Book Review 2. Xinwei.

Title: My Story
Author: Dave Pelzer
Genre: Non-Fiction

Reflection

Hahaha, how should I start on this book review? After I’m finished with reading ‘My Story’, which brings all three volumes, namely ‘A Child Called It’, ‘The Lost Boy’ and ‘A Man Called Dave’ together, I feel a mixture of different emotions. Hmm, how should I describe these feelings...? I supposed I feel four basic feelings throughout this book - sadness, happiness, self-awareness and even annoyance at certain parts of the book. I believe that David Pelzer did not specifically attempt to cause his readers have such varying emotions intentionally, but it is the depth, strength and truthfulness of his story that has made such an impact on me. Every sentence was not structured to impress, but rather to form a certain connection between the writer and the reader, for better expression of the writer and understanding of the reader. The words used in this book are not bombastic, but straight to the point and precise and they really bring across the message effectively. This kind of writing method can not only be applied in personal accounts but also during essays writing as I can imagine myself as the characters in my essays, going through every specific turning points of the story, thus applying the exact words for the whole story to flow like a river.

David Pelzer begins his story through an unpleasant encounter he had with his alcoholic mentally-disturbed mother as a child in italic, and I’m captivated by his story from that moment onwards. As the author recounts every ups and downs that he went through as a child, a teenager or as a young adult, I find myself feeling as though I’m walking alongside him on his journey to freedom. The volatile master-slave-like relationship that he had with his brutal mother, the complicated bond he shares with his father and the distant relation he has with his brothers are sure to shock and interest many. The fact that all these happenings are in fact real is kind of unbelievable to begin with, but I’ve come to realise the fact that there’re still many things happening in the real world that I’m not aware of or able to comprehend easily. He as a child had gone through so much that I think I won’t be able to match in a lifetime, but through these 489 pages, I’m able to reflect and learn the lessons that David Pelzer had learned the hard way. I respect David Pelzer for the fact that he not only survived this hellish ordeal, but also live his life to the fullest like any other normal person, fulfilling his dream of becoming an airman. David Pelzer’s child abuse case is in fact the second worse ever recorded in California’s history. In short, this book is very inspiring and I feel that David Pelzer is not only a survivor, but a self-made winner.

Xinwei.