A Man Named Dave. A Story of Triumph and Forgiveness

Editorial Review
The inspiring conclusion to A Child Called "It" and The Lost Boy

"All those years you tried your best to break me, and I'm still here. One day you'll see, I'm going to make something of myself."--Dave Pelzer, from A Man Named Dave

These words were Dave Pelzer's declaration of independence to his mother, and they represented the ultimate act of self-reliance. Dave's father never intervened as his mother abused him with shocking brutality, denying him food and clothing, torturing him in any way she could imagine. This was the woman who told her son she could kill him any time she wanted to-and nearly did. The more than two million readers of Pelzer's previous international bestsellers, A Child Called "It" and The Lost Boy, know that he lived to tell his courageous story. A Man Named Dave is the gripping conclusion to his inspirational trilogy. With stunning generosity of spirit, Dave Pelzer invites readers on his journey to discover how he turned shame into pride and rejection into acceptance.
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Customer Reviews

Excellent

2008-02-17
The book is well written and details the journey of a man to seek answers for his childhood abuse at the hands of his mother. There were times I felt the story was too drawn out but overall it is an excellent story of courage and self-discovery.
Would highly recommend this book.

Awsome book

2008-02-08
I would reccomend this book to all teachers....I am a preschool teacher, and it gives me a glimpse into the future of some of the country's most tragic stories.

A Man Named Dave

2008-02-08
This is an riviting true story written by a man who survivied the most horrible child abuse. He has written two books previous to this book and the reader should order all the books and read them in order of date written. He puts the reader in the shoes of an abused child so you feel the pain the author felt. Sadly, child abuse still goes on today and reading these books helps the reader under stand what goes on in the mind of a child being abused.

Finally Forgiving and Triumphant!

2007-12-23
This is the last book in the trilogy of Dave Pelzer's autobiography so you should really read the first two books to appreciate this one fully. They are A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive and The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family. In this book, David joins the Air Force, works hard, gets nowhere, allows a girl (Patsy) to move in with him and eventually marries her because she's pregnant with his child. Dave loves his son and is a good father to him but got divorced. Eventually, Dave moved to his favorite place by the river where he always wanted to live. Dave became a published author by writing about his childhood and fell in love and married his publisher. He then became a motivational speaker and helps give inspiration and advice to other kids who are struggling with their circumstances.

In spite of his terrible parents, he was able to forgive them and move on with his life. That, I think, was the most valuable lesson in the book. This book seemed slower moving than his others but it does provide the happy ending to show how far he came in life's journey. He is an incredible person! I recommend you read this book AFTER you finish the first two.

Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

An Important Book

2007-11-24
This book is important because it shows how you can overcome great adversity. Dave is courageous to share such personal and heartbreaking details of his life. But in so doing, he offers others a roadmap of how to cope, overcome, and PREVAIL. Thank you, Dave!

Also recommended: Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices--another roadmap that shows how loss and heartbreak can be overcome through kind actions...

David Pelzer's best book

2008-06-20
I loved this book. I already read A child called it & The Lost Boy. I was touched by all three. However A Man named Dave brought tears to my eyes and made me very emotional. I applaud David Pelzer for sharing his life. He seems to be a re-markable man.

Amazing

2008-05-06
I have read the trilogy of this book and believe it to be uplifting and just truly amazing. It makes you strive to be all you can be and to treat others in the way you want to be treated. He is a true inspiration to anyone.

Excellent

2008-04-21
Very well written book. It is very inspiring. Once you start reading you cant put it down. This man has been through so much and triumphed.

good book!

2008-04-19
this is the third sequel to a child called it! i like the part where dave pelzer's mom talks about his father dying, and asks, don't you have something for me? didn't he give you anything before he passed away? and dave says no! father didn't give me a thing! then his mom says you're lying! and slaps him and makes his nose bleed! read it if you like dave pelzer as much as me!

A Nice Wrap Up

2008-04-17
I'm glad Dave wrote this book. It made his story come full circle and now the world can read how one man can truly make a difference and move on with his life.