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A Teenager's Journey
Overcoming a Childhood of Abuse

by Richard B. Pelzer



      Richard B. Pelzer's sequel to A Brother's Journey, A Teenager's Journal, is a heart-wrenching account of an abused teenager.

As the reader picks up the account of Pelzer reaching his teens, the same question keeps popping up: how could any mother be that cruel to any child, much less her own son? Of course, the constant shame and embarrassment that is heaped on Pelzer forces him to find comfort in other sources -drugs and alcohol. This decision only exacerbates the horrific relationship between Pelzer and his mother.

Pelzer has several opportunities to rid himself of the demons of alcohol and drugs, but his deep-seated embarrassment would not permit him to open up enough. Each time, he would turn to drugs and alcohol for comfort.

In the latter part of the book, Pelzer observes closely the lives of the Nichols children to see what a normal childhood and family is like. His life had been nowhere near what a normal life should be.

The memoir highlights how far we have come in detecting and preventing child abuse. With the number of people who were aware of what was happening in the Pelzer household, this should not have happened and more than likely could not happen today. This abusive mother would be in jail in 2006.

Anyone who reads this memoir will be more sensitive to those individuals who have experienced abuse.

The Book

Warner Wellness
May 2006
Hardcover
044657970x
Nonfiction/Memoir
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Willie Elliott
Reviewed 2006
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© 2006 MyShelf.com