believed that it cannot be this easy for his mother to let him go. The thing that I found most heartbreaking was when Pelzer kept on thinking that he deserved to be punished for every little thing he did wrong but he wasn’t deserved to be loved and to be taken care of by the people who loved him. This showed the intensity of emotional scars and burden that he carried on his back.

During the years he lived under foster care, he faced a trouble to fit in which resulted in him trying to do anything possible to please anybody that was “willing” to absorb him into their inner circle. Little did he know that all these people were just using him and when anything turned out wrong, he was the one who had to take the blame. The people who lived during that time was also very prejudice, where they thought that foster children were troublesome and didn’t have any right to be among them. How sad, ridiculous and disturbing was that? Though I truly admire him for his ability to come out of this situation – battered but uncrushed, frail but pretty much alive.

There were so many things that I’ve learnt by reading these two books by this author. It reminds me that when I think I got it tough, there is someone out there who got it a lot tougher than I currently am. Dave Pelzer surely deserves a lot of credit for what he has gone through and for what he has achieved thus far. A recommended read for those who enjoy reading non-fiction book that could toil your emotions upside down.

Final Verdict: I wouldn't call this book "enjoyable" cause there is nothing enjoyable to read someone suffer for numbers of years in his life. But this is a kind of read that make you appreciate what you have in your life, knowing that someone else has it a lot worst than you do. Perhaps this is not a book for everyone but I'm sure that those who love reading non-fiction would love this book as much as I did. 

Memorable Quote: I clamped my eyes shut for the longest time. My head swam with a stream of endless thoughts. I didn't care whether I slept on a couch or a bed of nails. I just wanted to stay at a place that I could call home - Dave Pelzer

Dewey by Vicki Myron

Title: Dewey - The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
Author: Vicki Myron
Series: Stand alone book
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Pages: 277 pages
Genre: Memoir
Overall Rating:

Synopsis (from the book cover):

He was an abandoned kitten - frostbitten, starving, shivering. And about to become world famous. Dewey Readmore Books was only a few weeks old when he was stuffed into the Spencer Public Library's returned book slot. He immediately won the heart of Library Director Vicki Myron, a single mother who had survived the lost of her family farm, a breast cancer scare, and alcoholic husband. For the next nineteen years, this library cat never stopped charming the people of this Iowa town with his enthusiasm, warmth, humility (for a cat), and, above all, sixth sense about who needed him most. As his fame grew, Dewey became the mascot of a farming community fighting the greatest crisis in its long history - and a source of inspiration for people all over the world.

I am easily touched whenever I read or watch anything that feature stories about pets and how their presence make a difference in the lives of the owners. Such stories tend to be bittersweet and for sure, they never fail to make me shed a tear or two (or a bucket in the case of Marley & Me)at the end of the stories. Even though Dewey didn’t give me as huge impact as Marley & Me did – but still – as a cat lover, the pulling-at-my-heartstring-feeling was definitely there.

Dewey was not just a story about an extraordinary cat that lived his life in a library at small town Iowa. It also chronicled the history of Spencer and the hardship that this small town community had to face during the Great Depression, Recession and how they prevail till today. At the same time, the author also shared some very personal fragments of her life that I doubt many would be willingly share to anyone. This story is about love, about resilience, about hope and about getting up after suffering a severe fall. How did Dewey fit in all these categories, you might ask? He was there, pouring his unconditional love and was there to be a “silent friend” to everyone in that town.

What I found most interesting in Dewey was the way the author described the relationship that Dewey had with other people and how, in some ways, he helped them during their difficult times. His personality was charming and the way he accommodated himself for just about everyone was simply amazing. As the author mentioned in the book, “He had an amazing sense of who needed him”. The only complaint that I have is its lack of cohesiveness where it seemed hard to find a fluid connection from one chapter to another. Though, whatever the book lacked of, it surely made up in heart – I’ve no doubt about that. I really enjoyed it and I believe that anyone who loves cat would definitely fall in love with this book as well.

Favourite Quote:
...That's life. We all go through the tractor blades every now and then. We all get bruised, and we all get cut. Sometimes the blades cut deep. The lucky ones come through with few scratches, a little blood, but even that isn't the most important thing. The most important thing is having someone there to scoop you up, to hold you tight, and to tell you that everything is all right.

A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer

Title: A Child Called "It"
Author: Dave Pelzer
Series: Dave Pelzer's Trilogy #1
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Pages: 170 pages
Genre: Memoir
Overall Rating:

Synopsis (from the book cover):

As a child, Dave Pelzer was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother, a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games that left one of her sons nearly dead. She no longer consider him a son, but a slave; no longer a boy, but an 'it'. His bed was an old army cot in the basement, his clothes were torn and smelly, and, when he was allowed the luxury of food it was scraps from the dogs' bowl. The outside world knew nothing of this nightmare plated out behind closed doors. Dave dreamed of finding a family to love him and call him their son. It took years of struggle, deprivation and despair to find his dream and make something of himself in the world. A Child Called 'It' covers the early years of his life and is an affecting and inspirational memoir of one child's determination to survive.   

When I first picked up this book, I never know that reading it would be this traumatic. It is a very short read but I seriously have to say that it is not the kind of book that you read for pleasure. Some parts of it were very disturbing, which when coupled with vivid details of the abuse that the author had to endure, making it one of the most depressing books I ever read.

A Child Called “It” portrayed the childhood life of Dave Pelzer, where he was severely abused by his own mother. The way it was done was very sickening to the point where I feel like vomiting and crying. What kind of mother that willing to let her own son sleep with an empty stomach? What kind of mother that has a heart to beat her son till he passed out? What kind of mother that so sick till she can feed her son with poisonous stuffs? I cannot help thinking about all these questions throughout the book. The thing that I feel disturbing most was the fact that his father witnessed his son being abused but never once stood up for him. The way the author described his feeling towards his father’s indifferent behaviour was really heartbreaking. I cannot imagine myself living in his shoes and even if I do, I don’t know if I would ever make it out of it alive. The way that the author prevailed through this adversity was utterly amazing.

With that being said, the high points given for this book is not because it was excellently written but more to the message that the author tried to convey in between the lines. I understand that there are some who question the credibility of his story as a whole but all I can say is that just because these heartbreaking events didn't occur in your life it doesn't mean that it won't happen to others. To me, this is a very good read in a sense that it makes me more appreciative of life and every other thing that have been trusted to me.

Heartbreaking quote:
Get one thing straight, you little son of a b*tch! There is nothing you can do to impress me! Do you understand me? You are a nobody! An It! You are nonexistent! You are a bastard child! I hate you and I wish you were dead! Dead! Do you hear me? Dead!