First published 1995
David Pelzer's life is forever upended when his mother, a disturbed alcoholic, begins a campaign of relentless physical and emotional torment. Starved, beaten, and forced to play twisted games, David is left clinging to life. As his mother's abuse escalates, David must find the strength to escape her wrath and build a new life for himself. A searing true story of resilience in the face of unimaginable cruelty.
Genres: abuse, autobiography, biography-memoir, family-drama
Vibes: dark, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, overcoming-adversity
294 pages · Hardcover · Health Communications
Content warnings: child-abuse, emotional-abuse, physical-abuse