The books were "A Child Called IT" by Dave Pelzer and "A Brother's Journey" by his brother, Richard Pelzer. Both stories are true stories of childhood abuse. Their mother was an alcoholic and put them through horrible situations.
I do think these books are important because the world needs to know what sometimes happens behind closed doors, we all need be aware. When I was growing up and was a victim myself, I never knew that it was wrong. I thought I was just a bad kid and that this was the normal way for parents to deal with me. In public or on the rare occasions that friends came to our appartment, everything was "normal", in other words there was a completely different attitude shown to outsiders. Some people to this day, would never believe me if I shared my story I am sure. I found out how wrong my childhood experiences were once I moved an ocean away from my parents. By then, I was an adult and just wanted to start my own life, move on. I took care of myself, went to therapy, and also read a lot about how to break the cycle. I did not want to repeat history. And I haven't. My children, when they are grown, will hear my story if they wish, but for now, I am just so happy that they are able to live in a safe, loving environment.
Anyway, both books are autobiographies and are filled with detailed descriptions of the torture they endured. It turned my stomach at some points. I just wanted to warn you, in case you want to read these books. If you are a victim yourself, the one book that really helped me (even more than therapy) was called The Courage to Heal by Ellen Bass.
Read: 2/52
Next book: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Oh, dear. Those must have been incredibly difficult to read given your personal history.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your recommendations and a bit of your story.
I am guessing that the goal is to read one book a week? How do you manage to read one book a week? If I want to finish a book in a week I have to spend all my evenings reading. Perhaps I am just a slow(er) reader!
ReplyDeleteThose books both sound fascinating. Thanks for sharing!
Tricia
You are a very strong person to be able to not only survive but also heal yourself. I am not sure you are ever fully healed from something like that, but it sounds like you have had the courage and the strength to overcome your childhood. I agree that these stories are important, and I wish there was more awareness about this in our societies. That we as adults would dare ask when we see something that could be a bad situation. It happens here too, and it breaks my heart to think about the poor children!
ReplyDeleteThank for sharing a bit of your story and thoughts on the books. I agree with everything Tine said. *hugs*
ReplyDelete@tricia not everyone can manage to read one book a week. The goal is 52 books so how you get there is up to you. Some books are fast reads and others take time.
I think it's really impressive that you actually "dared" to read these books. You're a strong person!
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